The Garage Podcast: Software-Defined Vehicles, Embedded Connectivity, and the New OEM-Supplier Deal

Recorded live on the show floor at AutoTech Detroit 2026, this episode of The Garage Podcast features Chip Goetzinger, Solutions Director at AutoMobility Advisors, on the shift to software-defined vehicles — and what it actually takes to deliver one. The conversation moves from architecture and embedded connectivity to the commercial reality underneath: who owns the software roadmap, who carries the integration risk, and how the traditional OEM-supplier relationship is being renegotiated as more of the vehicle's value moves into code.

Chip also looks at where the next wave of opportunity is forming, including in-vehicle commerce and digital identity — capabilities that only work when connectivity, data, and trust are designed in from the start rather than bolted on late. And as an amateur race car driver, he brings a useful perspective on how software changes the way a vehicle feels to the person behind the wheel, not just how it looks on a spec sheet.

If your team is working through SDV strategy, connected services, or supplier partnerships, this is a short, practical listen. See the rest of AMA's week in Novi on the AutoTech Detroit 2026 event page.