Channel Deconstruction and Restructuring in the Intelligent Vehicle Supply Chain

ABSTRACT

As automobiles evolve from hardware products into intelligent product–service systems, distribution and service systems are deconstructed from integrated dealership channels into specialized functional nodes. Industry practice gives rise to five structures: traditional dealer‐reselling, direct‐selling, hybrid, cooperative, and transition. This study investigates when manufacturers should deconstruct the traditional structure and how they should restructure downstream channels. We develop sequential game models for these structures, distinguishing digital services, presale experience services, and after‐sales maintenance services. They incorporate data value, after‐sales data empowerment, presale experience preference, and OTA after‐sales substitution. We identify a service investment efficiency index to characterize market orientation: Low values indicate service‐oriented markets, and high values indicate price‐oriented markets. The results show that (1) channel deconstruction outperforms the traditional structure in most feasible combinations of data value and market orientation. The traditional structure remains preferred only in a very low‐index region where dealer‐side service provision generates high demand returns. (2) Among deconstructed structures, direct‐selling occupies the broadest optimal region. Transition is preferred under low‐data‐value or high‐index boundaries, cooperative under high‐data‐value or stronger market‐pressure boundaries, and the baseline hybrid forms no stable dominant region. (3) Higher data value, after‐sales data empowerment, and presale experience preference promote intelligence upgrading and service investment, whereas OTA after‐sales substitution weakens offline after‐sales incentives. The hybrid extension shows that vertical coopetition in after‐sales service increases service efforts, the manufacturer's after‐sales allocation share, and manufacturer profit.