Engineering in the second quarter of the 21st Century
26AUTD05_05
5/1/2026
- Content
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Building a trusted digital twin and decision-centric simulation ecosystem
The automotive industry has been experiencing significant change and transformation. Electrification, software-defined vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, and increasing electrical system integration are fundamentally reshaping how vehicles are designed and validated. As integration complexity continues to increase, the expectations for design cycle times are being compressed. Programs that once relied on extended validation timelines are now expected to deliver the same level of confidence in a fraction of the time.
Traditional engineering workflows were built around sequential design phases, iterative simulations, and heavy reliance on physical validation. Design concepts were documented, prototypes were constructed, tests were performed, and results were compiled in reports and specifications that informed the next iteration. That approach worked well when systems were less complex and product life cycles were longer. In recent years, the volume of data, the speed of development, and the interconnected nature of modern vehicle architectures demand a different approach.
- Citation
- Patterson, J.. "Engineering in the second quarter of the 21st Century," Mobility Engineering, May 1, 2026.