Udine, Italy, October 1, 2026 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the appointment of Dr. Leonardo Pascali as Managing Director, effective October 1st, 2026. Pascali joins VI-grade following an extensive international career spanning automotive engineering, high-performance vehicle development and motorsport. Most recently, he served as Technical Director of Audi Sport's Dakar project, where he was responsible for the technical development of the Audi RS Q e-tron program that achieved overall victory at the 2024 Dakar Rally with Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz.
Prior to Audi, Pascali held senior engineering positions at McLaren Automotive, Porsche and Centro Ricerche Fiat, building extensive experience in vehicle dynamics, chassis development and advanced vehicle technologies. During his time at McLaren Automotive, where he served as Head of Chassis and Vehicle Technology, Pascali was named Vehicle Dynamicist of the Year 2017 by Vehicle Dynamics International.
In his new role, Pascali will lead VI-grade towards an expanded vision of full-vehicle development and validation, with a strategic roadmap placing greater emphasis on software-defined vehicles, ADAS, energy management and integrated electronic systems. A key priority will be combining Software-in-the-Loop (SiL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) and Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) technologies to connect virtual models and driving simulators with physical electronic control units and vehicle systems. This integrated approach will enable OEMs to validate software releases, verify system interactions and assess how vehicle systems behave and interact from the driver's perspective. Building on Pascali’s experience in system-level vehicle evaluation, this roadmap will extend VI-grade’s human-centric approach beyond traditional vehicle attributes, in line with HBK’s Smart Testing strategy.
"I am excited to join VI-grade at a time when the way vehicles are developed is undergoing such a fundamental transformation," said Leonardo Pascali, Managing Director of VI-grade. "Working closely with test drivers has taught me that a vehicle cannot be judged through isolated measurements alone. Objective data and simulation are essential, but so is the driver’s assessment of how every system works together. That is why VI-grade’s human-centric, full-spectrum approach resonates with me. I see a major opportunity to bring the complete driving experience into virtual development and to test real electronic control units together with virtual vehicle models through Hardware-in-the-Loop. Combining these capabilities with Driver-in-the-Loop and physical testing can help our customers make more confident decisions earlier in development."
A defining aspect of Pascali’s engineering approach has been his close collaboration with professional test drivers, combining objective engineering data with first-hand, subjective driving assessments. In previous vehicle development roles, his own driving evaluations, alongside those of the chief test driver, contributed to final vehicle sign-off. This experience closely reflects VI-grade’s human-centric philosophy: evaluating the vehicle as an integrated system and considering the complete driving experience, rather than treating individual engineering disciplines in isolation.
"Leonardo brings an exceptional combination of deep engineering expertise, international leadership and first-hand experience developing advanced road and competition vehicles," said Alessio Lombardi, Global Sales Director – Simulation, VI-grade | HBK. "His understanding of both virtual and physical vehicle development makes him ideally positioned to lead VI-grade into its next phase and further strengthen the role of simulation within HBK's broader Smart Testing strategy. We are delighted to welcome him to the team."
As Managing Director, Pascali will work closely with VI-grade and HBK teams worldwide to strengthen the company’s automotive and motorsport business, deepen customer and technology partnerships, and develop integrated workflows that connect full-spectrum, human-centric simulation with Hardware-in-the-Loop and physical validation.
HBKのVice President Global Sales Vice, Simulation & Validation Business UnitであるGuido Bairati氏は、次のように述べています。
「当社の顧客は、シミュレーションや実機試験を通じてますます多くのデータを生成しており、その情報を効率的に結びつけ、解釈できることにこそ真の価値があります。MOVEdotのAI技術と、VI-gradeのシミュレーションソリューション、そしてHBKの試験能力を組み合わせることで、エンジニアが複雑なデータをより迅速に実用的な技術的判断へと転換できる、強力なエンドツーエンドのワークフローが実現します。」
VI-grade, Japan Country Managerである吉井 亨氏は述べています。「サスペンション部品およびステアリング技術の世界有数のサプライヤーであるカヤバ株式会社に、VI-gradeのCOMPACT FSSを採用いただいたことを光栄に思います。今回の導入は、VI-gradeのフルスペクトラムシミュレータ技術が、カヤバ株式会社での製品開発の限界を押し広げ、自動車サプライヤーの開発業務を強力に支援できることを改めて示すものです。」
北米版は、イタリアでのサミット初開催の成果を継承するもので、このイベントには自動車、モータースポーツ、商用車、タイヤ、テクノロジー各分野から320名以上の参加者が会場に集まりました。今回の2日間にわたるイベントは、「Beyond Zero: Welcome to the Smart Era(ゼロを超えて:スマート時代へようこそ)」をテーマに、顧客によるプレゼンテーション、技術セッション、実演、ネットワーキングを通じて、スマート・テスティングの最新イノベーションを紹介します。これらすべては、「シミュレーションと実機試験を連携させることで、いかにしてより迅速かつ確信を持ってエンジニアリング上の意思決定を行えるか」という一つの問いに焦点を当てています。会場そのものも大きな魅力となっています。マルチマティック・ビークル・ダイナミクス・センターには、北米有数の「Driver-in-the-Loop」シミュレーション施設が設置されており、フルスペクトルシミュレーションを実現するためにVI-grade社のHyperDockコックピットを導入して新たにアップグレードされた「DiM250 DYNAMICドライビングシミュレータ」が特徴です。参加者は、この施設の稼働状況に加え、HBKの耐久性および信頼性ソリューションのライブデモンストレーションを直接ご覧いただけます。これは、単に仕様書で読むだけでなく、これらの技術を実際に体験して評価できる貴重な機会です。
HBKのVice President Global Sales Vice, Simulation & Validation Business UnitであるGuido Bairati氏は、次のように述べています。
「Smart Prototypes Summitは、単なる技術の展示会にとどまらず、エンジニアリングコミュニティを結集してテストの未来を形作ることを目的として立ち上げられました。このサミットを北米で開催することで、OEM、サプライヤー、テクノロジーパートナー、研究機関が経験を共有し、仮想テストと実機テストを連携させ、よりスマートでデータ駆動型のエンジニアリングへの移行を加速させる新たな機会を提供します。」
Udine, Italy, June 3rd, 2026 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, together with HBK, today announced the successful conclusion of the 2026 Smart Prototypes Summit, held from May 19–22 at the VI-grade SimCenter in Udine, Italy.
Uniting the global mobility ecosystem around the theme “Beyond Zero: Welcome to the Smart Era,” the 2026 edition marked the successful launch of the first Smart Prototypes Summit – the next evolution of VI-grade’s long-established Zero Prototypes Summit series. Developed jointly by HBK and VI-grade, the new Summit format reflects the industry’s transition from isolated simulation workflows toward fully integrated Smart Testing ecosystems combining virtual simulation, physical testing, AI-supported engineering, and connected data intelligence.
The first Smart Prototypes Summit welcomed more than 320 in-person attendees from over 100 global companies across the automotive, motorsport, commercial vehicle, tire, and technology sectors, with an additional 1500 attendees following the livestream online. Across four days, attendees experienced 40 keynote and technical presentations spanning six dedicated technology tracks, 25 live technology demonstrations, user group sessions, networking events, and globally streamed conference sessions focused on the future of simulation-driven vehicle development and Smart Testing. To relive the spirit of SPS2026, watch the official event recap video at https://youtu.be/N4LLL1rbRU8.
A recurring theme throughout SPS2026 was the growing convergence of virtual and physical testing into connected engineering workflows already being deployed in real-world development programs today. Presentations and live demonstrations showcased how the industry is moving beyond experimentation toward scalable, intelligent execution environments capable of accelerating development while improving correlation, efficiency, and engineering insight.
“The question is no longer whether to simulate or physically test,” said Guido Bairati, Vice President Sales at HBK and Managing Director of VI-grade. “The real challenge today is how to intelligently combine both worlds. Smart Testing is the answer to that challenge, and SPS2026 demonstrated that this vision is already becoming reality.”
Tanneke Reinders, Executive Vice President – Simulation and Validation at HBK, added: “The first Smart Prototypes Summit showed how simulation, validation, AI, and data intelligence are converging into one connected engineering ecosystem. By connecting the physical and virtual worlds, we can help customers accelerate development cycles and bring products to market faster.”
Post-event proceedings, including presentation PDFs, and selected video recordings, are continuously being released on the official SPS2026 website at https://conference.vi-grade.com
Attendees and online participants can also access the recordings of all seven livestream sessions, including the official Smart Testing launch presentation by Tanneke Reinders and Guido Bairati, together with all customer keynote and technical presentations delivered throughout the Summit. Registration-based access to the livestream recordings remains available online.
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