Trade openness and structural change in the Brazilian motor industry

This article aims to classify and analyse the evidence of structural change in the Brazilian motor industry between 1990 and 1996, seeking to relate it with the economic policy measures which had m ost im pact on the sector. The study begins by examining the explosive increase in domestic demand for motor vehicles, its determining factors, and its main implications, especially the achievement of efficient scales of production and the initiation of a wave o f investments which has been further intensified in the last three years.