汽车行业投资策略：复盘20年汽车行情，探寻总量红利消退期的投资机遇

Investment Rating - The automotive industry is rated as "Outperform" [1][4][5] Core Insights - The report explores the relationship between the automotive industry's prosperity (sales growth) and the valuation of the automotive sector, indicating that while the industry faces pressures from diminishing total growth, it also encounters transformative opportunities from rapid AI model iterations [1][2] - The correlation between industry prosperity and sector valuation has weakened since 2019, leading to two key effects: decoupling effect and asymmetric effect, where high prosperity can drive valuation increases, but low prosperity does not necessarily lead to valuation declines [2][21] - The automotive industry is transitioning to a low growth phase, with total sales expected to stabilize, while structural opportunities arise from exports, smart vehicles, and robotics [3][52] Summary by Sections Relationship Between Valuation and Prosperity - There is a long-term positive correlation between automotive sector valuation and industry prosperity, with valuation showing a leading indicator effect on sales growth [11][15] - Monthly valuation of the automotive sector has a strong correlation with monthly sales growth, indicating that current valuations reflect future sales growth expectations [19][15] Decoupling and Asymmetric Effects - The relationship between prosperity and valuation has decoupled since 2019, with high prosperity not being a necessary condition for high valuation [21][23] - High prosperity can enhance valuation, while low prosperity does not necessarily suppress it, indicating a structural shift in valuation dynamics [35][36] Three-Cycle Theory - The automotive industry is influenced by three cycles: macroeconomic cycle, industrial technology cycle, and policy cycle, which together affect the industry's fundamentals and valuation [39][48] - The shift in dominant cycles from macroeconomic and policy cycles to industrial technology cycles has led to a redefinition of valuation logic, emphasizing structural opportunities over total growth [40][49] Future Outlook - The automotive industry is expected to enter a phase of normalized low growth, with total sales projected to stabilize around 34.89 million units in 2025, reflecting a growth rate of approximately 11% [52][56] - The report highlights the potential for structural growth driven by advancements in AI and smart vehicle technologies, which are anticipated to become new engines of valuation growth [3][52]