SDV Elektrobit Redefines Cockpit Development—And Questions the Tier-1 Model

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Elektrobit introduces a ready-made cockpit system at CES that manufacturers can customize freely. Behind this is a well-known approach: software and hardware development are separated from each other.

The automotive industry is burning money on cockpit development. This diagnosis is presented by Christoph Herzig, who has been the Sales and Marketing Director of Elektrobit since July 2024, in conversation with the German magazine "Automobil Industrie": "Consumer requirements are often not taken into account at all." This applies not only to European manufacturers but also to almost everywhere—even in China, where "many issues are addressed through brute-force approaches." What Herzig means by that is: a lot of software, many people, short timelines, but no sustainable platforms.

With "EB Civion", the software specialist presented an answer at the CES in Las Vegas in early 2026: a ready-to-customize cockpit system that is intended to drastically reduce development time and at the same time challenge the traditional tier 1 business model.

Software and Hardware Production Decoupled

The special feature: EB Civion consistently separates software platform, hardware design and hardware production. Elektrobit supplies the complete software stack - from the Android-based user interface and cluster functionality to the development environment with automated tool chain. It also provides reference designs for cockpit controllers - the hardware is left out.

X-by-Wire Chassis

The New Billion-Dollar Market

Customers of Elektrobit are flexible regarding suppliers. "It could be our parent company Aumovio, it could be Foxconn, or it could be a completely different manufacturer," explains Herzig. The unique aspect is that OEMs retain control over the hardware design but can freely choose the manufacturer—creating a build-to-print approach that upends the traditional Tier-1 logic.

Herzig cites the advantages of cost control through separate optimization of each level, independence from suppliers through interchangeable components, and risk minimization by isolating sources of errors. Traditionally, suppliers deliver hardware and software as a package—leaving integration and coordination with the OEM, often resulting in high costs and long development times.

SDV: Cost Zone Versus Value Zone

Elektrobit distinguishes between two areas: the "SDV Cost Zone" and the "SDV Value Zone". The former is about a cost-efficient basic architecture - existing control units and bus systems are retained, edge control units are automatically integrated via device discovery and variant management is automated.

The Value Zone, on the other hand, focuses on frequent software updates and new functions - especially in the infotainment area up to Level 5 updates. Third-party providers can also implement functions here without needing in-depth automotive knowledge. The link between the two zones is a semantic API that abstracts vehicle functions.

Sony Honda as a Blueprint

The idea for this concept comes from the collaboration with Sony Honda Mobility. The Afeela 1 model already uses the Elektrobit platform - with 100 apps that have been specially developed for the vehicle. The cockpit controller was built by Alps Alpine, a Japanese Tier 1. "We are not directly involved in the hardware supply chain," emphasizes Herzig.

This decoupling was also the inspiration for the partnership with Foxconn, which was launched in summer 2025. Together, the two companies are developing the "Smart EV Software Platform" - a vertically and horizontally pre-integrated platform for controllers with high integration complexity. This includes the Smart EV hardware platform as a reference E/E architecture.

The first vehicles with Elektrobit software are already on the road in Taiwan. Herzig expects a series SOP at the end of 2027 or beginning of 2028. The collaboration is very productive, reports Herzig. He sees progress that would normally take years.

New Ways of Working Required

For Herzig, this approach inevitably leads to new ways of working in the industry. "We believe that the window for traditional manufacturers is not yet closed." The OEMs could still catch up. "But one must start thinking differently today."

This primarily means moving away from the traditional OEM silos where procurement is responsible for hardware bill of materials optimizations, and software is then squeezed into increasingly smaller packages. "Once a manufacturer turns this around, the situation looks different." The hardware must be software-defined—not the other way around.

Elektrobit propagates three levels of automation for developer workflows:

• Stage 1 comprises classic automation with CI/CD, cloud testing and digital twin.
• Stage 2 relies on configuration-as-code with dynamic integration rules.
• Stage 3 - "Automate the Automation" - uses AI-supported integration and AI assistants to create integration workflows.

A Product Consisting of Three Components

EB Civion is not a monolithic solution, but consists of three components: EB Civion Core provides the full stack from the Android end-user experience to the complete development environment with a running CI/CD/CT pipeline. EB Civion Cockpit includes reference designs for cockpit controllers with multiple system-on-chips - Qualcomm 8155/8255/8775 (ARM architecture) and AMD V4000 (x86 architecture). At CES, Elektrobit will also show a third implementation on Telechips - a budget option for affordable SDVs.

The third component, EB Civion Creator, is a cloud-based development environment in which the entire platform is available as a digital twin. OEMs can start and develop immediately in the cloud without owning any hardware. "This cloud environment is not decoupled from the end product," explains Herzig. "It is also the environment for adjustments after the start of production."

The architecture is based on open source components: Eclipse SDV (S-Core 0.5 is already running on Elektrobit Linux), Automotive Grade Linux and regional initiatives such as Covesa (North America) and Jasper (Japan).

New Tier 0.5 Suppliers Emerge

While traditional tier 1s stand between OEMs and tier n suppliers and supply differentiating technology, new "tier 0.5" players are now emerging: system integrators and commodity hardware suppliers that manufacture to specifications. Foxconn is positioning itself in precisely this role - as a manufacturing partner for a software-defined platform.

For European and Japanese OEMs, this offers a decisive advantage: they do not have to break up their established Tier 1 relationships, but can assign new roles to them. "In the case of Japanese OEMs, for example, the relationship with Japanese Tier 1s can hardly be broken up," says Herzig. "We can enable this supply chain there - they get the design, even production support."

At the same time, the approach solves geopolitical challenges. With separate hardware design and regional production, China bans in the USA can be avoided: Software and design from the West, production in China for China, in Mexico for the USA, in Vietnam for South East Asia - but always the same global platform.

Still Missing The Big Leap

Despite the logic of the approach, Herzig admits: "There is no one who is ready today." All OEMs are busy with existing departments, budgets and SOP printing. The question is: "When and how do I approach a certain platform correctly?"

This is precisely why the partnership with Foxconn was important. "We needed a strong partner who could ensure scaling."