Smart Prototypes Summit North America Draws 200+ Attendees From GM, Stellantis and Rivian as Global Series Continues in UK and Japan
Darmstadt, Germany September 24th, 2026 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, and HBK, today announced strong turnout at the North American edition of their Smart Prototypes Summit series, which drew more than 200 attendees across two days at the Multimatic Vehicle Dynamics Center in Novi, Michigan. Building on that momentum, the series now expands with two upcoming events in the United Kingdom and Japan. At the heart of the event series is HBK and VI-grade’s Smart Testing vision: connecting virtual testing, physical testing and engineering data to help development teams make informed decisions earlier, improve correlation across engineering domains and reduce reliance on physical prototypes. Following Smart Prototypes Summits in Udine, Italy, in May and Novi, Michigan, in September, the series will continue at HORIBA MIRA in Nuneaton, United Kingdom, on October 21, before heading to Nagoya, Japan, on November 25.
More Than 200 Attendees at North American Summit
The Smart Prototypes Summit North America, held September 15–16 at the Multimatic Vehicle Dynamics Center in Novi, Michigan, recorded more than 200 attendees across the two days. The first day combined live demonstrations with customer presentations and a panel discussion featuring experts from Multimatic, Astemo, Stellantis and General Motors, covering topics including vehicle dynamics, NVH, ADAS, Driver-in-the-Loop simulation and data-driven engineering workflows. The second day continued with the HBK nCode and ReliaSoft User Group Meeting, extending the program into durability, reliability and physical testing, with contributions from experts from General Motors, Rivian, MGA Research, Bendix and Integral Concepts.
Presentation slides approved for publication by the respective speakers are available for download on the Smart Prototypes Summit North America landing page.
Smart Prototypes Summit UK – October 21
Organized together with HORIBA MIRA, the UK Smart Prototypes Summit will combine customer presentations, technical sessions, live demonstrations and selected HORIBA MIRA facility experiences. The program will cover vehicle dynamics, NVH, Driver-in-the-Loop simulation, durability and reliability, physical testing and engineering-data management, with contributions from automotive organizations including Nissan, Bentley and JLR.
Attendees will also experience HBK and VI-grade technologies and solutions including the DiM250, COMPACT and COMPACT Full Spectrum Simulators, VI-DataDrive Cloud, Aqira, ReliaSoft Cloud and Advantage Insights.
Smart Prototypes Summit Japan – November 25
The series will then continue in Nagoya, Japan, bringing the Smart Testing vision to the Japanese automotive engineering community. The one-day event will feature customer case studies, technical sessions, demonstrations and networking, with contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mazda, Suzuki, TOYO TIRE, S&VL, Saginomiya Seisakusho and ESTECH. Topics will span vehicle dynamics, NVH, ADAS and automated driving, HMI, durability and reliability, with a focus on how virtual testing, physical testing and data-driven workflows can be connected throughout vehicle development.
With events across Europe, North America and Asia, the Smart Prototypes Summit series provides a global platform for automotive engineers to exchange experiences and explore how simulation, physical testing and engineering data can be brought together for smarter vehicle development. Participation in both upcoming events is free of charge, subject to advance registration and availability.
More Than 200 Attendees at North American Summit
The Smart Prototypes Summit North America, held September 15–16 at the Multimatic Vehicle Dynamics Center in Novi, Michigan, recorded more than 200 attendees across the two days. The first day combined live demonstrations with customer presentations and a panel discussion featuring experts from Multimatic, Astemo, Stellantis and General Motors, covering topics including vehicle dynamics, NVH, ADAS, Driver-in-the-Loop simulation and data-driven engineering workflows. The second day continued with the HBK nCode and ReliaSoft User Group Meeting, extending the program into durability, reliability and physical testing, with contributions from experts from General Motors, Rivian, MGA Research, Bendix and Integral Concepts.
Presentation slides approved for publication by the respective speakers are available for download on the Smart Prototypes Summit North America landing page.
Smart Prototypes Summit UK – October 21
Organized together with HORIBA MIRA, the UK Smart Prototypes Summit will combine customer presentations, technical sessions, live demonstrations and selected HORIBA MIRA facility experiences. The program will cover vehicle dynamics, NVH, Driver-in-the-Loop simulation, durability and reliability, physical testing and engineering-data management, with contributions from automotive organizations including Nissan, Bentley and JLR.
Attendees will also experience HBK and VI-grade technologies and solutions including the DiM250, COMPACT and COMPACT Full Spectrum Simulators, VI-DataDrive Cloud, Aqira, ReliaSoft Cloud and Advantage Insights.
Smart Prototypes Summit Japan – November 25
The series will then continue in Nagoya, Japan, bringing the Smart Testing vision to the Japanese automotive engineering community. The one-day event will feature customer case studies, technical sessions, demonstrations and networking, with contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mazda, Suzuki, TOYO TIRE, S&VL, Saginomiya Seisakusho and ESTECH. Topics will span vehicle dynamics, NVH, ADAS and automated driving, HMI, durability and reliability, with a focus on how virtual testing, physical testing and data-driven workflows can be connected throughout vehicle development.
With events across Europe, North America and Asia, the Smart Prototypes Summit series provides a global platform for automotive engineers to exchange experiences and explore how simulation, physical testing and engineering data can be brought together for smarter vehicle development. Participation in both upcoming events is free of charge, subject to advance registration and availability.
German version available here