Coordination of city-level connected automated vehicle industrial policies in China: A policy design perspective

Nations are advancing connected automated vehicle (CAV) industry development and accelerating the expansion of CAV industrial policy frameworks. However, complex governance challenges in CAV industry development complicate policy formulation, resulting in risks of omission of core components within the CAV industrial policy system. It becomes crucial to enhance the quality of CAV policy design by establishing a coordination evaluation framework based on the coverage of key policy design elements. We integrate the policy modelling consistency (PMC) index model, the BERTopic model, and intergroup difference analysis models to evaluate the coordination of policy systems issued between 2010 and 2025 in 28 CAV industry-related pilot cities. We design an integrated policy design framework and categorize policy coordination levels into reactive, standardized, optimized, and leading tiers. We find that achieving a leap in CAV industrial policy coordination hinges on the balanced integration of internal policy system elements. To enhance CAV industrial policy coordination, cities must adhere to the “issue-goal-tool-timing” policy design paradigm. As cities participate in more pilot projects, urban CAV industrial policy coordination increases in the policy design stage. Our findings and policy implications offer actionable guidance for governments in scientifically advancing the development of the CAV industry and CAV pilot projects.