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6 FROM THE TOP » FLÁVIO SAKAI, AEA March 2019 | AutoData S ince the beginning of the year, AEA(the Brazilian Au- tomotive Engineering Asso- ciation) has a new president for the 2019-2020 biennium: Flávio Sakai, director of Harman, an info- tainment and automotive connec- tivity company. He, an electrical engineer, came to the automotive sector in 2003 via VDO and later its succes- sors, Siemens VDO and Continen- tal, fromwhich he was transferred to Harman, in 2016. The fact that an engineer whi- ch was not born in the automoti- ve industry presides AEA says a lot about the current moment of the profession, which for Sakai is a scenario with no way back - but, he understands that “engineering does not die, it transforms”. Sakai granted that exclusive interview during a visit to the Au- toData headquarters, in Sao Paulo. Check out the main excerpts from this conversation. Interviewed by Leandro Alves and Marcos Rozen A tough but necessary message that area, including for global platforms. But there is at least one case of auto- maker that had a global product deve- lopment center here in Brazil that was completely dismantled... Of all the automakers, only one is a bit slow in that area, and I think they will change.We have global technology pro- jects being done in Brazil, with products that have software, cybersecurity, digital cockpit. Let’s talk about vehicle platforms: that same manufacturer will soon launch in Brazil a newgeneration of products de- veloped in China. In fact there is the question of global product platforms and they all work that way. The base is usually developed abro- ad and eventually the adjustments are made here in Brazil. What I see for the Brazilian automotive market is hardwork on the user experience and there are local adaptations to do that. How do you see AEA’s role today? A little technical orientation work and a little of the Brazilian engineering deve- lopment: they are interconnected issues. If engineering does not strengthen itself and grow, it will make no sense in existing a technical guidance entity. What is the current moment of the Bra- zilian automotive engineering?Your own experience is not directly linked to the core business of the industry... There is a process of change in progress, which is natural. The technology areas inside the automakers and tiers have been strengthened in terms of engine- ering, the companies have invested in that area. And outside the technology area? The automakers know that they need to adapt: in order to be competitive, they need to advance in new technologies and the companies are investing in that area. There are many local projects in