The Brazilian Automotive Industry: Ups, Downs, and Future Challenges
摘要
The Brazilian Automotive Industry (BAI) remains the most important in South America. All the main players of the traditional industry operate in the country with the exception of Ford who closed all industrial plants in 2022, but maintains a significant Engineering Team that takes part in the design of some Ford new models. The BAI represents one of the main markets for new cars. Nevertheless, given the high social inequality in the country, the majority of the potential buyers only have the possibility to buy cheaper cars and only if credit is available to them. Since the 90’s, the country developed engines that can operate with any percentage of gasoline and combustible ethanol, which represent an original innovation in worldwide terms. This innovation can also be considered as a factor that plays against the adoption of the recent wave of electrical (hybrid) vehicles since ethanol is a renewable combustible. BAI is very important for the South American region but lost importance in the regional and global arena, not only because of the continuous economic and political crisis but also because of the decreasing importance given to industrial renewal and industrial policies during the last six years (2016–2022). This chapter will try to analyze the BAI and its importance in GVC since the 90s—a decade that may be considered the Golden Age for the industry in the country.