India's SDV roadmap moving in three distinct tracks: Continental

Time of India

2 days ago

New Delhi:
The global auto industry's view of
software-defined vehicles
(SDVs) contrasts with India's more fragmented approach, according to
Continental
.
With time-to-market emerging as a critical factor, China already has SDVs on the road, while Europe and the US are expected to catch up by 2027-28. India sits in the middle of this transition, making steady progress.
The German Tier-1 supplier is of the view that at least some high-end models are expected to feature integrated SDV capabilities by the next two years, as OEMs balance cost pressures with their ambition to move toward fully software-defined architectures.
'By then, I'm confident that even the more conservative OEMs in India will have moved into the SDV space- at least with high-performance computers (HPCs) as a starting point. We started a little later compared to China, but we are catching up very fast,' Harikrishna Khandavalli, Head of Engineering- Bangalore and Head of Engineering Software- APAC, Architecture & Networking at
Continental Automotive
India, said in an exclusive interaction with ETAuto.
He pointed out three distinct tracks emerging in the country's technology roadmap. The first is a conservative approach, largely driven by cost considerations. At the other end are OEMs making bold moves with high ambitions, while a middle path is also taking shape, with players gradually catching up by balancing innovation with affordability.
Among the OEMs, Mahindra & Mahindra's BE 6 and XEV 9e models are a case in point, showcasing a vehicle architecture that is entirely software-led.
SDVs and virtual HPCs
According to Khandavalli, while SDVs may be the industry's latest buzzword, the concept is often misunderstood. Many associate it simply with having a central cockpit domain or HPCs that integrate infotainment and instrument clusters. 'In reality, that represents only a progression toward SDVs, not a full-fledged transformation.'
For a vehicle to be considered a true SDV, he said, multiple domains including connected vehicles, ADAS, safety, and autonomous mobility, must converge.
Explaining the long-term value of SDVs, he said the approach is not about one or two integrations, but about building a robust hardware platform designed to last eight to ten years, with the flexibility to be upgraded over time. On top of this hardware, an infrastructure is layered, enabling future functions to be added as needed.
'That is the beauty of SDVs- you can select the functions, download them, and make the vehicle future-ready. A feature you don't have today can be purchased or even subscribed to temporarily,' he noted.
While this model is still evolving, China is expected to move quickly, potentially bringing such subscription-based SDV features to market within the next couple of years.
The Bengaluru-based company is also exploring the concept of virtual HPCs, where not all processing needs to happen within the vehicle itself. Instead, certain functions can be computed in the cloud and then integrated with the vehicle's systems.
'Safety-critical functions will always need to remain close to the sensors, but mid-level processing can be distributed, and non-critical functions can be managed in the cloud,' Khandavalli explained. This layered approach, combining in-vehicle computing with cloud-based capabilities, is seen as a way to optimise cost and performance for future vehicle architectures.
Challenges remain
While the SDV transition is gathering pace globally, India still lacks the supporting infrastructure to fully enable it. Cost is another defining challenge in the domestic market, where OEMs push for advanced features and high-end functions, but only at price points that align with market realities.
'The question is not just about what can be engineered, but what is affordable for the market,' said Khandavalli.
Beyond cost, another major challenge in the shift toward SDVs is large-scale integration, particularly when it involves third-party applications. Standardisation, too, remains a critical issue. For instance, there may be multiple suppliers today, with one developing HVAC, another working on passive keyless entry, another on reverse parking assistance.
All of these need to be integrated into the central compute unit. 'For seamless integration, standard protocols and respect for defined interfaces are essential, but these practices are still evolving.'
Cybersecurity is emerging as another major challenge. 'If you compare last year to now, the number of cyberattacks has risen sharply with more than 60 per cent of them falling into the black-hat category, creating serious risks. Such attacks are already causing an estimated 15-20 per cent impact at scale,' he said.
Safeguarding increasingly connected and SDVs remains an evolving area requiring constant vigilance.