OpenRoadSim: A Proposal for an Open-Source Framework for Automotive Infotainment and Signal Simulation

Automotive software has become the backbone of modern vehicle functionality, driving critical systems such as infotainment, navigation, ADAS, and connectivity. However, validating these systems in real-world-like conditions requires access to expensive hardware-in-the-loop test rigs, OEM benches, or specialized simulation tools that are often inaccessible to smaller teams. This paper introduces OpenRoadSim, an opensource, laptop-compatible simulation framework for comprehensive automotive system testing. OpenRoadSim unifies the simulation of CAN signals, GPS navigation, media playback, ADAS triggers, voice interactions, and connectivity disruptions in a modular and extensible manner. Featuring a pluggable architecture, integrated scenario scripting, and a visual IDE called SimStudio, the platform democratizes early-stage and regression testing. Additionally, by integrating LLMs for natural language scenario creation and anomaly generation, OpenRoadSim significantly reduces testing effort. This work outlines the system's architecture, components, and evaluation metrics, and discusses its expected impact on developers, test engineers, and research communities.