As vehicle development becomes increasingly integrated across propulsion, software, testing and design, a new industry event focused on chassis and powertrain engineering will launch this October as part of Vehicle Tech Week North America 2026.

The Advanced Chassis & Powertrain Showcase will debut alongside three established exhibitions within a newly unified event framework designed to reflect how modern vehicles are engineered today.

Taking place October 27-29, 2026, at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi, Michigan, Vehicle Tech Week North America will bring together four co-located exhibitions covering the full vehicle development lifecycle:

• Intelligent Vehicle Expo (previously known as Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo)
• Advanced Chassis & Powertrain Showcase (new launch)
• Automotive Design & In-Cabin Expo (previously known as Automotive Interiors Expo)
• Automotive Testing Expo (the world’s largest and most established event for automotive testing, validation and quality engineering)

The event is expected to attract thousands of OEM engineers, Tier 1 suppliers and technology leaders, creating a single destination for cross-functional collaboration and technical insight.

About Vehicle Tech Week North America 2026

Vehicle Tech Week North America is a new multi-event platform designed to reflect the full complexity of modern vehicle development. By bringing together four co-located exhibitions in one unified framework, the event connects the technologies, teams and disciplines shaping the future of mobility.

From propulsion systems and software-defined vehicles to testing, validation and in-cabin experience, the event provides a comprehensive view of the vehicle ecosystem. Hosted in Novi, Michigan, a region with deep roots in automotive engineering, the event is positioned as a central meeting point for innovation across North America.

A new platform for chassis and powertrain innovation

The Advanced Chassis & Powertrain Showcase has been developed in response to the growing complexity of propulsion and platform engineering. OEMs are now managing internal combustion, hybrid and battery-electric programs in parallel, often across shared vehicle architectures, introducing new challenges around efficiency, cost, thermal management and vehicle dynamics.

Rather than focusing on individual components, the showcase will highlight system-level approaches to vehicle performance and integration. Key technology areas include:

• Battery systems and energy storage
• Electric drivetrains and e‑axles
• Power electronics
• Thermal management
• Braking and suspension systems
• Vehicle dynamics and control
• Simulation and validation technologies

“Chassis and powertrain technologies are at the center of some of the industry’s most complex engineering decisions,” said Peter Massey, commercial director at Vehicle Tech Week organizer UKi Media & Events. “This new showcase creates a dedicated platform for engineers and suppliers to explore how those challenges are being solved at a system level, and how those solutions translate into real-world performance.”

Repositioned, market‑leading events in a single framework

Alongside the launch of the new chassis and powertrain showcase, two established events have evolved to reflect their expanding roles within the vehicle ecosystem.

Intelligent Vehicle Expo highlights the growing impact of software, AI and connected systems across all areas of the vehicle, while Automotive Design & In-Cabin Expo reflects the increasing importance of interior architecture, HMI and user experience.

Together with Automotive Testing Expo, the industry’s leading event for validation, testing and quality engineering, Vehicle Tech Week North America creates a unified environment where traditionally separate disciplines converge.

“Vehicle Tech Week North America reflects how vehicles are engineered today,” added Massey. “It brings together advanced technologies, specialist expertise and real-world application into one connected experience, accelerating collaboration across the entire vehicle development process.”

For more information, and to exhibit or register, visit: https://www.vehicletechweek-northamerica.com/.

For speaker enquiries, please contact Marc LeDuc, senior conference content producer NA, UKi Media & Events (marc.leduc@ukimediaevents.com).

In a free webinar, teamtechnik’s vice president of sales automotive, Dipl.-Ing. Ralph Heckmann (pictured), will discuss the company’s experiences from realized projects for improving production efficiency. Join Ralph on Wednesday, March 10 at 11:00 CET for a discussion of the challenges and benefits of its technological processes.

In the field of end-of-line (EOL) testing of e-drives, teamtechnik has developed a standardized testing platform that enables testing of a wide variety of product types and variants using the same modules. teamtechnik creates customized, turnkey assembly and test lines for battery modules. From semi-automated solutions for assembly and functional testing, to fast-cycling high-performance lines with cycle times of 0.5 seconds, the company can develop and manufacture production systems for every need and requirement.

teamtechnik has been living automation since 1976. Within the Dürr group it is the assembly and functional test systems specialist. The company creates high-efficiency production technology for e-mobility, medical technology and sustainable energy.

Register FREE here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2632499530207337740

The first-ever Sustainable Internal Combustion Engine Virtual ‘Live’ – a brand-new, two-day, online conference dedicated exclusively to discussing and debating the future of gasoline, diesel and alternative-fuel IC engines – has been acclaimed a resounding success by attendees, speakers and sponsors alike.

Over 1,950 attendees registered to take part, exchanging more than 1,200 messages while discovering the latest developments and case studies from over 50 expert speakers and six sponsors.

After a highly challenging and disruptive 2020, this exclusive online event offered a convenient, safe and secure platform for automotive engineers and powertrain professionals to connect and engage with speakers and suppliers to discuss the research and technology essential for future ICE development.

Delivered by UKi Media & Events – publisher of Engine + Powertrain Technology International and organizer of the Sustainable Internal Combustion Engine Symposium – Sustainable Internal Combustion Engine Virtual ‘Live’ took place on February 3 & 4, 2021, and featured speakers from Danfoss, Cummins, FEV, Ford, Mahle Powertrain, Sustainable Fuels and IAAPS – Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems, among others.

Dedicated sessions across the two days included: Post-Pandemic Automotive Industry; Engine Development Beyond the Bounds of Current Technology; Effective Lubricants; The Transition to Euro 7 and Reduction in CO2  Emissions; Diesel Powertrains; Heavy-Duty Vehicles; Future Mobility; Advanced Components and Materials; and Stepping Away From Fossil Fuels.

Overall, attendees particularly welcomed the opportunity to discover the latest trends and innovations, to network before, during and after the conference, and to view presentations for up to three months after the event.

“It was a great idea to realize a conference during these difficult times,” said Joerg Jorzick, head of new acquisitions at Oerlikon Balzers Coating Germany GmbH. “It was very helpful for making new contacts and hearing about new technologies. Thank you.”

“This event provided some excellent insight into IC engines versus EV,” noted Gerry Marchese, general manager, Niagara Piston Inc.

“The online conference provided a very good idea of where the future of IC engines is heading,” added Bart Schreurs, chief technologist, BorgWarner.

“This was a great event,” concluded Carlo Locci, global application specialist, Siemens.

Next week (February 3 & 4, 2021) will see the first-ever Sustainable Internal Combustion Engine Virtual ‘Live’, a free-to-attend, two-day, online conference set to reveal how the traditional automotive powertrain has a long future ahead of it when developed and advanced beyond its current brief and design constraints. The conference features expert speakers from Danfoss, Cummins, FEV, Ford and Mahle Powertrain, among many others.

Brought to you by the publisher of Engine+Powertrain Technology International and the organizer of The Sustainable Internal Combustion Engine Symposium, the virtual conference takes place next Wednesday and Thursday, February 3 and 4, 2021, providing participants with a fantastic opportunity to network and share experiences, ask questions and discuss important industry developments.

Staged after a highly challenging and disruptive year, this exclusive event will provide a much-needed platform for engineers and engine developers to engage with speakers and suppliers about the research and technology that are essential for sustainable ICE development, and present future concepts and technologies for the IC engine.

Dedicated sessions across the two days include Post-Pandemic Automotive Industry; Engine Development Beyond the Bounds of Current Technology; Effective Lubricants; The Transition to Euro 7 and Reduction in CO2 Emissions; Diesel Powertrains; Heavy-Duty Vehicles; Future Mobility; Advanced Components and Materials; Stepping Away From Fossil Fuels – all followed by live discussions and Q&A.

With speakers drawn from across the industry, participants can look forward to an insight-packed agenda, with Ewa Abramiuk-Lété, secretary general of Sustainable Fuels; Professor Sam Akehurst of IAAPS – Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems; Graham Conway, principal engineer at Southwest Research Institute; and Punch Torino’s program manager and chief engineer Roberto Golisano just some of those due to present this February.

Click here to view the full program and speaker list. Register – for FREE – now!

The engine industry’s most important conference opens next week (Wednesday, February 3), providing a much-needed dedicated online platform to network, connect, learn and discuss how the traditional ICE powertrain should be developed and advanced beyond its current brief and design constraints to ensure a long and prosperous future.

The free-to-attend, two-day Sustainable Internal Combustion Engine Virtual ‘Live’ (February 3 and 4, 2021) will see expert speakers explore future concepts and technologies for the IC engine.

Dedicated sessions across the two days include Post-Pandemic Automotive Industry; Engine Development Beyond the Bounds of Current Technology; Effective Lubricants; The Transition to Euro 7 and Reduction in CO2 Emissions; Diesel Powertrains; Heavy-Duty Vehicles; Future Mobility; Advanced Components and Materials; Stepping Away From Fossil Fuels – all followed by live discussions and Q&A.

Participants can expect a highly rewarding and insightful exchange of ideas, with live interaction and networking fully enabled and encouraged during the event, which will take place online for maximum safety and convenience. Here are just a few of the highlights in store:

The role of the internal combustion engine in a net-zero future

Ian Constance, CEO of the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre, will explore the opportunity for the internal combustion engine in a post-pandemic world, including the need to understand the opportunities and challenges facing our sector in the quest to deliver net-zero carbon targets. The internal combustion engine is likely to remain an important part of the solution as we decarbonize, but how does it fit within the mix and how should strategic priorities be considered?

Combustion engines can outperform electric cars and achieve negative emissions

Dulob is developing one important part of the puzzle: a new patented thermodynamic cycle that will achieve diesel efficiency at just 10% of the diesel top pressure. This has the potential to solve NOx and particle problems, reveals Bengt Ovelius, CTO and founder of Dulob Innovations. The second part of the puzzle is interesting for every engine manufacturer. Mathematical analysis indicates that atmospheric methane has the potential to generate electricity for the entire EU, and fuel for cars and aviation. A reduction from 1.8ppm to 0.8ppm brings the atmosphere back to the year 1700. This reduces the greenhouse effect more than the sum of present global environmental policies.

Mahle passive jet ignition for high-efficiency and high-performance gasoline engine applications

As part of the ‘Engine Development Beyond the Bounds of Current Technology’ session on Wednesday, February 3, Dr Mike Bassett, chief engineer at Mahle Powertrain, will discuss the pre-chamber-based jet ignition concept, which produces jets of partially combusted species that induce ignition in the main combustion chamber, enabling rapid, stable combustion. Dr Bassett shows how passive jet ignition, combined with high compression ratio, Miller cycle and EGR can provide high-efficiency engine operation. The ability of passive jet ignition to also enable whole map λ=1 operation for high-specific-power applications is also discussed.

Future transportation without the internal combustion engine?

Hear two Ford leaders – director of global engine engineering Frank Abkenar and research and advanced engineering manager Carsten Weber – discuss the future of the internal combustion engine. Based on the fundamental laws of thermodynamics, the undiminished increase in the total engine efficiency is limited. This moves ‘what to burn’ instead of ‘how to burn’ into the center of interest. A very promising alternative to classic fuels based on fossil sources is the use of sustainable fuels produced on the basis of renewable energy. The majority of the next-generation propulsion systems will continue to have an internal combustion engine as an integral part of an electrified system to ensure the best compromise regarding performance, operating range, cleanliness and cost. Therefore, the ongoing optimization of the internal combustion engine is essential for the future of automotive propulsion systems.

Pathways for next-generation diesel engines toward beneficial participation in sustainable mobility and transportation

Improved environmentally friendly – especially low-GHG-emitting – powertrain systems are required for future personal mobility and transportation. Since the release of the new European CO2 targets – which set ambitious reduction requirements – multifaceted developments have been initiated to meet them. In addition, the short-term achievement of extremely challenging real-world pollutant emission standards requires that these emissions be reduced to near-zero level. Further optimization of the classical ICE fuel specifications and properties – as well as an increased level of tailored powertrain electrification – provides good potential to simultaneously achieve these parallel targets. During the ‘Diesel Powertrains’ session, Thomas Körfer, group vice president – diesel powertrains business unit, FEV Group, will share his thoughts on how to achieve light-duty diesel engines that meet future market demands with near-zero pollutant emission behavior and superior GHG emission performance.

Click here to view the full program and speaker list. Register – for FREE – now!

The first speakers have been announced for this June’s brand-new Sustainable Internal Combustion Engine Symposium (SICES), which will discuss and debate the future of gasoline, diesel and alternative-fuel IC engines. The event takes place in Stuttgart, Germany, 16-18 June, alongside Automotive Testing Expo and the Global Automotive Components and Suppliers Expo.

First speakers include Paul Freeland, principal engineer, Cosworth Limited, who will present a paper titled ‘Electrification offers strong advantages for many but falls a long way short of fulfilling all of society’s mobility requirements‘; Dr Phil Roberts, principal engineer Horiba MIRA Ltd, who will present ‘RDE Plus – a road to rig development methodology for whole-vehicle RDE compliance‘; and Thomas Körfer, group vice president – diesel powertrains business unit, FEV Group, who will present ‘Pathways for next-generation diesel engines toward beneficial participation in sustainable mobility and transportation‘.

Professor Sam Akehurst at the University of Bath’s Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems  will present ‘Opportunities and technologies for IC engines in a net-zero CO² and zero-emissions future‘; while Simon Williams, real driving emissions operations leader at Mahle Powertrain Ltd will present ‘Powertrain development methods for Euro 7‘.

In total, the symposium is expected to host over 100 expert speakers – each sourced by the publishers of Engine + Powertrain Technology International magazine – who will present future concepts and technologies for the IC engine. Delegates can expect to meet senior engineers and futurists from the world’s car manufacturers, as well as Tier 1 companies and international research institutes. Pioneering startups, market analysts, legislators and emission-standard key decision makers will also feature across a series of panel discussions designed to foster debate and encourage knowledge sharing.

To see the latest speakers, click here.  To book your pass (early booking discount currently available), click here. Interested in speaking at this event? Submit your paper, here.

A fascinating range of new engine-, emissions- and fuel-testing technologies will be on display at next week’s Automotive Testing Expo Europe 2019, which will see more than 480 exhibitors reveal their latest developments and innovations across the automotive testing spectrum. Interest in the latest powertrain testing solutions will be particularly strong, as manufacturers continue to grapple with the fallout from ‘dieselgate’ while striving to meet ever more stringent legislation from across the globe.

Sensitec (Stand 1708) will reveal its latest dynamic, high-resolution, magnetoresistive sensor evaluation electronics that enable accurate valvetrain measurement in fired engines. The new sensors can be used to measure valve lift or valve rotation directly in fired combustion engines under real operating conditions. This is one of the most demanding measurement tasks when developing or improving components of combustion engines. Until now, valve behavior was measured by simulation or using an electrically driven dummy engine – i.e. the measurement was not carried out under real operating conditions and did not reflect all the thermo- and fluid-dynamic effects that a real valvetrain experiences. In contrast, Sensitec’s new Valve Train Measurement System (VTMS) offers precise length measurement at previously difficult measuring sites in fired combustion engines.

Shimadzu (Stand 8530) will be in Stuttgart to launch a range of new equipment, testing methods and techniques for fuel efficiency and additive analysis to help meet regulations. The company provides analytical and testing solutions in chromatography, spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, TOC and material testing for every area of a vehicle, from power sources to bodies, interiors, suspension and electronics. For those seeking help with powertrains and emissions, it can advise on everything from high-speed imaging of fuel injection in automotive engines through to EDXRF analysis of vehicle exhaust particulates.

Test center specialist UTAC Ceram (Stand 8353) will be promoting its expertise in measuring emissions and fuel consumption as representatively as possible, to help manufacturers comply with the EU’s new Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) for emissions testing. The new driving cycle is a much more dynamic driving style than the older NEDC that it replaces. As such, the setting of the driving resistance applied to the vehicle in the laboratory has been completely rethought, with a major update of the test bench configuration also providing more accurate electric consumption and range. Meanwhile a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) is fitted to the test vehicle, which is then driven on public roads, meeting several trip, ambient and dynamic conditions representative of real-life driving.

Another leading test center provider, Millbrook (Stand 8140), will promote its major new facilities in the UK for testing automotive battery modules and packs to help reduce vehicle development times and increase durability. Bridging the gap between component testing and full vehicle testing, Millbrook has added the capability to test systems at a powertrain level, while simulating vehicle dynamics and components such as a battery. It will also reveal how it plans to open its first 4WD powertrain test system in the UK. This will be correlated with its portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS) and 4WD climatic emissions chassis dynamometers. The new facility is designed for development testing for global compliance including WLTP, accelerated durability testing, and complex powertrain integration. This will enable fuel economy performance, emissions, and electric/hybrid powertrain integration testing to be carried out before the full vehicle or hardware is available.

Seoul Industry Engineering (Stand 1752) will display its latest exhaust gas simulation equipment, popular with customers in Korea, China, India and Germany. Typical applications include performance and durability testing of exhaust gas systems, EGR systems, EGRC systems, turbocharger systems and intercooler systems. The equipment is compact, easy to handle, and equipped with user-friendly, in-house software using LabView from NI. A wide range of exhaust gas air temperatures and exhaust gas airflows can be accurately simulated in the system. Control parameters include temperature, gas mass flow rate, gas pressure, coolant flow rate and coolant pressure. Various tests can be performed using the system, such as thermal fatigue tests, efficiency tests, gas pressure drop tests and coolant boiling tests.

AVL Hybrid Engine Testbed Solutions (Stand 1310) can offer either new system solutions for electric powertrain testing, or existing engine testbeds can be made hybrid-ready by updating automation software and adding electrification components. For example, when it comes to ICE start/stop development, AVL offers two solutions. First, extending the existing testbed with the AVL Testbed Synchro clutch, which ensures real engine start behavior in open position and enables reference testing at idle speed on an engine testbed. Second, tests can be run by means of a software update, without any clutch but with a patented control algorithm and a stiff shaft. Meanwhile the AVL E-Storage Emulator and the corresponding battery models, which are embedded in the PUMA automation system, make it possible to simulate specific battery behavior.

Testing Expo visitors are also guaranteed free access to the neighboring Engine Expo + The Powertrain Technology Show, which this year features two brand new conferences: The Path Towards Euro 7 Conference and The Powertrain Testing Conference.

To register for your free fast-track entry code to Automotive Testing Expo 2019, click here.