Trade Patterns in the Automobile Industry: Some Evidence from South Africa

In this article the authors analyze trade patterns in the South African automobile industry using disaggregated harmonized system product-level data. The significance of intraindustry trade is estimated and separated into patterns of horizontally differentiated (by variety) intraindustry trade and vertically differentiated (by quality) intraindustry trade. The results indicate the presence of significant levels of intraindustry trade in automotive trade flows between South Africa and bilateral trading partners. In accordance with theoretical expectations, the empirical investigation reveals that intraindustry trade in South Africa's automobile industry is dominated by vertical intraindustry trade. Moreover, in recent years the analysis reveals some evidence that, within vertical intraindustry trade, South Africa's automobile industry produces and exports high-quality automotive products aligned with international fragmentation-based production and trade.