Mirroring Reality: The Rise of Digital Twins in Vehicle Development

Abstract

Facing complex vehicle systems and the need for efficient development, the automotive industry increasingly adopts digital twin technology – virtual replicas of physical vehicles – as a solution. This paper explores this adoption, investigating how digital twins improve design, accelerate testing and validation, and contribute to overall vehicle development. It aims to demonstrate the value of digital twins in reducing costs, improving quality, and accelerating innovation. The paper highlights challenges, future directions in vehicle engineering, practical applications for automotive engineers, and impacts on traditional methodologies. Synthesizing trends and best practices, it provides an overview of digital twins' impact across the entire vehicle development lifecycle, highlighting their potential to transform processes and unlock innovation for automotive engineering, research, and technology development communities.