Daimler Truck’s SDV Goes From Vision to Truck in 2026

Daimler Truck is preparing to put its software-defined vehicle strategy into a truck this year, two years after presenting its vision for an SDV at IAA Transportation.

By the end of 2026, Coretura, the joint venture formed by Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, will have its platform running in one of Daimler Truck’s trucks to demonstrate its first capabilities. The company sees the milestone as an important step towards taking software-defined commercial vehicles into real-world applications.

“Two years later, it’s becoming a reality and it’s not just a far-fetched concept sometime into the future anymore,” Daimler Truck CEO Karin Rådström said, referring to the SDV vision presented at IAA two years ago.

What Is Coretura and How Big Is the Joint Venture?

Coretura has been operational since June 2025 and has grown to more than 130 employees from 16 countries. The venture is developing a software-defined vehicle platform along with a dedicated operating system for commercial vehicles.

The ambition is to establish a new industry standard for commercial vehicle software. According to Rådström, the platform is intended to enable Daimler Truck, its customers and other developers to deploy differentiated software features on trucks using standard APIs.

The development marks a significant step from the vision Daimler Truck presented two years ago towards demonstrating the technology in an actual vehicle. The year-end milestone will provide the first indication of how Coretura's platform can move towards real-world applications in commercial vehicles.

Daimler Truck's Stronger 2030 Strategy and SDV Push

The SDV push forms part of Daimler Truck’s updated Stronger 2030 corporate strategy, under which the truckmaker is concentrating investment in areas it considers important for the next generation of commercial vehicles.

Vehicle software is one of those areas, alongside autonomous driving. Daimler Truck is pursuing both through partnerships and dedicated businesses as it looks to deploy capital with what Rådström described as “the right partners in the right topics”.

Getting Coretura's technology running in a truck before the end of 2026 will therefore mark a key transition for Daimler Truck’s SDV programme. What was presented as a vision at IAA Transportation two years ago is now moving towards its first demonstration in a physical truck, bringing the company a step closer to real-world deployment.