Digital transformation in the brazilian automotive industry : impacts and critical success factors

Abstract

Context: The automotive industry has undergone a genuine economic and technological revolution in recent years, continually adapting to an increasingly digitalized world. Digital Transformation plays a prominent role in representing a comprehensive change beyond merely incorporating digital technologies into automotive products. Automotive companies have been striving to redefine their competitive strategies to adapt to the peculiarities of this Digital Era. Objective: This thesis aims to identify the impacts of digital transformation on the Brazilian automotive sector and to clarify the critical success factors in implementing digital transformation projects, given the challenges and changes imposed by the digital economy.

Method: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews of 14 C- Level executives from five major vehicle manufacturers in Brazil (which represents

more than 2/3 of this sector), and MAXQDA software supported the qualitative data analysis. Relevance: This thesis addresses a gap in academic research focused on impacts and critical success factors for digital transformation projects, particularly in the context of the Brazilian Automotive Industry (BAI), to provide significant insights for future research and contribute to the scientific knowledge base on digital transformation. Results: The main results of this research are to identify and qualify the impacts and common critical success factors in implementing digital transformation projects in the BAI and to propose a model enabling its implementation in future projects to increase their chances of success in the current competitive market. Contributions: This thesis contributes to the specialized literature by integrating theory and practice on digital transformation, highlighting the importance of factors such as leadership, strategy, and organizational innovation, and providing a practical model based on the results obtained for application to future initiatives.