Industry Meeting Delivers Strong Message: Open House Germany 2026 Gives Impetus for Intelligent Test Strategies

Following the motto “Seamless Virtual Development: Intelligent Testing Across All Stages”, IPG Automotive hosted Open House Germany at Gartenhalle in the Convention Centre Karlsruhe on March 17, 2026. The event showcased how the consistent integration of virtual processes shapes the development of software-defined vehicles, and why virtualization is a crucial element of modern development strategies.

It became clear right from the beginning that the industry faces new challenges: highly interconnected systems, the rising complexity in functions and the pressure to make testing faster and more scalable. Virtual workflows, from concept to homologation, are decisive to tackle these hurdles. In his welcome speech, President & CEO Steffen Schmidt emphasized the fact that a seamless, digital development process lays the foundation for efficiency, safety and sustainability.

The following keynote speech from Dr. Christopher Wiegand (HOLON GmbH) provided pertinent insights: He highlighted that, due to increasing Operational Design Domain (ODD) requirements and dynamic software scopes, simulation-based homologation more than ever serves as a basis to approve autonomous systems. Credible models, consistent data and flexible test infrastructures are essential for this, stated Christopher Wiegand – an idea that was very well received by the participants.

Moreover, the event program also featured experts from IPG Automotive who presented current developments pertaining to seamless test strategies, ADAS/AV validation and XIL environments. They presented how fully digitalized toolchains, scalable scenarios and AI-based methods can accelerate the validation of new functions and help overcome fragmented development processes. The focus was clearly set on integrated data flows that enable quick iteration cycles and sound decision-making.

More than 25 companies presented their technologies in the extensive trade exhibition and greatly contributed to the overall experience. Participants seized the opportunity to experience vehicle-in-the-loop approaches, high-precision sensor technology, new simulation environments and test systems hands-on. The variety of technologies on show illustrated how closely hardware and software solutions are connected nowadays.

The interplay of pioneering approaches, practical insights and in-depth discussions once again confirms the role of Open House Germany as the central meeting point of the virtual vehicle development industry. The event impressively demonstrated how powerful virtual methods are today – and how IPG Automotive will develop their potential further together with customers and partners.