Tier-1s Outpace OEMs In Automotive Validation Investments: NI India

Tier-1 automotive suppliers are currently outpacing OEMs in automotive validation investments as vehicles become increasingly complex, connected and safety-focused, according to Priyachandar P, Country Head & Director, NI India, Emerson.

Speaking exclusively to Autocar Professional, Priyachandar said suppliers developing electronic control units (ECUs) and other critical vehicle subsystems are investing more aggressively in testing and validation because they are responsible for developing technologies that eventually find their way into production vehicles.

“At this point of time, it is going to be Tier-1s. Your car comprises ECUs from Bosch, Continental and Aptiv. These companies are developing these subsystems. OEMs ultimately integrate everything and build the final vehicle.”

According to Priyachandar, the automotive industry’s validation priorities have undergone a fundamental transformation over the past five years as electrification, connectivity and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have significantly increased vehicle complexity.

“Five years ago, the prime function of testing and measurement for automotive was validating hardware. Today, we are already doing more software validation than hardware.”

He explained that a typical SUV in India today carries nearly 15 to 20 ECUs, each running its own software, dramatically increasing the amount of validation required before a vehicle reaches customers.

“Each ECU has software running in it. With ADAS kicking in and autonomous driving coming in, there are going to be more ECUs and more software capability. Validation will become software first, then hardware, and finally system-level validation.”

As a result, automakers are increasingly adopting validation methodologies such as Model-in-the-Loop (MiL), Software-in-the-Loop (SiL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL), allowing engineers to validate algorithms and software long before physical hardware is available.

Priyachandar believes changing consumer expectations are also reshaping engineering priorities across the industry.

“Five years ago, the first question customers asked was mileage. Not many people ask that anymore. They ask how many airbags are there. They ask whether the car has electronic braking systems. They ask for more safety features.”

According to him, this shift is compelling OEMs to democratise premium safety technologies by bringing them into affordable vehicle segments.

“Features that OEMs ideally wanted only in their top-end cars, they now want in lower-end cars as well. Even if I’m spending ₹10 lakh, I want those safety features. OEMs have to make those technologies cost-effective and reliable.”

Among the various engineering domains, ADAS is attracting a significant share of fresh validation investments.

“If I simply go by the number of people working in ADAS technology, it has nearly tripled over the last five years.”

He said OEMs increasingly view ADAS as a differentiator capable of influencing buying decisions.

“If you can guarantee collision avoidance or emergency braking in a ₹10 lakh car, a huge chunk of the Indian population is going to buy it because many of us drive on highways and our road conditions are not that great.”

Priyachandar also identified cybersecurity as one of the next major engineering priorities as connected vehicles increasingly communicate with cloud platforms, infrastructure and other vehicles.

“Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-everything communication make cybersecurity extremely critical because if you don’t provide proper security, somebody can access the control systems of your vehicle.”

However, he believes India’s unique driving environment remains one of the biggest challenges in validating ADAS technologies.

“In Germany, the possibility of a vehicle coming in the opposite direction on a highway is almost zero. In India, that is normal. We also have animals suddenly entering highways and flooded roads. These are conditions that make ADAS validation extremely difficult.”

He also cautioned that many manufacturers continue to depend on ageing validation infrastructure despite rapidly changing vehicle technologies.

“Even today, some big OEMs and Tier-1 companies are using legacy test systems bought 15 years ago. They don’t want to let go because they invested a lot of money in them. But these legacy systems are not helping solve today’s automotive challenges.”

Instead, he said manufacturers should invest in scalable, open validation platforms capable of adapting to future technologies and evolving regulatory requirements.

Looking ahead, Priyachandar expects testing and validation to become a continuous engineering function as vehicles increasingly receive feature additions and updates throughout their lifecycle.

“Testing has become a continuous cycle today. Companies that don’t test enough before launching vehicles eventually face recalls. Recalls don’t just affect profitability. They damage the trust customers have in the brand.”

He also believes the traditional distinction between OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers and Tier-2 suppliers will gradually blur as electronics and vehicle intelligence assume greater importance in vehicle development.

“The Tier-1, Tier-2 and OEM concept will slowly start shrinking. If I am an OEM, I would want to have control over the software running inside my vehicle because the intelligence of the car is where the value lies.”

On India’s capability to build world-class validation facilities, Priyachandar was unequivocal.

“Absolutely, yes. Look at the number of global OEMs that have development centres in India. Bosch, Continental, Volkswagen, Skoda and many others have invested here because the engineering talent is good enough to carry out global R&D. India’s strength is software, and we have the capability to build world-class validation centres.”

He added that while engineering talent is available, infrastructure and policy support will play a crucial role in enabling the next phase of ADAS deployment in India.

“As we adopt technologies like ADAS, we also need supporting infrastructure and policies. Technology alone cannot solve issues like wrong-side driving, animals on highways or flooded roads.”

As the industry moves towards increasingly connected, intelligent and continuously evolving vehicles, Priyachandar believes companies that invest early in advanced validation capabilities will be best placed to shorten development cycles while delivering safer, more reliable products.