Innovative capacity maintenance by automakers in a product development outsourcing scenario: the case of VW in Brazil

摘要

This paper attempts to discuss how automotive firms could benefit from New Product Development outsourcing, without hollowing out their knowledge base, analysing which variables would have significant impact on maintenance of firm Innovative Capacity. A multiple cases study was conducted about the development of new vehicles in Brazil. The main conclusion suggests that Brazilian automakers are, so far, with current industry and product architecture structure, being able to maintain their Innovative Capacity even with initiatives of outsourcing NPD and also showed the contribution of each one of the variables found in literature and empiric research.