Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Why Modern Vehicle Architectures Must Now Be Conceived Model-Based

Related Vendors

FAULHABER Drive Systems

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

More software, shorter development cycles, stricter safety requirements – developing today’s vehicle systems calls for new ways of thinking and working.

How can highly complex vehicle architectures be created that seamlessly integrate software, electronics, and mechanics – and all within increasingly compressed timelines? This question is at the forefront for virtually every player in the automotive industry. The Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) is transforming the sector at its core: functions are becoming increasingly software-controlled, vehicle platforms more modular, innovation cycles shorter – all while safety standards, product variability, and integration demands continue to grow.

In this context, one approach is gaining increasing attention: Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). As an end-to-end, digitally supported development methodology, MBSE offers the potential to manage complex technical systems – across disciplines, departments, and even company boundaries.

A New Set of Rules for Vehicle Development

Until quite recently, document-centric processes dominated the day-to-day reality of vehicle development. Requirements were gathered manually, test plans maintained in Excel, and system architectures visualised in PowerPoint. These practices are no longer sustainable. Today’s vehicles can contain up to 150 million lines of code. Dozens of control units must harmonise with mechanical components and software modules, and over-the-air updates need to be reliably delivered across the entire lifecycle.

MBSE replaces such linear development approaches with interdisciplinary, model-driven workflows. Instead of mapping specifications in isolated documents, digital system models are created that serve as a single source of truth.

Three Key Benefits of Model-Based Vehicle Development

To successfully navigate the shift to the Software-Defined Vehicle, companies require not only new technologies but also new methodological foundations. MBSE is a key enabler of this transformation. The model-based approach delivers a number of clear advantages – for both the development process and the final product.

• Faster Development Through Parallel Workflows
  MBSE allows requirements, architectures, and test cases to be modelled in sync. This enables design conflicts or errors to be identified early on – long before any physical prototypes are built. Validation can be carried out using simulations, reducing the number of physical test cycles. This significantly shortens development timelines.
• Enhanced Product Quality and Functional Safety
  Consistency is critical, especially in safety-relevant components such as driver assistance or control systems. MBSE supports compliance with standards like ISO 26262 (functional safety) and ISO 21448 (SOTIF) through integrated requirements management, end-to-end traceability, and systematic verification. Discrepancies between specification, implementation, and testing are greatly reduced.
• Improved Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
  System models provide a shared communication foundation for development teams across software, electronics, and mechanical engineering. Rather than working from static specification documents, teams collaborate on a dynamic, jointly maintained model that transparently documents changes. Communication becomes more efficient, and the risk of misunderstandings is lowered.

These three aspects clearly demonstrate how MBSE enhances efficiency, quality, and coordination in vehicle development. The earlier companies integrate model-based principles into their processes, the greater the benefits – particularly when combined with ALM tools, simulation-driven validation, and compliance with safety standards.

Real-World Examples of Model-Based Development

Many OEMs and suppliers are already applying MBSE successfully – depending on their level of maturity, use cases, and tool environments. ZF, for example, combines MBSE with digital twins to model, simulate, and validate complex power electronic systems such as inverters for electric vehicles at an early stage. Volvo uses model-based development with PTC Codebeamer to consistently modularise components and shorten development cycles. What becomes evident is that MBSE proves especially valuable wherever system complexity, variant diversity, and safety requirements must be addressed simultaneously.

MBSE: A Structured Response to Growing Complexity

The growing emphasis on software in vehicle development poses major challenges for engineering organisations: functions are becoming more dynamic, product variants more numerous, and development cycles shorter – all while demands for functional safety, regulatory compliance, and system integration continue to increase. MBSE provides a structured, scalable, and standards-compliant approach to mastering this complexity.

In practice, companies are already using MBSE productively – for example, in the model-based development of power electronics systems or to define platform strategies for modular machinery. Crucially, this involves not only modelling functional relationships but also integrating relevant standards and processes. Supplemented by digital twins, semantic traceability, and variant-aware modelling, this creates a development framework that strengthens both compliance and innovation capabilities.

Far more than a passing methodology trend, MBSE represents a paradigm shift for engineering – one that is shaping the next generation of mechatronic systems. Those who begin to adopt systematic modelling today are not only creating transparency and consistency in product development, but also laying the foundation for continuous engineering, automated verification, and long-term future readiness in the era of the Software-Defined Vehicle.

*Michele Del Mondo is currently Global Advisor Automotive at PTC, overseeing the company's global automotive business.