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What makes a vehicle software-defined?
An SDV is an architectural change, not simply a car with a large touchscreen, connected services or voice control. In a conventional distributed design, separate electronic control units (ECUs) handle functions such as lighting, braking and climate control. Domain or zonal architectures consolidate some of that work into fewer ECUs supervised by more powerful central computers. The International Energy Agency (IEA), in its 20 May 2026 analysis, says this can reduce wiring complexity and let more functionality be defined and changed through software.
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Manufacturers are not all moving from one architecture to the same endpoint. Many vehicles use transitional arrangements between widely distributed ECUs and more centralized or zonal designs. The degree of centralization matters: it shapes which functions can share computing resources, how software is developed and maintained, and how much of the vehicle’s behavior can be changed without replacing hardware.
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Over-the-air (OTA) updates can deliver software changes over a network rather than requiring every update to be installed at a service center. The IEA lists defect fixes, performance adjustments, functional tuning, cybersecurity patches and new features as OTA use cases. This gives automakers a way to continue changing some parts of a vehicle after it has been sold.
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OTA capability does not mean every component can be updated remotely. The update scope depends on the vehicle’s architecture and on which systems the manufacturer has made updateable. The IEA also notes that potential efficiency and cost benefits depend on vehicle volume and development economics; centralizing computers alone does not establish that an automaker will realize savings or pass them on to owners.
How is AI meant to change the driving experience?
Personalization and interaction
Automakers describe AI as a way to make vehicle interfaces more responsive to individual drivers. Honda says a planned system could learn from user choices and tendencies, then offer predictive suggestions. Honda also describes AI as supporting recognition of surroundings and personalization across digital user experience and advanced driver-assistance systems (AD/ADAS). These are stated capabilities and intentions, not independent evidence that customers have received them or that they improve the experience.
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Sony Honda Mobility and Qualcomm announced in January 2025 that future AFEELA vehicles would use Snapdragon Digital Chassis technologies, including cockpit features for entertainment, audio and 3D visuals, with generative AI (GenAI)-enabled personalized content. The announcement also described connectivity and ADAS platforms. It said the first AFEELA vehicles using current-generation Digital Chassis solutions were expected to begin deliveries in 2026; that was an announcement-era expectation, and a delivery outcome is not established here.
Driver assistance and vehicle control
AI in a car can serve different purposes: it may help generate or personalize cabin content, interpret an interaction, support driver assistance, or contribute to vehicle dynamics. Those functions do not carry the same safety implications. A personalized media suggestion is not equivalent to a system involved in steering, braking or other safety-critical behavior. The announcements and roadmaps described here do not establish how each AI function is validated, what safeguards apply, or what data is retained.
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How automakers are approaching SDVs
The following comparison reflects the companies’ own descriptions and plans, rather than a common independent assessment of production performance.
| Company or program | Architecture and software approach | Stated user-facing direction and status |
|---|---|---|
| Honda 0 Series and ASIMO OS | Honda describes ASIMO OS as the software core for its SDVs, connecting AD/ADAS, dynamics control, digital UX, cloud links and OTA updates. Its first 0 Series architecture is described as consolidating functions into three domains, with later generations intended to move toward control by one high-performance ECU. | Honda says global launches of 0 Series models are scheduled to start in 2026. The company describes AI-supported recognition and personalization, including a system that may learn user tendencies. These remain Honda’s plans and descriptions; the timing alone does not establish delivery. |
| Renault Group futuREady | Renault’s roadmap describes two central “supercomputers” distributing work across zones and an automotive operating system based on Android, developed with Google. | Renault says most updates will be delivered OTA and identifies AI-enhanced ADAS and intelligent chassis systems as future possibilities. Its target for 90% of updates to be delivered over the air by 2030 is a target, not a current measured rate. |
| Sony Honda Mobility and Qualcomm AFEELA | The January 2025 collaboration announcement describes planned integration of Snapdragon Digital Chassis systems in future AFEELA vehicles, including cockpit, connectivity and ADAS technologies. | The companies announced GenAI-enabled personalized in-car content and other cockpit capabilities. First deliveries using current-generation solutions were then expected to start in 2026; the announcement does not verify that the expected deliveries occurred. |
Who controls the software, data and in-car interface?
SDVs change how automakers build vehicles as well as what owners see. Software development favors iterative releases and repeated updates. The IEA says automakers may build capabilities in-house, establish dedicated software organizations or partner with technology companies. Adopting an operating system from a consumer technology ecosystem can accelerate development, but it can also increase dependency and raise questions about who governs vehicle data and controls the long-term interface.
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AlixPartners’ 8 April 2026 survey offers one view of those strategic choices. It reports responses from 1,002 senior SDV executives at automakers, Tier-1 suppliers and technology companies across North America, Europe and Asia. The percentages below are reported survey findings comparing automaker groups defined in the release as Chinese and Western; they describe respondent-reported strategies, not independently audited measurements of all vehicles or firms.
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| Survey finding | Chinese automakers | Western automakers |
|---|---|---|
| Reported sourcing SDV initiatives internally | 41% | 27% |
| Reported SDV technology stack approach | 59% reported using decoupled stacks | 70% reported using a single “patched” stack |
| Reported architecture | 39% reported central/zonal architectures | 67% reported hybrid architectures |
| Reported monetization of SDV features | Not stated in the cited survey release | 94% reported monetizing less than half of their SDV features |
AlixPartners says Western automakers’ limited monetization is largely attributable to technical constraints and customer resistance. That finding points to a business tension: companies may invest in software-defined features without finding a model customers will pay for. AlixPartners executives have argued that control of SDV capabilities is shifting toward Chinese automakers and technology companies, but that is the consulting firm’s interpretation of the industry rather than a neutral measurement.
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Will drivers have to pay subscriptions for vehicle features?
Not necessarily. The IEA describes feature-as-a-service models that may charge once, through a subscription or per use. Which features are included in the purchase price, sold as a one-time upgrade or gated behind recurring payment depends on the automaker’s strategy and the owner’s choices. A vehicle’s lifetime cost therefore cannot be inferred from its purchase price alone, but the material available here does not establish current prices or subscription terms for the named programs.
Monetizing software is also not automatic. The AlixPartners survey finding that 94% of Western automaker respondents reported monetizing less than half of their SDV features suggests a gap between software capability and revenue strategy. For drivers, the relevant question is not simply whether a feature is software-enabled, but whether it is included, what happens if a paid period ends, and whether it remains usable throughout the vehicle’s supported life.
What should drivers look for as SDVs arrive?
- Update scope: Ask which vehicle systems receive OTA updates, which still require service-center work, and how long software support is expected to continue.
- Feature terms: Check whether a capability is included, offered as a one-time purchase, billed by subscription or charged per use, and what happens when payment stops.
- AI’s role: Distinguish convenience and entertainment features from functions involved in driver assistance or vehicle control.
- Data and ecosystem: Find out what information the vehicle collects, how it is governed, and which company controls the operating system and user interface.
- Evidence of delivery: Treat roadmap dates and partner announcements as plans until the feature is available in a named vehicle and its operating conditions are clear.
Standards work is developing alongside company programs. An ITU-T work-programme entry for in-vehicle generative HMI outlines a proposed system architecture in which interaction events pass through service layers to vehicle hardware and vehicle status returns to the interface. The entry was initially registered on 29 July 2026 and last updated on 6 August 2026; it is a work-programme item, not evidence of a finalized or adopted recommendation.
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