Incumbent OEMs vs EV Start-ups

The SDV transformation highlights critical differences between incumbent OEMs and disruptors, as outlined in the table:

Incumbent OEMs, with their legacy systems and processes, focus on cost optimization and milestone-driven innovation. Their structures are often siloed, with slower, hierarchical decision-making. In contrast, disruptors embrace value-driven innovation, operate with cross-functional teams, and adopt agile, decentralized processes. Disruptors prioritize continuous feedback, shorter release cycles, and automated testing while unifying their CI/CD pipelines for consistency.

Closing: Learning from Disruptors

For incumbents to remain competitive in the SDV era, they must adopt key principles from disruptors, including agile decision-making, continuous feedback, and unified DevOps practices. At the same time, they must leverage their ability to scale globally and deliver products at the highest quality. Successfully merging these strengths will enable incumbents to innovate rapidly while maintaining the reliability and scale that have been their core competencies.