Summary
Through interviews with an ETAS representative and other materials, this report summarizes the major trends toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
Until now, the criteria for selecting a car were such as engine performance, exterior design, and safety, but in the future, with functional safety a given, whether the car provides a seamless user experience (UX) and continuous evolution while at home, on the move, and at work will be key.
In order to realize this world, there are three trends as we move from the current state (Era 1: the era in which ECU hardware and software are tied together), through the transition period (Era 2: the era of increasing use cases and applications), to the final phase (Era 3: the era of full programmability), as follows.
Trend 1: Distributed to Centralized - Redefining In-Vehicle Software
Trend 2: Manual to Tool-driven - Speed of development / delivery of increasingly complex software is key
Trend 3: Closed-source to Open-source - Personalized, Cooperative, Cloud-native
Interview and reference reports (titles omitted):
ETAS GmbH (ETAS) White Paper: Trends towards Software-defined Vehicles, Dr. Ismet Aktaş
ETAS White Paper: The next step in E/E architectures, Dr. Thorsten Huck, Dr. Andreas Achtzehn, Andreas Deberling, Erik Goerres, Dr. Karsten Wehefritz
ETAS White Paper: Reality check: Five Approaches to the Software-Defined Vehicle from the Past Decade, Sebastian Werner, Felix Kreichgauer, Sven Kappel, Claudio Seitz Markus Menze
Interviewee (titles omitted):
Seiji Ishikawa, General Manager, DEV Solution Sales, ETAS K.K.
Related reports:
Software Series 11: Impact of SDV on Component Suppliers (2) (Feb. 2024)
Software Series 10: Impact of SDV on Component Suppliers (1) (Jan. 2024)
SDV Technologies: Smart Cockpits, SoC for AD and ADAS (Jan. 2024)
Bosch: Approach methodologies for software development (Dec. 2023)
Automotive Software Expo 2023: Towards SDV Realization (Dec. 2023)
Technical Trends in E/E Architecture (Sep. 2023)
JSAE 2023 in Yokohama: AD and ADAS; SDV Initiatives (Jul. 2023)
Software-Defined Vehicles: Impact on ADAS and AVs (Apr. 2023)
Local Reconstruction Note
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Three important trends toward SDVs
The source outline identifies this section as part of “ETAS: Three Important Trends Toward SDVs”. Based on the available local metadata, this section should be read through the lens of IoT, European Suppliers, Europe, Technology Show, Parts & Suppliers, Autonomous and the visible introduction, figures, captions, and tables.
Changes in the development process
The source outline identifies this section as part of “ETAS: Three Important Trends Toward SDVs”. Based on the available local metadata, this section should be read through the lens of IoT, European Suppliers, Europe, Technology Show, Parts & Suppliers, Autonomous and the visible introduction, figures, captions, and tables.
Related Local Signals
Nearby records in the local archive include Taipei AMPA 2026: Foxconn’s EV Technology; Smart Energy Week 2026: Batteries and Charging; Electrified Vehicle (xEV) Sales Monthly Report (March 2026); Geely i-HEV Intelligent Hybrid Technology Presentation. These titles can be used as adjacent evidence when comparing suppliers, technologies, markets, and reporting periods.