Middleware as “mediator” between the vehicle’s operating system and its software applications Development process will be significantly accelerated Customers and end-users will benefit from functions-on-demand and updates throughout the lifetime of the vehicle Middleware will be available in series vehicles from 2024 Individual approach: ZF adapts to software challenges by setting up a Global Software Center Friedrichshafen (Germany). The vehicle of the future will feature high levels of networking and automation defined by software. But a “software-defined car” is much more than a ”smartphone on wheels” even if the vehicle operation increasingly resembles that of a smartphone. The difference is the quality and quantity of hardware systems that need to be intelligently connected by a software platform to help move people comfortably and safely.