Suzuki has chosen the Qt framework to power the digital cockpit in its first battery electric vehicle (EV), the e VITARA. The decision addresses a key engineering challenge in mainstream EVs: delivering responsive, reliable human–machine interfaces (HMIs) on cost-constrained embedded hardware.
This reflects the industry-wide move from hardware-defined systems to software-defined vehicles (SDVs), where functionality and user experience are increasingly driven by software rather than physical components.
Using Qt’s cross-platform HMI tools, Suzuki can design, test, and deploy digital cockpits from a single codebase. This reduces software development time and cost, while improving scalability across multiple vehicle platforms.
Qt’s modular design enables engineers to reuse UI components, optimize resource allocation, and maintain compliance with automotive safety standards. In practice, this means Suzuki can unify development of instrument clusters, driver-assistance displays, energy and range indicators, and climate control interfaces, with infotainment added as another layer.
By prioritizing safety-critical and EV-specific information while still supporting rich multimedia experiences, the cockpit balances performance with hardware limitations. Suzuki is also building the cockpit solution on Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), with Qt optimized to run on the open-source platform.
For engineers, this means greater compatibility, faster update cycles, and reduced risk of vendor lock-in. By combining open-source AGL with commercial Qt licensing, Suzuki gains flexibility while maintaining a long-term roadmap for software-defined vehicle development.
This approach allows Suzuki to deliver an energy-efficient, reliable, and customizable HMI that supports EV performance needs and future scalability.
“We chose Qt for its ability to help us optimize development costs without falling into vendor lock-in, by leveraging Suzuki’s in-house GUI assets and deploying them across multiple platforms.” said Takashi Sunda, managing officer, executive GM, Automobile Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Suzuki. “This approach enabled us to build a lineup of digital clusters with a unified graphic design, while also reshaping the roles and skill sets of our styling designers, HMI developers and unit developers.”
Filed Under: Software, Technology News