IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/manchs/v77y2009i3p288-316.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Survival Of Differentiated Products: An Application To The Uk Automobile Market, 1971–2002

Author

Listed:
  • FRANCISCO REQUENA‐SILVENTE
  • JAMES T. WALKER

Abstract

We investigate how competition affected the survival of products in the UK automobile market between 1971 and 2002. We find, after using a host of controls to account for product characteristics and changes in market structure, that (i) within and between firm spatial competition significantly reduces the life of a model, (ii) initial product differentiation and variant proliferation obviate competition, and (iii) product innovation significantly extends model survival.

Suggested Citation

  • Francisco Requena‐Silvente & James T. Walker, 2009. "The Survival Of Differentiated Products: An Application To The Uk Automobile Market, 1971–2002," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 77(3), pages 288-316, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:manchs:v:77:y:2009:i:3:p:288-316
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9957.2009.02098.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.2009.02098.x
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-9957.2009.02098.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jennifer F. Reinganum, 1981. "On the Diffusion of New Technology: A Game Theoretic Approach," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(3), pages 395-405.
    2. Jennifer F. Reinganum, 1985. "Innovation and Industry Evolution," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 100(1), pages 81-99.
    3. Robert C. Feenstra & James A. Levinsohn, 1995. "Estimating Markups and Market Conduct with Multidimensional Product Attributes," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(1), pages 19-52.
    4. Marcus Asplund & Rickard Sandin, 1999. "The Survival of New Products," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 15(3), pages 219-237, November.
    5. Brander, James A & Eaton, Jonathan, 1984. "Product Line Rivalry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 323-334, June.
    6. Champsaur, Paul & Rochet, Jean-Charles, 1989. "Multiproduct Duopolists," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(3), pages 533-557, May.
    7. Symeonidis, George, 2003. "Comparing Cournot and Bertrand equilibria in a differentiated duopoly with product R&D," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 39-55, January.
    8. Justin P. Johnson & David P. Myatt, 2003. "Multiproduct Quality Competition: Fighting Brands and Product Line Pruning," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(3), pages 748-774, June.
    9. Davidson, Russell & MacKinnon, James G., 1993. "Estimation and Inference in Econometrics," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195060119, Decembrie.
    10. Beath, John & Katsoulacos, Yannis & Ulph, David, 1987. "Sequential Product Innovation and Industry Evolution," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 97(388a), pages 32-43, Supplemen.
    11. Pekka Ilmakunnas & Jukka Topi, 1999. "Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Influences on Entry and Exit of Firms," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 15(3), pages 283-301, November.
    12. Shane M. Greenstein & James B. Wade, 1998. "The Product Life Cycle in the Commercial Mainframe Computer Market, 1968-1982," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 29(4), pages 772-789, Winter.
    13. Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg & Frank Verboven, 2001. "The Evolution of Price Dispersion in the European Car Market," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 68(4), pages 811-848.
    14. Chen, Ming-Yuan, 2002. "Survival duration of plants: Evidence from the US petroleum refining industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 517-555, April.
    15. Gruber, Harald, 1992. "Persistence of Leadership in Product Innovation," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 359-375, December.
    16. Richard Schmalensee, 1978. "Entry Deterrence in the Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereal Industry," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 9(2), pages 305-327, Autumn.
    17. Steven Klepper & Kenneth L. Simons, 2000. "The Making of an Oligopoly: Firm Survival and Technological Change in the Evolution of the U.S. Tire Industry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(4), pages 728-760, August.
    18. Stavins, Joanna, 1995. "Model Entry and Exit in a Differentiated-Product Industry: The Personal Computer Market," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(4), pages 571-584, November.
    19. Harchaoui, Tarek M. & Hamdad, Malika, 2000. "The prices of classical recorded music: a hedonic approach," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 497-514, April.
    20. Avner Shaked & John Sutton, 1982. "Relaxing Price Competition Through Product Differentiation," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(1), pages 3-13.
    21. Goldberg, Pinelopi Koujianou, 1995. "Product Differentiation and Oligopoly in International Markets: The Case of the U.S. Automobile Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 63(4), pages 891-951, July.
    22. Vickers, John S, 1986. "The Evolution of Market Structure When There Is a Sequence of Innovations," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1), pages 1-12, September.
    23. Audretsch, David B & Mahmood, Talat, 1995. "New Firm Survival: New Results Using a Hazard Function," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(1), pages 97-103, February.
    24. Eaton, B Curtis & Lipsey, Richard G, 1979. "The Theory of Market Pre-emption: The Persistence of Excess Capacity and Monopoly in Growing Spatial Markets," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 46(182), pages 149-158, May.
    25. Feenstra, Robert C., 1985. "Automobile prices and protection: The U.S.-Japan trade restraint," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 49-68.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Pengfei, 2019. "Price space and product demography: Evidence from the workstation industry, 1980–1996," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    2. Ma, Xingliang & Shi, Guanming, 2010. "GM vs. Non-GM: A Survival Analysis of Hybrid Seed Corn in the US," Staff Paper Series 553, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    3. Lee, Kyungyul & Kwon, Youngsun, 2018. "How does the competitive intensity affect the firm's product strategies?," 22nd ITS Biennial Conference, Seoul 2018. Beyond the boundaries: Challenges for business, policy and society 190406, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    4. Camerani, Roberto & Corrocher, Nicoletta & Fontana, Roberto, 2020. "It's never too late (to enter)… till it is! Firms’ entry and exit in the digital audio player industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Manez, J.A. & Waterson, M., 2001. "Multiproduct Firms and Product Differentiation: a Survey," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 594, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    2. Stole, Lars A., 2007. "Price Discrimination and Competition," Handbook of Industrial Organization, in: Mark Armstrong & Robert Porter (ed.), Handbook of Industrial Organization, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 34, pages 2221-2299, Elsevier.
    3. Chisholm, Darlene C. & Norman, George, 2012. "Market access and competition in product lines," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 429-435.
    4. Justin P. Johnson & David P. Myatt, 2006. "Multiproduct Cournot oligopoly," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 37(3), pages 583-601, September.
    5. Ralph Siebert, 1999. "Credible Vertical Preemption," CIG Working Papers FS IV 99-20, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG), revised Jul 2003.
    6. Simon P. Anderson & André De Palma, 2006. "Market Performance With Multiproduct Firms," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 95-124, March.
    7. Rasha Ahmed & Kathleen Segerson, 2007. "Emissions Control and the Regulation of Product Markets: The Case of Automobiles," Working papers 2007-40, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    8. Justin P. Johnson & David P. Myatt, 2003. "Multiproduct Quality Competition: Fighting Brands and Product Line Pruning," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(3), pages 748-774, June.
    9. Roberto Fontana & Lionel Nesta, 2007. "Product entry in a fast growing industry: The LAN switch market," Springer Books, in: Uwe Cantner & Franco Malerba (ed.), Innovation, Industrial Dynamics and Structural Transformation, pages 87-106, Springer.
    10. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6121 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Roberto Fontana & Lionel Nesta, 2009. "Product Innovation and Survival in a High-Tech Industry," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 34(4), pages 287-306, June.
    12. Ahmed, Rasha & Segerson, Kathleen, 2011. "Collective voluntary agreements to eliminate polluting products," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 572-588, September.
    13. Belleflamme,Paul & Peitz,Martin, 2015. "Industrial Organization," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107687899.
    14. Natalia Fabra & Juan-Pablo Montero, 2022. "Product Lines and Price Discrimination in Markets with Information Frictions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(2), pages 981-1001, February.
    15. Justin P. Johnson & David P. Myatt, 2018. "The determinants of product lines," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 49(3), pages 541-573, September.
    16. Ping Lin, 2007. "Process R&D and Product Line Deletion by a Multiproduct Monopolist," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 91(3), pages 245-262, July.
    17. David P. Baron, 2021. "Dynamic positioning, product innovation, and entry in a vertically differentiated market," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 287-307, May.
    18. Harald Gruber, 1990. "Product Innovation and Persistence of Leadership: Theory with Evidence from the Semiconductor Industry," STICERD - Economics of Industry Papers 02, Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE.
    19. Susan Athey & Armin Schmutzler, 1999. "Innovation and the Emergence of Market Dominance," Working papers 99-18, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
    20. Ralph Siebert, 2003. "The Introduction of New Product Qualities by Incumbent Firms: Market Proliferation versus Cannibalization," CIG Working Papers SP II 2003-11, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG).
    21. De Fraja, Giovanni, 1996. "Product line competition in vertically differentiated markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 389-414, May.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:manchs:v:77:y:2009:i:3:p:288-316. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/semanuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.