Project Management in Automotive Manufacturing Enterprises: A Review Based on Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Project management has become increasingly critical in automotive manufacturing enterprises due to rising product complexity, digital transformation, and global supply chain uncertainty. Although a growing body of research has examined project management practices in the automotive sector, existing studies remain fragmented across multiple disciplines, and a systematic synthesis of the knowledge structure is still lacking. To address this gap, this study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric review of project management research in automotive manufacturing enterprises based on 247 publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Using performance analysis and science mapping techniques, this study examines publication trends, country collaboration patterns, influential journals and authors, and keyword co-occurrence and clustering structures. The results reveal a sustained growth in research output since the mid-2010s, accompanied by an increasingly international and polycentric collaboration network dominated by Germany, the United States, and China. The cited journal and author analyses indicate that the intellectual foundation of the field is highly interdisciplinary, integrating project management, operations management, production economics, and supply chain research. Keyword co-occurrence and clustering analyses further demonstrate a clear thematic evolution from early emphases on risk management and decision-making models toward more integrated perspectives encompassing supply chain coordination, dynamic capabilities, sustainability, and electric vehicle–related issues. By systematically mapping the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of the literature, this study contributes to a clearer understanding of how project management research in automotive manufacturing enterprises has developed over time. The findings provide valuable insights for both scholars and practitioners and highlight promising directions for future research in the context of an increasingly complex and dynamic automotive industry.