In 1938, it became a part of the Santo André district only to be separated again in 1945, as the aftermath of an action from a group of entrepreneurs led by Wallace Cochrane Simonsen, who was eventually appointed as the first mayor of the newborn municipality.

Italians settled in cottages in the rural area of São Bernardo do Campo that were called colônias.

Many of these plants have since relocated to other regions but the automobile industry remains a vital part of the history of São Bernardo do Campo.

The future president of Brazil worked in automobile factories in São Bernardo do Campo in the 1970s, becoming a union and anti-military dictatorship figure.

São Bernardo also contributed to the development of Brazilian cinema, mainly during the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to the Vera Cruz studios, which produced a great number of movies and revealed many notable actors.

There are significant populations of Italian, Arab, Asian (mostly Japanese), Spanish and German descendants.

[citation needed] São Bernardo do Campo, from the 1950s had its economy based on the auto industry – At that time, the Brazilian Federal Government headed by Juscelino Kubitschek decided to create an executive board to promote local carmaking – the Grupo Executivo da Indústria Automobilística (GEIA) (Executive Group for Automobile Industry).

Providing, among other regulations, a minimum amount of national components to integrate the vehicles, it stimulated the implantation of carmakers and auto parts industries.

[11] At that time, the German companies Volkswagen, Karmann-Ghia and Mercedes-Benz, as well the American Willys-Overland started to build their factories in São Bernardo do Campo, later followed by Simca, Toyota and Scania.

In that same year, the French carmaker Simca became a Chrysler plant, ending its operations in 1981 when it was acquired from Volkswagen to be their truck division.

This plant has been shut down definitely in 1990[12] and gave place in 2006 to a warehouse from one of the biggest retail stores in Brazil, Casas Bahia.

[13] The city is known for important private universities such as the Universidade Metodista de São Paulo and Centro Universitário da FEI.

Local bus service is provided by SBCTrans – Consórcio São Bernardo Transportes, which has owned the rights to operate the ETCSBC – Empresa de Transporte Coletivo de São Bernardo do Campo routes in 1998.

The Terminal Rodoviário Alvarenga, is located in a neighborhood with easy access to major highways, as well asprovides long-distance and interstate bus routes, giving access to the coast and countryside of São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Ceará, Paraíba, Mato Grosso and Rondônia states, as well as the Brazilian capital Brasília.

The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet (fiber optics/4G) and television (satellite and cable).