Rethinking Vehicle Architecture Through Softwarization and Servitization

The automotive industry is undergoing a foundational transformation driven by software-defined vehicles (SDVs), where software not only orchestrates vehicle functionality but also redefines the value proposition through servitization, making service a key differentiator rather than the physical product. This paper explores the industry’s shift from a hardware-centric paradigm to one defined by software and presents a comprehensive review of SDVs, structured around a systematic analysis of 171 scientific publications and 101 patents. It lays out the evolution from a distributed to a centralized compute architecture and discusses the challenges in software reliability, cybersecurity, standardization, and lifecycle maintenance. In addition, it identifies key industry responses to address the new product development process, test and validation, certification, tooling, and supply chain management. Finally, we highlight future research opportunities in cognitive data sampling, contextual observability, quantifiable quality of experience (QoX), sustainable lifecycle design, and the development of open datasets and simulators. This work offers a structured and forward-looking perspective on how SDVs are fundamentally reshaping automotive technology and business models toward intelligent, service-centric mobility ecosystems.