China Speed in the Automotive Industry – How Can We Keep Up? China is redefining the pace of development in the automotive industry. AEK 2025 shows the structures, technologies, and strategies Chinese manufacturers are using to set standards in SDV and the implications for Europe. Sabine Synkule
What Car Manufacturers Expect from the Chief AI Officer After the CDO comes the CAIO. In the executive suites of car manufacturers like Mercedes or GM, there are now AI directors who are supposed to transform processes and culture across the company. But the pressure to succeed is high - the CAIO must deliver, and quickly. Yannick Tiedemann
How Continental Rethinks Software Security How do data-driven decisions, new partnership models, and a revised understanding of security shape the transformation in the realm of software-defined vehicles? Jeremy McClain, Continental Autonomous Mobility, provides answers in the interview. Dr. Martin Large
Volkswagen wants to democratise AI – and save billions To what extent can the use of AI offer a new perspective to struggling car manufacturers? Europe's largest OEM is focusing on an AI offensive and a 'Large Industry Model'. Recently, a dedicated AI Lab has been established. What does the overall strategy look like? Timo Gilgen
New Battery Project Pursues Highly Cooperative Scaling With the aim of accelerating the industrialisation of novel production and battery technologies, RWTH Aachen, the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB, and the German mixing technology developer HS-Tumbler are launching the KOOP project. Götz Fuchslocher
Mercedes Vehicles to Become Mobile Offices Mercedes-Benz expands Microsoft integration in vehicles: Teams meetings with camera, Intune for secure business use, and Copilot API for AI-powered productivity aim to attract business customers. Timo Gilgen
This is why BMW relies on Momenta in China BMW is collaborating with the Chinese ADAS specialist Momenta to develop driver assistance systems for the Chinese market - tailored to local conditions, complemented by global collaborations. Timo Gilgen
This is how Bosch aims to shorten development times Bosch and ETAS want to significantly shorten the path to the software-defined vehicle as part of a joint development project. The initiative made it to the shortlist of the IT Team Awards by automotiveIT last year. Yannick Tiedemann
How Vehicle Displays Become Real-Time Marketing Channels With the integration of the 4.screen platform into their infotainment systems, Kia and Hyundai are connecting vehicles, drivers, and brands in innovative ways - and opening the door to new business models. automotiveIT editorial team
The Future of Artificial Intelligence in the Automotive Industry At the AUTOMOBIL-ELEKTRONIK Kongress 2025, AI was one of the central topics and appeared in many forms: as a driver of technical innovation, as a risk, and as a key to new vehicle concepts. What the speakers said about the topic. Dr. Martin Large
How Vehicle Connectivity Becomes a Business Model Who pays for connectivity in the connected car? OEMs are striving for an appropriate and profitable answer. Providing a solid subscription model with all its associated complexities is anything but simple. Nicole Ahner
Is AI a Curse or a Blessing for Cybersecurity? While AI offers potential for risk detection, it also increases the range of cyber threats. We explain why the connected car is so vulnerable to digital attacks and whether AI is more of an opportunity or a risk for cybersecurity. Ronja Schmiedchen
Why VW Fails with Cariad: Analysis and Learnings Cariad was supposed to be VW's answer to Tesla – but instead a cumbersome colossus emerged. Philipp Raasch (The Autopreneur) provides deeper insights into the causes of the failure and shows what can be learned from it. Dr. Martin Large
AEK 2025: SDV, AI & Mega-Alliances in Focus The AUTOMOBIL-ELEKTRONIK Kongress 2025 has highlighted key challenges and future topics of the automotive industry – from AI to SDV to new partnerships. Here are five topics that shaped the event. Dr. Martin Large
Firefly relies on map data and services from Here Nio's more affordable sub-brand Firefly will soon be supplied by Here with map data and location-based services for electric vehicles and driver assistance systems. Here aims to strengthen its presence in China, while Nio aims to strengthen its presence in Europe. Benjamin Müller
“Industry Collaboration and Internal R&D are Decisive” How can OEMs balance cost, performance, and sustainability in battery development? Dr. Juliane Kluge, Head of Cell Chemistry and Methods at BMW, shares insights ahead of her keynote at the Automotive Battery Conference 2025. Benjamin Müller
“God’s Eye” by BYD in Practical Test BYD aims to revolutionise autonomous driving with its God’s Eye technology. Three performance levels, AI-supported scenario recognition, and impressive driving performance in the test show: The Chinese system is convincing - but when will it be available in Europe? Wolfgang Gomoll
How ZF Uses AI to Make Electric Motors More Efficient TempAI is the name of a new method from ZF that aims to take temperature management in electric drives to a new level. The adaptive temperature model is expected to improve temperature control by 15 percent. Götz Fuchslocher
“Morrow "electrified" all heating and drying processes in cell manufacturing” How can sustainability, cost-efficiency, and flexibility be reconciled in battery cell manufacturing? Christin-Marie Boudgoust, CCO of Morrow Batteries, shares her perspective ahead of her talk at the Automotive Battery Conference. Benjamin Müller
Rheinmetall Charging Kerb Ready for Regular Operation After just over a year, Rheinmetall's charging kerb pilot project in Cologne has been successfully completed, proving the market readiness of the solution: Technical availability during the test period was over 99%, and users consistently gave positive feedback. Dr. Martin Large
“The rationale lies in minimising the logistical effort of transporting old battery systems” In the run-up to the Automotive Battery Conference, we interviewed Dr Dominik Lembke, CBDO at Librec. The 7th edition of the international event will take place on 9 and 10 July 2025 in Munich, and Dr Lembke is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
What China's GB 38031-2025 Means for EV Batteries With GB 38031-2025, China aims to usher in a new era of battery safety: "no fire, no explosion" is the motto. What initially sounds like a technical detail could fundamentally change the global EV market. Dr. Martin Large
“The cell-to-pack (CTP) approach is gaining traction” Tesla and BYD set the pace in cell innovation. In this interview, Jonas Gorsch – a speaker at the Automotive Battery Conference 2025 – reveals what European developers must learn to scale next-gen battery production. Benjamin Müller
When the IoT Becomes the Weakness The use of more sensors, IoT devices, and OTA updates simultaneously creates increasingly risky security vulnerabilities. From the perspective of cybersecurity experts, it is almost impossible to prevent more serious consequences in the long term. Daniela Hoffmann
“The new iDrive system epitomizes the concept of a software-defined vehicle” At AEK 2025, Stephan Durach presented BMW’s Panoramic iDrive. In this interview, he explains how shy-tech controls, head-up projection, and a customizable interface redefine human-machine interaction in the software-defined cockpit. Benjamin Müller
Live Ticker for the Automobil-Elektronik Kongress 2025 (AEK) On 24th and 25th June, the Automobil-Elektronik Kongress 2025 took place in Ludwigsburg. Industry decision-makers discussed developments in automotive electronics, SDV, and AI. Here you’ll find a chronological overview of what happened. Benjamin Müller
Continental establishes unit for semiconductors and electronics Continental's automotive division has established a new business unit for the development and production of electronics and semiconductor solutions: Advanced Electronics & Semiconductor Solutions (AESS). The manufacturing partner will be GlobalFoundries. Benjamin Müller
These are the data architectures BMW and Kuka rely on The use of GenAI accelerates the availability of information. However, it also requires a different data quality and availability. Only in this way can AI knowledge systems be created on one's own data that do not hallucinate. Daniela Hoffmann
How Volkswagen Plans to Compete with Waymo and Tesla Volkswagen and Moia present their production-ready robotaxi, the ID. Buzz AD, with an integrated complete solution for fully autonomous driving services. This is intended to be the first audible signal from Europe in the race for autonomous mobility services. Yannick Tiedemann
How can EV Batteries be given a „Second Life“? What happens to the batteries of electric vehicles once they can no longer store sufficient charge to power a drivetrain? One answer is second life – reuse. This article provides an overview of how this works, where it is already being implemented, and what needs to be considered. Dr. Martin Large
How Driverless Hub-to-Hub Transport Becomes a Reality A joint project between MAN and eleven partners delivers a blueprint for how autonomous hub-to-hub transport will be implemented in Germany — and why SDV architects are now setting the pace. Andrea Hoffmann-Topp
Toyota Launches Software Offensive With the sixth generation of the RAV4, Toyota is presenting not only an evolved SUV, but also the new software platform Arene and a dedicated software academy. The goal: a digital driving experience and the training of new AI and software experts. Timo Gilgen
How Rust Accelerates the Path to the SDV The emerging programming language Rust has the potential to reduce development time for SDVs and lower susceptibility to errors. In combination with generative AI, development speeds can be significantly increased. Daniela Hoffmann
The Development Community Needs to Step Up The prostep ivip Symposium made one thing clear: the Software Defined Vehicle lives on data – and data quality remains a consistent source of headaches. Generative AI is emerging as a game changer in the product development process. Daniela Hoffmann
Valeo Receives First Order for Imaging Radar A global OEM has commissioned Valeo to equip its vehicles with the company’s imaging radar system, enabling hands-free and eyes-off driving. Production of the imaging radar system is scheduled to begin in 2028. Götz Fuchslocher
“Our concept does not require module housings or inner frames” In the run-up to the Automotive Battery Conference, we interviewed Maximilian Schirp, CTO & Co-founder at ivilion. The 7th edition of the international event will take place on 9 and 10 July 2025 in Munich, and Schirp is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
“Global OEMs are under pressure” “Speed of change” is the most critical KPI in SDV strategy, says Anup Sable—because innovation must be fast, efficient, and scalable to succeed in the global race. As CTO of KPIT, he is one of this year’s AEK speakers, whom we interviewed ahead of the conference. Benjamin Müller
What’s ahead at the Automotive Battery Conference 2025? On July 9–10, 2025, the 7th edition of “The Automotive Battery – Key Technology for Electric Vehicles” will take place at the SZ Tower in Munich. The event delivers deep industry insight, strategic guidance, and networking opportunities for professionals in the automotive battery ecosystem. Benjamin Müller
“Analog workflows create blind spots” In the lead-up to the Automotive Battery Conference, we spoke with Erik Reiter, CEO and Co-Founder of Digital Automotive IT Manufactory. With over 25 years of international management experience in the automotive supplier industry, Reiter has held various leadership roles. Benjamin Müller
The Unbridled Horse Although Ford offering the Mustang as an electric car causes pain for petrolheads, the powerful electric horse delivers technically. Especially hands-free driving at Level 2+ convinces in practical tests. Timo Gilgen
What’s ahead at the Automobil-Elektronik Kongress 2025? On 24 June, it's finally that time again: Decision-makers in the fields of electricity, electronics, and software in cars will meet in Ludwigsburg for the Automobil-Elektronik Kongress, the annual networking event of the industry. Sabine Synkule
“The future belongs to a holistic UX/UI concept” As Product Experience Director Europe at NIO, Benjamin Steinmetz contributed to the 2025 Automotive Software Strategies Conference in Munich. We took the opportunity to speak with him and ask three key questions. Benjamin Müller
What Drives Battery Development in Germany Battery technology is entering a new era: In the strategies of German players, topics such as higher energy density, 800V, battery recycling, re-use, and data passports dominate. What are the next steps? Find the answers here. Andrea Hoffmann-Topp
What’s ahead at Charging & Battery ASEAN 2025? As Southeast Asia positions itself as a future EV growth region, Bangkok will host the 4th Charging & Battery ASEAN Conference from June 17–18, 2025. With a speaker lineup spanning OEMs, suppliers, energy strategists, and tech innovators, the event covers the full EV value chain. Benjamin Müller
“Distribution grid operators need transparent guidelines” In the run-up to the ChargeTec Conference, we posed three questions to Johannes Pallasch, Head and Spokesman of the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure (NOW). The 5th edition of the international event will take place on 27 and 28 May 2025 in Munich. Benjamin Müller
This was the Automotive Software Strategies Conference 2025 The 6th Automotive Software Strategies Conference brought global industry leaders to Munich for two days of in-depth presentations and strategic insights. The event focused on SDVs, the adoption of Rust, monetisation models, AI in development, and the evolving software supply chain. Benjamin Müller
“Today's vehicles are like patchwork collages” Co-Founder & CEO of Veecle and one of the speakers on Day 1 of the Automotive Software Strategies Conference in Munich: Dr Stefan Nürnberger. In the context of the event, we asked him three questions about Rust as a foundation for secure, scalable, and future-proof SDV development. Benjamin Müller
“Collaboration models between OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers are frequently underdeveloped” In the lead-up to the 6th International Automotive Software Strategies Conference, we asked Augustin Friedel, Senior Manager SDV at MHP Management, three questions. The event will take place on 21 and 22 May 2025 in Munich, and Friedel is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
“V2G services most likely start with fleet operators” In the run-up to the ChargeTec Conference, we interviewed Simon Haverkamp, Manager e-mobility at Accenture. The 5th edition of the international event will take place on 27 and 28 May 2025 in Munich, Haverkamp is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
“We must avoid over-regulation” In the run-up to the ChargeTec Conference, we posed three questions to Alexander Funke, Expert Energy Markets at BMW. The 5th edition of the international event will take place on 27 and 28 May 2025 in Munich, Funke is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
Paying for the Future The major automotive players are investing significant sums in re- and upskilling their people. With increasing use of AI, career paths are changing, and the right further training is becoming even more crucial. This is especially challenging for medium-sized companies. Daniela Hoffmann
“Modularity makes complexity manageable” In the lead-up to the 6th International Conference on Automotive Software Strategies, we asked Dr. Thomas Raste, Principal Expert in Vehicle Dynamics at Continental, three questions. The event will take place on 21 and 22 May 2025 in Munich, Dr. Raste is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
“GenAI can continuously improve ADAS algorithms” In the run-up to the 6th International Conference Automotive Software Strategies, we asked Thomas Dannemann, Senior Director Product Marketing at Qualcomm, three questions. The event will take place on 21 and 22 May 2025 in Munich, Dannemann is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
“Pooling resources with market leaders” In the run-up to the ChargeTec Conference, we interviewed Detlef Hell, Manager Home Charging & Energy Services at Ford. The 5th edition of this international event will take place on 27 and 28 May 2025 in Munich, Hell is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
This was the 13th Conference Bordnetze im Automobil The 13th Conference Bordnetze im Automobil (Automotive Wire Harness & EDS 2025) brought the industry back to Ludwigsburg. International industry experts gathered in the tranquil town near Stuttgart to explore the latest innovations in vehicle wiring systems, E/E architectures, and Software-Defined Vehicles. Benjamin Müller
Charging Infrastructure in Focus: 4 Perspectives from Experts What's the actual benefit of bidirectional charging? Is China a risk or an incentive? And why is the charging network still struggling? Industry experts provide surprisingly clear answers - and show where consensus and conflict lines lie. Dr. Martin Large
“Sandstorms and lots of dust in the air” In the run-up to the ChargeTec Conference, we asked Wulf Schlachter, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, DXBe Management, three questions. The 5th edition of this international event will take place on 27 and 28 May 2025 in Munich. Wulf Schlachter is one of its speakers. Benjamin Müller
“Predictive capabilities create entirely new, recurring revenue streams” In the run-up to the 6th International Conference Automotive Software Strategies, we asked Stefan Hassels, Head of Product, Compredict, three questions. The event will take place on 21 and 22 May 2025 in Munich, and Stefan Hassels is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
How serious is Friedrich Merz about Autonomous Driving? Autonomous Driving is set to soon commence regular operations in Germany - this is promised by the coalition agreement of CDU and SPD. But how? An analysis of the opportunities, legal hurdles, and the status quo. Timo Gilgen
3 Questions for… Steve Basra, Director, Global Head of Automotive, Google Cloud As one of the most influential companies shaping the digital world, Google plays a key role in driving technological innovation across industries — including the automotive sector. Steve Basra, Director and Global Head of Automotive at Google Cloud, is a real expert in this field. We asked him three questions. Benjamin Müller
3 Questions for… Dr Axel Sprenger, Managing Director, USCALE In the run-up to the 5th International Conference ChargeTec, we asked Dr Axel Sprenger, Managing Director, USCALE, 3 questions. The conference will take place on 27 and 28 May 2025 in Munich, and Dr Sprenger is one of the speakers. Benjamin Müller
“Many SDV programmes fail due to old structures” High-tech alone is not enough. The transition to a software-defined vehicle exposes decades-old misconceptions. Joachim Langenwalter reveals why European manufacturers are operating blindly - and what China has long been doing better, with painful insights. Dr. Martin Large
"Autonomous Driving Should Not Remain a Premium Feature" Following BMW, Stellantis also wants to combine Level 2+ and Level 3 in one vehicle. Heiko Schilling, Senior Vice President Software and AI Engineering, explains how the ADAS system was developed and why it is not yet going into series production. Timo Gilgen
Volkswagen brings Pac-Man into the vehicle Volkswagen is further expanding the gaming offering in selected models. From now on, Pac-Man is available to play on the infotainment display in the parked vehicle via the optional In-Car app AirConsole. The smartphone serves as the controller. Benjamin Müller
VW brings Mobileye and Valeo technology to MQB fleet Volkswagen expands cooperation with Mobileye and Valeo: Advanced driver assistance systems are to be introduced in future MQB vehicles - including centralised architecture and over-the-air updates. Timo Gilgen
Infineon acquires Marvell's automotive ethernet division With the planned acquisition of Marvell's automotive ethernet business for 2.5 billion US dollars, Infineon strengthens its position in the automotive market and focuses on pioneering connectivity solutions for software-defined vehicles. Nicole Ahner
All Information on the 13th Automotive Wire Harness Congress The wiring systems industry is undergoing extreme changes: There are software updates instead of cables, 800-volt technology instead of standard power, and many more changes... At the Automotive Wire Harness 2025, you can see who is leading the way. What can participants expect? Dr. Martin Large
General Motors imagines electric-powered Corvette General Motors has revealed a design study Chevrolet Corvette concept car developed by the company’s UK team. It has EV battery technology embedded in the structure. Benjamin Müller
Lotus and Here collaborate on Highway Navigation Pilot Lotus Robotics and Here Technologies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The companies want to develop a Highway Navigation Pilot solution that delivers Level 2+ (L2+) automated driving functions. Benjamin Müller
Mercedes-Benz is enhancing the S-Class For the 2025 model year, Mercedes-Benz refines its automotive flagship with expanded personalisation options, a smarter infotainment experience powered by AI, and an enhanced Drive Pilot. Benjamin Müller
BMW and Alibaba Deepen Strategic Partnership in China BMW and Alibaba announced an expanded partnership in China, accelerating the integration of Alibaba’s Qwen large language model into BMW’s Neue Klasse models. This collaboration is part of BMW’s strategy of increasing cooperation with Chinese tech companies. Benjamin Müller
