Software-defined vehicle ecosystems in transformation

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Context: The automotive industry is transitioning from hardware-centric development towards software-defined vehicles (SDVs), where software drives functionality, value creation, and competitive differentiation. This shift challenges proprietary software development, firm-centric innovation, and traditional supply chain models, giving rise to ecosystem-based collaboration. However, SDV transformation is primarily framed as a technical change, leaving its broader ecosystem implications insufficiently understood. Objective: This study explores the transformation of SDV ecosystems, their stakeholders, collaborative structures, roles and authority, and highlights associated challenges and opportunities. Methods: This systematic literature review collected 351 studies from six databases and selected 25 for detailed analysis. Results: Four interrelated shifts (from hardware-centric to software platforms, from supply chains to collaborative ecosystems, from proprietary to open and standard solutions, and from firm-level control to distributed governance) characterise the transformation, with six levels of collaboration involving twelve stakeholder groups. These collaborations are influenced by five dimensions of authority. The literature also highlights six core software development challenges and various organisational, industry and market, and regulatory, legal, and ethical challenges. It identifies five software development opportunities and various organisational, industry and market, and public value and ethical opportunities. Conclusion: The first contribution integrates previously fragmented literature on the SDV ecosystem transformation, demonstrating how SDVs are transforming the automotive industry through the four interrelated shifts driven by software advancements. Second, it proposes an SDV ecosystems model that integrates SDV architecture, stakeholder groups, collaboration structures, and governance levels to facilitate sustainable SDV ecosystems. Additionally, agendas for research and practice are outlined.