Two strong themes carried throughout conversations, booths and the various content streams at this year’s Automotive Testing Expo Europe – part of Vehicle Tech Week – data interpretation and AI.
Naturally, visitors and exhibitors felt that it was beneficial to be able to meet new and old faces, with the exhibition being a unique opportunity to do so. Exhibitors in the AI realm, and those with an AI application on display, noticeably captured visitors’ attention.
The MOVEdot workshop: AI agents in automotive testing, which was run by the company’s co-founder and CTO Bruno Finco, also proved incredibly popular; in a first for the workshop organizers, it was so busy that Finco ran it twice in one afternoon.
On Day one, Patrick Stiller, AI lead at tracetronic, presented in the Innovation Showcase – A journey to agentic testing – to a packed audience. Another example of the impact AI is having on the testing community.
The content truly was the icing on the cake for visitors, with the AI and data-focused presentations in the Innovation Showcase receiving strong audience engagement. The majority of the talks and content streams in the ATTI Awards Forum and Innovation Showcase were well received and standing-room-only.
With Euro 7 and Euro NCAP 2026 coming into place this year, it was clear to see that developers currently feel they are fighting an uphill battle, with more than ever on their plates. The regulations were the topic of two panel discussions and raised some important questions.
ATTI hosted an onstage interview with Emma Deutsch, tech director, Nissan Technical Centre Europe, and Guy Mathot, ADAS and connectivity software validation fleet supervisor. Richard Schram, Euro NCAP tech director, was unable to join ATTI onstage due to an unforeseen issue.
Mathot candidly said during the discussion, “The additional amount of testing is a burden. With the extra scenarios and the introduction of extended types of testing, everything has to move faster. With the introduction of the robustness testing there is still a bit of a question mark as to how it’s integrated.”
He revealed that the OEM has had adapt its tools and methods, invest in additional equipment – faster targets for example – and new tracks for high-speed crossings.
In addressing the issue, he noted the importance of simulation, which was echoed by Deutsch, who commented, “You’ve got to go down the simulation route because, let’s be honest, if you don’t you’re dead. We’ve had to invest in that and train our engineers. We’ve also had to double down on our marketability team – it’s about getting that balance between what the customer wants and Euro NCAP.”
“For me, the real value of attending an exhibition is the opportunity to have face-to-face conversations, build meaningful connections and see hands-on demonstrations in person. That level of engagement simply cannot be replicated online.”
Vishnu Asvathanarayanan, function owner – system engineer, Valeo Detection Systems
Bugatti-Rimac’s vehicle dynamics controls manager Alessandro Pino appeared alongside the CEO and co-founder of Marple, Matthias Baert, to present A modern lakehouse architecture for automotive testing. Following the talk, he emphasized to ATTI, “We encourage teams to think beyond isolated datasets and adopt a centralized data strategy, using a unified data lake such as Marple DB combined with an exploration and analysis platform like Marple Insight.”
It was also a welcome and refreshing change to see so many truck developers on the show floor, as well as on the panel discussions. There was even a professional truck driver, Tatiana Sokolova, taking notes in the audience, who was keen to give her input from a driver’s perspective and learn more about how simulation, AI and real-world data can support each other.
“I came to Vehicle Tech Week to meet people and learn from the presenters and the show floor. It has been exhausting but happy. For me, the real value of attending in person is the spontaneous meetings you did not plan.”
Carina Bjornsson, technical expert ADAS test methods, Volvo Cars
Like Deutsch at Nissan, Dr Christof M Weber wanted to highlight the criticality of always taking the customer into account, and to that effect, he arranged a meeting with Sokolova. He was on a panel discussion – Combining virtual environments with real-world testing – alongside Leo May, lead simulation engineer, Nissan Technical Centre Europe; Mikel Martinez, managing director, EPowerLabs; Andreas Richter, engineer program manager at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles; and moderator Carlos Sebastian Nerini, CEO and co-founder of WOM Testing Technologies.
Weber commented, “It’s about making concepts stable and resilient against changes during the project, resilient against variations and different models. Then it becomes clear that you have to do virtual testing when it comes to variance, because a prototype you build once cannot be copied 100,000 times, but you can perform hundreds of calculations.”
“As a regular visitor, I came to Vehicle Tech Week to network and explore new solutions and technologies. The experience has been organized, slick and full of variety. Meeting vendors in person beats online every time.”
Jon Gale, TS – rig and system integration, Jaguar Land Rover
VIP Executive Club
The event also featured the VIP Executive Club, a dedicated space for senior leaders that offered curated peer talks throughout the show.
“We have had some great sessions and heard some great stories [during the PeerTalks],” said Arun Udamakuyar, systems architect, Jaguar Land Rover.
“In the peer sessions we have been discussing software-defined vehicles, the testing and validation, what is working and what the problems are. We have also been looking at possible solutions to the challenges surrounding SDVs,” added Afrighi Lirohc, function developer for HV battery, Porsche Engineering.
Vehicle Tech Week Awards 2026
At the end of Day two, giving visitors, exhibitors and other attendees a chance to let their hair down a little while networking and celebrating, the first Vehicle Tech Week Awards, which encompass the ATTI Awards, the ADAS & AV Awards and the Trailblazer Awards, were hailed as a huge success. The ATTI Award winners – Humanetics, DSD, tracetronic, WeRide, DTS and Santiago Rayes – were absolutely delighted to receive the recognition.
Visitor testimonials
“I came to Vehicle Tech Week to share our experience on a project of global relevance, gain feedback on our technical deployment strategy and explore the latest trends in CAV and AI presented by a broad range of industry players, from OEMs to component suppliers. My experience so far has been enlightening, useful and cool – literally, the air conditioning worked well. Face-to-face events continue to be invaluable, offering a true opportunity to build an industry network.”
Mircea Gradu, VP vehicle engineering and FISITA board chair, Karma Automotive and FISITA.“We usually interact with many [suppliers] over the phone or on Teams, so being able to meet them all in one place makes a real difference. It is also valuable to see competitors side by side, understand where their services overlap and have more organic conversations than you would in a set meeting. The experience has been informative and has opened up a lot of curiosity, leading to additional questions and follow-up workshops with suppliers back in the UK. Exhibitions are important because they help you step outside your own bubble, gather external opinions and see whether your views align with the wider industry.”
Craig Lewis, Jaguar Land Rover“I came to Vehicle Tech Week because I’m a vehicle engineer working on vehicle testing for new Ford Otosan projects. I wanted to learn about new systems, new equipment and new test centers from suppliers. The experience has been fun, intense and insightful. Attending an exhibition in person allows for real interaction, hands-on experience and stronger networking compared to online.”
Suleyman Esen, senior vehicle NVH engineer, Ford Otosan.
Dates for the diary
On offer at Automotive Testing Expo North America will be another content-packed program with insights from OEMs, academics and suppliers. That will include the Future of Automotive Testing Conference, focusing on the ‘shift-left’ movement, as well as the Innovation Showcase. It will take place at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, October 22-25, 2026.
