On June 22 and 23, 2026, our colleagues Vittorio Monteiro and Sabri Deniz Martin attended Car.HMI Europe at the Hotel Titanic Chaussee in Berlin. The event brings together experts in automotive UX, HMI development, and vehicle software, and this year’s packed schedule featured a full two-day program.
Agentic AI and the Future of In-Car Assistants
One of the most prominent themes was the question of how voice assistants are evolving from reactive command receivers to context-aware, proactive systems. CARIAD demonstrated what this means from a human-centered perspective: non-deterministic system behavior, the pace of technological development, and the question of which principles from traditional voice interfaces remain valid and which must be fundamentally reimagined. Cinemo complemented this with a look at agent-based architectures designed to maintain OEM control and security, while AI layers coordinate across vehicle domains.
Automated Testing of Infotainment HMIs
Of particular relevance to us was a joint session by Harman and AskUI: Harman relies on an autonomous AI agent to validate its infotainment system; this agent operates the HMI just like a real driver, without hard-coded selectors or DOM access. The agent navigates menus, performs tasks, and detects regressions. This addresses a real problem: script-based test automation is reaching its limits amid growing variant diversity and frequent OTA updates.
Features on Demand and the Question of Customer Acceptance
Kia Europe presented its approach to paid digital vehicle features. The most candid statement of the session: There is a significant gap between interest in such features and actual purchasing behavior. Perception, barriers to entry, and the dealer’s role in the activation process were openly discussed.
HMI Minimalism and Scaling Across Vehicle Segments
The Piaggio Group discussed how to map a complete vehicle HMI onto a single 7-inch display for an electric commercial vehicle. Visteon demonstrated how HMI platforms can be scaled across entry-level and premium segments without making significant compromises in quality or development speed.
Inclusive Design, Chinese EV HMIs, and an Outside Perspective
Volkswagen Group Services presented its work on accessible HMI design. AMMI Intelligent Technologies provided insights into China’s methodological approach to HMI development, which is based on context-based needs analysis and culture-specific UX research. And the University of Michigan posed the uncomfortable question of why academic research so rarely translates into practical application.
World Cafés on the Second Day
The second day was more focused on collaborative exchange. In roundtable formats, topics such as 3D visualization in HMIs, predictive UX architectures with AI and ML, windshield displays, the limitations of display and input device concepts, and the question of the value of paid digital features were discussed in depth. Representatives from BMW, Stellantis, Hyundai Mobis, Preh, and Daimler Truck moderated the roundtables.
In addition to the conference program, there was plenty to discover on the expo floor. Digiteq Automotive showcased its DigiSense Driver & Cabin Monitoring System: real-time analysis of the driver’s condition using computer vision, ranging from gaze direction and emotion recognition to fatigue detection. BAutomotive demonstrated live how facial meshes map expressions to a valence-arousal model. TouchNetix presented its AXIOM platform for haptic feedback and force-sensitive displays. The Berlin-based startup toni demonstrated how a complete vehicle HMI can be implemented in a standalone prototype device.
The HMI of modern vehicles is no longer a single screen. It’s a stack: an Android operating system, multiple displays, voice interfaces, marketplace integrations, connected services, and safety-critical functions running in parallel. Each layer has its own testing requirements, and the interactions between them present even more challenges.
This is exactly where we come in. Our teams test in-vehicle navigation, infotainment and voice systems, configurators, backend and API layers, as well as connected mobility services. Discussions at Car.HMI have confirmed that the complexity our customers are dealing with continues to grow, and the pressure on test coverage, automation levels, and release cadence is increasing along with it.
Many thanks to the organizers for a well-organized event and to Jonas Menesklou from AskUI for the invitation.
Would you like to know how we can support you in testing your vehicle software?
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