Julia Grab, Ford’s chief strategist and planner for European passenger vehicles, kicked off the (paid for) conference on Day 1 with a plea to technologists and engineers to put the customer at the center of ADAS development.
In a presentation titled ‘Driver-centered architecture for future individual mobility’, Grab asked the audience to imagine a future where mobility finally bends to the driver’s needs, not the other way around. She highlighted how, over the next decade, European drivers will redefine ‘good’ by demanding ADAS and autonomous features that feel second nature, software that improves daily, and safety that feels human.
“We shouldn’t ask drivers to adapt to technology; we must build technology that finally learns to speak human,” she said. “As somebody who’s working on this every day, I felt it was really important to speak at this event where everyone is coming together and talking about the latest technology,” Grab told AAVI following her presentation.
“It’s my job as a chief strategist to figure out where are the opportunities, so coming to this [event], where I can talk with experts and see new technologies and how everything’s coming together, is a benefit that I can share with the whole team. I think there’s a lot of people who made the trip out here for this exact reason – to see what’s out there and to have those conversations for which there is a real need, so I see a real value in being here at this intersection of technology.”
To succeed, Grab argued the next generation of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) must bridge the gap between engineering reality and the voice of the customer.
“We must start with the voice of the customer, working backward to ensure SDV and ADAS innovations feel natural and trustworthy,” she said. “To close the ADAS experience gap, systems must prioritize human comprehension, using intuitive interfaces to eliminate confusion and intrusive alarms. Engineering must link customer needs with technical execution through rigorous, human-in-the-loop testing to ensure technology actually delivers the promised experience. Finally, the underlying architecture must provide a secure, stable foundation, transforming the vehicle into a trusted partner rather than a complex computer.”
AAVI‘s video team caught up with Grab at the event – watch the interview here.
Keep checking the AAVI website for highlights from the event, which runs until Thursday, 25 June. Click here to register for your free pass to Vehicle Tech Week Europe 2026
