How vehicle market is segmented and influenced by subsidy policy: A theoretical study

Abstract This paper studies how vehicle market is segmented among consumers and what impacts subsidy policy may have on segmentation. With constant elasticity of substitution utility function and unit demand, we find positive market share for both high-end and low-end vehicles, but not necessary for middle-end vehicles. Market segmentation may have two regimes according to different levels of subsidy on electric vehicles (EVs), and only a sufficiently high subsidy allows for the existence of low type EV market share welcomed by median income consumers. An EV subsidy cut will definitely crowd out the market share of high type EV and expand that of internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV). And given in a regime where low type EVs survive, EV subsidy cut’s influence on low type EV market share is ambiguous, which depends on the relative consumer density around decision cutoff points.