Dresden Automotive Symposium 2025

In its third edition on 1 and 2 October 2025, the Dresden Automotive Symposium brought experts from industry and academia to the Vehicle Testing Center of TU Dresden. The focus was on virtual and data driven development across the full life cycle of modern vehicles. The aim was to shorten development times, raise quality, and make validation more efficient. The event gathered leading manufacturers, key suppliers, and university researchers, underscoring the close cooperation between practice and science.

The content ranged from requirements and attribute engineering for the Software Defined Vehicle through agile methods to mixed reality in testing. Audi outlined opportunities and limits of virtual and data based development from the perspective of a manufacturer. CARIAD showed how AI based automation applies along the V model. BMW offered insights into the Driving Simulation Centre and discussed real use cases and open challenges. Porsche explained how systems engineering enables an earlier start in validation. Volkswagen connected the dots to faster time to market through integrated development processes. Contributions from IAV on AI safety with ISO PAS 8800, from IPG Automotive on usage variability in virtual test markets, from Bertrandt on modeling customer value with UAF, from Infineon Dresden on model based software development and virtual prototyping with AURIX TC4x, as well as from tracetronic and VI grade on safe and human centered development in the Software Defined Vehicle, rounded off the program. TU Dresden added several talks that highlighted how physical testing merges with digital methods.

A highlight was the series of guided tours through the Vehicle Testing Center. Participants experienced test fields and facilities at close range and saw how physical experiments are interlinked with simulation and data analysis. The program was complemented by an atmospheric evening event that provided ample room for conversations, new contacts, and deeper discussions.

In closing, the organizers offered a look ahead to the next edition. The Dresden Automotive Symposium is planned for March 2027 and is set to take place at the newly opened Smart Mobility Lab in Hoyerswerda. With its infrastructure for connected and automated mobility, the Smart Mobility Lab offers ideal conditions to advance the path of virtual development and to further intensify the exchange between manufacturers, suppliers, and the scientific community.