Baden-Württemberg, where Karlsruhe is located, has a well-developed automotive sector with a number of high-profile carmakers and startups as well as an ever-expanding logistics infrastructure for electric vehicles. The biggest player has to be the Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbH, known for its groundbreaking developments in automotive technologies. Born as a project spin-off in 1998, this subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz has evolved into a dependable partner and strategic ally, having previously operated under the name Daimler TSS. Today, it stands as the largest software development subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group AG with over 1200 employees across multiple locations. In recent years, Germany has witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of vehicles with alternative drives on its roads. The digitization of vehicles has proved to be a game changer, marking a transformation not just on drawing boards but on the roads themselves. To navigate this transformation, the Expert Group Transformation of the Automotive Industry was established, with Federal Minister Robert Habeck appointing this group on June 28, 2022. The German government has set an ambitious goal of having 15 million fully electric vehicles on the road by the end of the decade, aiming to phase out fossil fuels and transition into connected and automated vehicles. Simultaneously, sustainability and robustness are being incorporated into value chains. This is where the Karlsruhe-based Professor Ina Schaefer comes into play. Her role as a leader in the working group for ‘Test, Validation, and Analysis of Software-Intensive Systems’ is to address these challenges and set the course for a future defined by climate neutrality, digitization and localized value creation She leads the at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). In Karlsruhe, the future of the automotive industry is being reshaped with innovation, sustainability and progress at the forefront of this revolutionary journey.