In a move that it says centralises the global development of connected and automated vehicles, engineering service provider FEV is establishing a global 'centre of excellence' focusing on the interdisciplinary development of connectivity and the automation of future vehicle development.

In addition to the integration of advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving functions (ADAS and AD), this will include infotainment and telematics systems as well as connected vehicle networking – meaning Car2X and Car2Cloud communication and the closely linked topic of cyber security.

Stephan Tarnutzer, vice president of electronics at FEV North America, Inc. takes on management responsibility for the global centre and will be responsible for FEV's worldwide smart vehicle development activities.

"Development tasks for both OEMs and service providers are becoming increasingly complicated as a result of the integration of new functions, interfaces, and components. This requires not only appropriate teams of experts, but also benchmarking databases and powerful tools," said Professor Stefan Pischinger, president and CEO of the FEV Group. "With our 'smart vehicle' development strategy and the establishment of the new centre of excellence, we are responding to these challenges with a multidisciplinary and holistic approach that enables short development times and reliable results."