Porsche to Open new Division Focused on Software Development for Connected Vehicles

Porsche is to establishe a new division at its Nardò Technical Center (NTC) focused on software development for intelligent and connected vehicles. The new division based in Puglia, Italy, will be run by by Porsche Engineering.

It will open its doors in Lecce, a city that combines a close proximity to NTC and a wide education, talent and partner network.

It is planned to serve as an innovation laboratory in which software experts and engineers will collaborate on solutions that can then be tested in real-time on NTC’s test tracks – also due to the recently installed 5G network on-site.

NTC plans to hire highly specialised professionals, including IT engineers, software architects, developers, and computer science graduates for the new division.

NTC develops and tests connected and intelligent vehicles of the future.

Founded in 1975, it now operates more than 20 test tracks and test facilities on more than 700 hectares and employs more than 185 people.

Its high-speed ring in Salento is unique in the world with a length of 12.6 kilometers, allowing vehicles to be tested under extreme conditions.

Antonio Gratis, Managing Director of NTC, says: "Digitally-enabled functions will play a crucial role in the future of the automotive industry. With our new software division, we can develop and test these kinds of functions for our customers directly on site. The focus of the new division will lie on highly automated driving functions, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication as well as connectivity solutions. It represents another step in NTC’s continuous evolution from a unique testing center into an integrated technology hub and is closely integrated into the end-to-end development and validation network of Porsche Engineering."

Porsche Engineering Group GmbH is an international technology partner to the automotive industry with locations in Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, and China.