Vehicle Tech Week Europe 2026 closes in Stuttgart, reinforcing its role as a vital meeting place for the global automotive technology community

Taking place from 23-25 June, the event united three of the automotive industry’s most established technology exhibitions under one connected platform: Automotive Testing Expo Europe, Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo Europe and Automotive Interiors Expo Europe.

At a time when the global automotive industry is navigating cost pressures, evolving regulation, electrification, software complexity, safety demands, supply chain challenges and changing customer expectations, Vehicle Tech Week Europe provided a timely meeting point for progress. Over three days, the event created a focused environment for senior OEMs, Tier 1s, suppliers, engineers, designers, software developers, validation specialists, policymakers, researchers, and technology leaders to meet face-to-face, source solutions, strengthen relationships, and move critical conversations forward.

This year’s event was defined by the quality and seniority of its audience. Vehicle Tech Week Europe welcomed high-value OEM and VIP attendance from many of the most influential names in automotive and mobility, including Audi, Aston Martin, Autoliv, Bentley Motors, BMW Group, Bosch, Brembo, Bugatti Rimac, BYD, CARIAD, Chery Europe, Continental, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, DENSO, Ferrari, Ford, FORVIA, General Motors, Genesis Europe, Harman, Honda R&D Europe, Huawei Technologies, Hyundai Motor Group, INEOS Automotive, IVECO Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Slovakia, Lamborghini, Lear, Magna, MAHLE, Marelli, Mazda Motor Europe, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Electric Automotive Europe, MOIA, Motherson Innovations, NEOM, Nissan, Opel Automobile, Porsche, Recaro, Robert Bosch, Samsung, Schaeffler, Škoda Auto, Smart Europe, Stellantis, Suzuki Motor USA, Tesla, Toyota, TRATON R&D, Valeo, VinFast, Volkswagen, Volvo Group, Waabi, Yanfeng, ZF and Zoox.

Key audience indicators reflected a clear shift toward senior, high-intent engagement across the week:

• Automotive Testing Expo Europe delivered a 143% year-on-year increase in VIP attendance, and Automotive Interiors Expo Europe delivered a 54% year-on-year increase in VIP attendance

• Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo Europe maintained a strong senior/VIP audience, with VIP attendance up 16% on both day one and day two year on year, alongside its specialist conference audience of delegates, speakers, moderators, OEMs, regulators and technology innovators.

Jason Sullivan, Group Portfolio Director, Vehicle Tech Week Europe, said:

“Vehicle Tech Week Europe has been designed around a simple reality: vehicle development no longer happens in silos. Testing, autonomy, interiors, software, electronics and user experience are now deeply connected, and the industry needs a place where those communities can come together, compare ideas and make progress.

At a challenging moment for automotive, it has been incredibly encouraging to see the industry show up in Stuttgart with such focus and intent. The quality of OEM, VIP and senior-level engagement across the week demonstrates the continued importance of Vehicle Tech Week as a platform for practical innovation, commercial collaboration and the conversations that move future mobility from concept to deployment.”

Speaking at the opening of the event, Julia Grab, Chief Strategist & Planner, European Passenger Vehicles, Ford, said:

“I’m delighted to be at Vehicle Tech Week Europe, bringing together ADAS, testing and interiors under one roof. In this age of uncertainty, it is even more critical that every new product development starts with the voice of the customer.

Voice of the Customer is not a marketing artefact; it’s a core engineering requirement that should shape architecture, HMI and validation from day zero.”

One platform, three specialist communities

Vehicle Tech Week Europe reflects the way modern vehicle development now works. The future of mobility is no longer defined by one discipline alone. Testing, validation, autonomous systems, AI, software-defined vehicles, HMI, UX, interiors, safety, materials, regulation and customer experience are increasingly interconnected.

By bringing three specialist events together under one roof, Vehicle Tech Week Europe enabled visitors to move across the full vehicle technology ecosystem with one pass, creating more opportunities for cross-functional discovery, supplier comparison and joined-up industry thinking.

Across the event, visitors had access to more than 75 hours of content, including free-to-attend show-floor sessions, technical showcases, forums, live zones, workshops, leadership roundtables and the paid Autonomous Vehicle Technology Conference.

Automotive Testing Expo Europe once again brought together the testing, development, validation and quality engineering community, showcasing technologies across ADAS and autonomous vehicle testing, simulation, HIL, digital twins, EV and battery testing, NVH, durability, crash and safety testing, emissions, test and measurement, data acquisition, environmental testing, connectivity, electronics and EMC.

Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo Europe provided a focused forum for the technologies and conversations shaping the path to safe autonomous deployment, including sensors, perception, AI, software-defined vehicle architecture, simulation, virtual validation, safety systems, data, regulation and public trust.

Automotive Interiors Expo Europe placed the spotlight on the future of the vehicle cabin, connecting designers, engineers, material specialists, suppliers and OEM teams working across comfort, safety, user experience, sustainability, lighting, seating, HMI, UX, surfaces, acoustics, climate systems, personalization and future cabin architecture.

Guido Di Pasquale, Managing Director, PAVE Europe, said:

“I came to Vehicle Tech Week to engage directly with the ecosystem shaping the future of mobility, from industry leaders to innovators in automated driving. Events like this are essential for PAVE Europe and me, not only for understanding the latest technological developments, but also for advancing our mission to build public awareness and trust in autonomous vehicles across Europe through collaboration and dialogue.

In-person exhibitions create a level of connection and exchange that simply cannot be replicated online. You can experience the technology first-hand, have spontaneous and meaningful conversations, and build trust more effectively. For a field like autonomous mobility, where public confidence is key, these face-to-face interactions are invaluable for aligning stakeholders and moving the industry forward together.”

Exciting news for 2027

2027 brings with it an exciting change for Vehicle Tech Week Europe, with updates to two of the three existing shows and the addition of a fourth show in the lineup.

Automotive Interiors Expo will be renamed to Automotive Design & In-Cabin Expo. Today’s interior decisions can no longer be separated from exterior form, vehicle architecture software platforms, or system integration. Design teams are no longer solving isolated problems, they are orchestrating connected, end-to-end experience. That is why Automotive Design & In-Cabin Expo exists: to support this shift from complexity to coherence, from individual components to fully integrated design systems.

Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo will be renamed to Intelligent Vehicle Expo. This name change reflects a broader shift underway across the automotive industry to software-defined vehicles. Vehicle performance and competitiveness are not defined by isolated autonomous functions but rather by how intelligence is designed, integrated and sustained across the entire vehicle ecosystem.

New for 2027 is the addition of Advanced Chassis & Powertrain Showcase. This event is a new addition to Vehicle Tech Week Europe, created to reflect the increasingly integrated nature of modern vehicle engineering. As propulsion strategies diversify and platform architectures become more complex, the development of powertrain, chassis, and vehicle dynamics systems can no longer be considered in isolation.

Awards celebrate innovation and industry progress.

The success of Vehicle Tech Week Europe extended beyond the show floor, with the Vehicle Tech Week Awards and networking reception creating another important moment for the community to come together and celebrate progress.

The Automotive Testing Technology International Awards 2026 were presented at Messe Stuttgart alongside the Autonomous Vehicle Tech Awards, recognizing the companies, technologies and people helping to advance vehicle testing, validation and future mobility.

Winners included Humanetics with the THOR-5F for Testing Hardware Innovation of the Year, Tracetronic with its one:cx platform for Testing Software Innovation of the Year, Genesis by WeRide for Simulation Innovation of the Year, Drive System Design for Facility of the Year, and Diversified Technical Systems for Supplier of the Year.

For 2026, the Vehicle Tech Week Trailblazer Awards were also introduced, recognizing outstanding professionals reshaping the future of mobility, autonomy and vehicle interiors across Europe.

Together, the content programme, awards and networking reception reinforced Vehicle Tech Week’s role not only as a sourcing destination, but as a platform for recognition, knowledge-sharing and industry momentum.

Face-to-face remains essential

Vehicle Tech Week Europe 2026 showed that, even in a cautious market, exhibitions remain essential. When the industry is under pressure, the value of trusted meeting places increases.

In-person events enable engineering teams to see technology first-hand, buyers to compare suppliers’ side by side, OEMs to discover new partners, and industry leaders to hold the conversations that are difficult to replicate through digital channels alone.

Vehicle Tech Week Europe is not just about the mobility of the product. It is about the mobility of the industry itself: helping ideas move forward, supporting relationships that drive progress and creating a central platform where the automotive technology community can gather, regroup and shape what comes next.

Vehicle Tech Week Europe will return to Messe Stuttgart on 2-3 June 2027, continuing to unite the automotive technology ecosystem across testing, autonomy, interiors and future mobility.