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All Things ADAS, San Diego, CA (2026)

07/21/2026

ADAS Is Entering Its Next Major Transformation

Recent ADAS announcements make one thing clear: advanced driver assistance systems are rapidly evolving from individually controlled features into centralized, AI-powered vehicle platforms.

Bosch and Qualcomm recently expanded their partnership to develop scalable ADAS vehicle computers using Snapdragon Ride. Their approach can support everything from lane keeping and adaptive cruise control to hands-free driving and automated parking. More importantly, it allows ADAS and cockpit functions to operate on a consolidated computing platform—reducing cost, power consumption and vehicle complexity.

Mobileye is going down the same path. Its Surround ADAS platform uses multiple cameras and radars connected to a single EyeQ6H processor. The platform supports automated lane changes, traffic-jam assistance, highway hands-free driving and over-the-air updates. A major U.S. automaker reportedly selected the technology for millions of future vehicles.

Qualcomm and Wayve are also combining Wayve’s AI Driver with Snapdragon Ride. The resulting platform is designed to scale from Level 2+ hands-off assistance to Level 3 eyes-off and eventually Level 4 automation. Wayve’s data-driven approach reduces dependence on predefined rules and high-definition maps

Meanwhile, driver monitoring is becoming inseparable from ADAS. Mobileye recently secured a production program expected to introduce its driver-monitoring technology across millions of vehicles beginning in 2027.

So what does this mean for the collision repair industry?

Centralized computing, sensor fusion, AI models and continuous software updates mean collision repairers and insurers can no longer treat ADAS as a fixed collection of components.

As I have stated before, accurate VIN identification, software-version verification, calibration, post-repair validation and documentation must become one connected workflow.

ADAS is no longer simply another component or repair operation. It is becoming the vehicle’s safety operating system.

Buckle up….the challenges keep coming…

07/07/2026

Six Rules Rewriting Collision Repair

For years, OEM position statements were treated as guidance — best practice, not law. That's changing fast, and a new roundup of automaker requirements shows just how far the shift has gone.

Six trends stand out.

1. OEM parts are moving from "recommended" to mandatory for ADAS-related repairs — salvage, aftermarket, and remanufactured components are increasingly off the table.
2. Diagnostic scans before and after every repair are no longer optional; they must be run on OEM-approved tools and documented.
3. The types of repairs that trigger calibration keeps growing — bumper work, glass replacement, suspension and steering repairs, and any sensor removal/installation now routinely require it.
4. Even refinish operations are under scrutiny: film thickness, approved materials, and cure temperatures around sensor housings must be verified with gauges, not guessed at.
5. Automakers are naming the specific tools repairers must use — IDS/FDRS, GDS2, CONSULT, wiTECH, ISTA, ODIS — and making clear that third-party alternatives haven't been validated for their systems.
6. Most consequential: documentation of parts, scans, and calibrations is becoming a legal necessity, not paperwork.

For repairers, these shifts mean process discipline, documentation and validation is no longer optional.

For insurers, it means claims files need real evidence, not attestations.

And for the industry at large, OEM position statements are quietly becoming the de facto repair standard — with or without a federal mandate to back them up.

Its time the industry gets its sh*t together…

06/30/2026

Six ADAS Repair Trends That Are Changing Collision Repair – The OEM’s Have Spoken

Over the past six months, I have been tracking nearly every major OEM with regard to their position statements related to ADAS. While each manufacturer has unique requirements, a clear industry-wide pattern has emerged.

Below are the six biggest changes every collision repairer, insurer, and ADAS service provider should know:

1️⃣ OEM Parts Are Becoming Mandatory
Manufacturers including Ford, GM, Nissan, Stellantis, BMW, Audi, and others are moving away from language like "recommended" and replacing it with mandatory or approved only when referring to ADAS sensors, cameras, radar units, brackets, and related components.
Many OEMs now explicitly prohibit:
• Salvaged components
• Aftermarket components
• Reconditioned or remanufactured ADAS parts
• Secondary-market sensors

2️⃣ Diagnostic Scans Are No Longer Optional
Pre-repair and post-repair diagnostic scans are rapidly becoming required procedures rather than best practices.
Several OEMs now specify:
• Pre-repair health checks
• Post-repair verification scans
• Documentation of scan results
• OEM-approved scan tools
Scanning is increasingly viewed as part of the repair—not an optional add-on.

3️⃣ Calibration Requirements Continue to Expand
OEMs continue adding situations that require calibration, including:
• Bumper repairs
• Windshield replacement
• Suspension work
• Steering repairs
• Sensor removal or disturbance
• Camera replacement
• Radar bracket replacement
Simply reinstalling an ADAS component may now trigger a required calibration.

4️⃣ Paint Procedures Around Sensors Are Becoming Highly Controlled
Manufacturers are now specifying measurable refinishing requirements for radar and ultrasonic sensors.
Examples include:
• Maximum paint thickness
• Approved paint materials
• Defined curing temperatures
• Paint edge locations
• Verification using ultrasonic thickness gauges
Paint quality is now directly tied to ADAS performance.

5️⃣ OEM Diagnostic Platforms Are Being Specified
More manufacturers now require use of their factory diagnostic software, including:
• Ford IDS/FDRS
• GM GDS2/MDI
• Nissan CONSULT
• Stellantis wiTECH
• BMW ISTA
• Audi/VW ODIS
Several OEMs now state that third-party scan tools are not validated for certain procedures.

6️⃣ Documentation Is Becoming a Liability Requirement
Perhaps the biggest change isn't technical—it's legal.
OEM procedures increasingly require documentation proving:
• Correct repair procedures were followed
• Required scans were completed
• Calibrations were performed
• OE parts were used where required

This documentation is becoming essential for defending repair quality and managing liability.

The Bigger Picture.......The collision and insurance industries are witnessing a fundamental shift. OEM position statements are evolving from guidance documents into repair standards.

The repair conversation is no longer: "Was the vehicle repaired correctly?"

It is becoming: "Can you prove it was repaired according to OEM procedures?"

This shift will shape repair operations, insurer requirements, DRP compliance, and litigation for years to come.

06/23/2026

The ADAS Calibration Gaps the Industry Can’t Ignore!
Here's a number that should stop every shop owner and insurer in their tracks: in 2025, ADAS calibrations appeared on 34.7% of repair estimates — nearly triple the 12.1% recorded just three years earlier. When a calibration is required, it now adds an average of $688 to the bill. On direct repair program work, more than a third of Q3 2025 estimates included at least one calibration, up sharply from the year before.

Calibrations have gone from a small percentage of repaired vehicles to a process that should be expected on most repairs. While the increase in calibrations and claims costs are important statistics, they are only half the story. The bigger, more important and more dangerous issue is the gap between getting a calibration done and getting it done right.

Most shops don't yet have the in-house capability to handle every calibration type. The range of systems — cameras, radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic — is simply too wide, so subletting to vendors and OEM dealers has become a standard practice.

While this process solves capacity, it makes accountability “fuzzy”. There are dozens of questions the industry needs to address….

• Who performed the calibrations?
• Who verified the work was actually performed?
• How was the calibration “validated”?
• How do we document that the sensor was actually aimed to spec?
• How do we know the calibration was performed in the “right” environment?
• How do we validate and document all the ADAS systems operated as expected after a repair and calibrations?

I could go on….
New systems and processes are needed to close this gap!

As we enter the second half of 2026, I think we all agree calibration no longer just a checkbox. It's a verifiable, documented, safety-critical process — and "done" is not the same as "done right."

What other questions does the industry need to ask and answer?

06/16/2026

Buckle Up…The Software-Defined Vehicle Is Right Around the Corner

McKinsey recently released a report (https://www.mckinsey.com/features/mckinsey-center-for-future-mobility/our-insights/mapping-the-automotive-software-and-electronics-landscape?stcr=E87A5E5D58B94E9496E70B12DF481361&cid=mgp_opr-eml-alt-ain_aa-mgp-glb--&hlkid=444032f4d223426b86dae8d07b6802db&hctky=13094563&hdpid=f97c09d4-30d4-4e0d-b869-99d35269ddd3) on the automotive software and electronics market that highlights a major shift underway across the automotive industry: software, AI, ADAS, and vehicle electronics are becoming the primary drivers of vehicle value creation.

In this report McKinsey projects the automotive software and electronics market will grow to approximately $519 billion by 2035, representing a 4.5% CAGR.

Several items in the report stood out:

• Nearly 70% of new vehicles sold by 2035 could be equipped with Level 2+ ADAS or autonomous driving capabilities, dramatically increasing the amount of software, sensors, validation, and computing power embedded in vehicles.
• ADAS and autonomous driving software will grow the fastest with projected annual growth of almost 20% annually through 2035.
• AI is rapidly becoming a core vehicle technology. According to the report, AI could enhance or enable approximately 95% of ADAS and infotainment software functions by 2035 while also expanding into predictive maintenance, personalization, cybersecurity, energy management, and connected services.
• Vehicle architectures will change dramatically, moving away from the traditional distributed ECU-based designs to domain, zonal, and centralized computing architectures, creating the foundation for Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs).

For those of us in collision repair, diagnostics, calibration, claims, and automotive service, these trends have significant implications. Vehicle repairs will increasingly require:
• Diagnostics and software verification
• ADAS calibrations and validations
• Sensor and camera inspections
• Software version management
• Documentation proving system functionality and performance

As I have said multiple times…..Vehicles are becoming “smartphones on wheels”. Organizations MUST invest in diagnostics, calibration capabilities, software expertise, validation processes, and AI-enabled workflows if they want to survive and thrive!

06/11/2026

Opus IVS now has the ADAS Insider newsletter to help "raise the bar" for the the ADAS repair & calibration ecosystem. You can checkout more details here: https://opusivs.com/resources/

06/09/2026

Major Industry Challenges: Severity, Complexity, Rising Costs and Vehicle Technology

A recently released 2026 Envision Trends Report from Enlyte stated that some of the biggest challenges insurers and collision repair organizations face are severity, vehicle complexity, rising repair costs, and the growing operational demands required to manage modern claims.
A few things stood out to me:

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), connected vehicle technologies, software-defined vehicle architectures, and increasingly sophisticated sensors are transforming collision repairs and claims.

Even seemingly simple repairs can require diagnostic scans, software updates, calibrations, and validation procedures that significantly increase repair costs and claim complexity.

The report also highlights that rising vehicle technology, supply chain challenges, and repair cost inflation are forcing insurers and repairers to make faster, more accurate, and more technology-enabled decisions.

Organizations that rely solely on traditional estimating, diagnostics, repair, documentation, validation and claims workflows may struggle to keep pace.

For collision repairers, insurers, and ADAS service providers, this reinforces several important realities:

✅ Vehicle complexity is now a major severity driver
✅ Precision and OEM repair requirements matter as much as speed and cost containment
✅ Diagnostics, calibration, and validation are now core repair and claims processes
✅ Data-driven decision making is now no longer a “nice to have” but a “must have”
✅ Artificial Intelligence will play an increasingly important role in repair planning, vehicle diagnostics, ADAS calibrations, data sharing, industry transparency and safe and proper repairs

As vehicles continue to evolve into software-defined, sensor-rich, “smart phones on wheels”, the organizations that invest in technology, data, training and operational excellence will be best positioned to deliver safe and proper repairs.

The future of collision repair and claims management is not simply about faster and cheaper—it's about better, faster, more accurate, more documentation and validation!
What changes are your organization making to prepare for increasingly complex vehicle repairs and claims?

06/03/2026

5 Reasons AI Initiatives Fail and Questions to Ask to Prevent Failure

Today many companies in the auto, insurance and collision repair organizations are racing to deploy AI into their internal processes, products and services. Based on research performed by McKinsey (https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/ai-is-already-rewiring-the-aftermarket-and-services?) many organizations struggle to benefit from the deployment of Artificial Intelligence tools and technologies.

Below are five (5) reasons why auto, insurance and collision repair organizations do not experience the benefits they expect to receive AI implementations.

1. While many companies find success in pilots they did not plan for scalability! So, what worked in a POC (proof of concept), never see the light of day across internal organizations, products, service and external customers.
2. Most if not all companies have a “data problem”. Data structure, availability and standardization do not exist. Combine that with a lack of data ownership and guidance, AI models do not perform reliability once they are used in a “real world” scenario.
3. Many AI solutions are designed and developed by software development or IT teams without detailed understanding of dataflow workflows and input from personnel that actually perform the work! This leads to lack of adoption and a low probability of success.
4. Lack end-to-end ownership! AI usually affects data and workflows across different internal and external departments and end users. When there is more than one “owner” AI initiatives stall in handoffs and finger pointing.
5. AI initiatives fail when they do not integrate with a company’s workflows and existing software systems. Other things like AI costs (tokens), maintenance, and governance outweighs the benefits.

The opportunities with AI are unlimited but successful and scalable implementations require companies and leaders to ask several questions……..

• What work that needs to be done could benefit from AI?
• What are we trying to accomplish?
• Where in our current workflows would AI create the most value by reducing friction while still preserving the right human judgment and accountability?
• What data, platform integrations, and controls are required to achieve reliable day-to-day performance improvements across sites and asset populations?
• Who ultimately will own the outcomes? Who is accountable end to end for results?
• How will we measure impact?
• What inputs and outputs will we measure?

AI implementations cannot be looked at as a “program”! AI needs to become an integral part of a company’s “operating system”.

05/26/2026

A Vehicle’s Software and ADAS Systems Got Smarter — While the Owner’s Slept

You wouldn’t know it by looking, but in driveways all across America, many vehicles that people bought last year are better and safer today than they were at delivery — without a single trip to the dealership.

Over-the-air (OTA) software updates are changing the way the ADAS and other systems driven by software are updated and improved. Tesla pioneered the model, but this year, (2026), has seen the industry begin to catch up fast.

Ford's latest SYNC update quietly improved BlueCruise's lane-centering smoothness on curves. GM recently pushed a Super Cruise enhancement that widened approved hands-free road coverage by an additional 50,000 miles overnight. Rivian rolled out a full rewrite of its driver monitoring calibration — fixing a false-alert problem that had frustrated owners for months — in a 2 a.m. download that required no driver action at all.

This shift has HUGE diagnostics and calibration implications. This means vehicle software and ADAS safety systems are no longer a static spec at the time of purchase. They are “living” systems, that get safer, more capable, and more reliable on a continuous update cycle. OEM’s are increasingly treating vehicle software the way tech companies treat apps: ship, iterate, improve.

For repairers, this requires they have up to date training, up to date diagnostic tools, up to date OEM repair procedures and up to date ADAS calibration tools and targets.

For consumers, it means the safety features that may have been slightly buggy at launch get polished over time. For insurers and fleet operators, it means real-time versioning matters — the ADAS stack in a 2025 model today may be meaningfully different from what shipped from the factory.

And for the industry at large, it signals a profound shift: Vehicle software and ADAS safety systems are becoming a service (VSaaS and AaaS), not just a feature.

05/21/2026

Over the last 90 days, OEM collision-repair position statements have shifted from recommendations to procedural requirements. What used to be interpreted as "best practice" is increasingly being written as "must-do" repair policy. For collision repairers, ADAS service providers, insurers, and DRP networks, this change has implications that go beyond repair operations. It affects liability exposure, reimbursement, documentation standards, and potentially litigation risk.

The Industry Just Crossed an Important Threshold

The most significant development came from Ford and Lincoln on May 1, 2026. Their updated ADAS Integrity and Repair Technical Imperatives used stronger language than previous guidance, introducing "mandates" related to:
• Pre-repair diagnostic scanning
• Post-repair diagnostic scanning
• Calibration of every affected ADAS component
• Use of genuine OE parts only

This language matters because wording influences how procedures are interpreted by repair facilities, insurers, legal teams, and courts. The difference between "recommended" and "mandated" is substantial.

General Motors accelerated this trend further. Recent revisions strengthened language surrounding replacement components, changing terminology from "not recommended" to "not approved" for salvaged, recycled, remanufactured, aftermarket, and secondary-market ADAS components.

Four Important Trends Emerging Across OEMs
When reviewing updates from multiple manufacturers, a clear pattern emerges.

1. OE Parts Are Becoming Mandatory
Across Ford, GM, Nissan, and others, there is increasing emphasis on genuine OE components for ADAS-critical systems.
Examples include:
• Nissan prohibiting salvaged and aftermarket sensors, radars, and cameras
• GM rejecting secondary-market ADAS components
• Ford specifying OE-only requirements for affected systems
The direction is clear: OEMs appear increasingly unwilling to validate performance of non-OE components in ADAS applications.

2. Paint Thickness Is Becoming a Technical Measurement
Paint procedures are no longer simply cosmetic considerations.
OEM examples now include:
• Ford: Maximum 115-micron coating specification for parking sensors
• GM: Maximum total paint thickness of 13 mils on ADAS-equipped bumper fascias
• Stellantis: Paint thickness verification with ultrasonic gauges
This reflects increasing sensitivity of radar, ultrasonic, and camera systems to material properties surrounding sensor locations.

3. Scanning and Calibration Are No Longer Optional
Multiple OEMs are now elevating scanning and calibration procedures from recommendations to mandatory workflow steps.
Examples include:
• Nissan requiring post-repair scans on all model year 2008+ vehicles
• Volvo requiring scans on collision-involved vehicles back to model year 1996
• Multiple manufacturers requiring calibration after sensor disturbance or repair procedures
Repair completion increasingly means more than fixing visible damage. It now includes restoring system functionality and proving it.

4. OEM Tools Matter
Manufacturers are also becoming more specific regarding required diagnostic platforms:
• Ford — IDS/FDRS
• GM — GDS2/MDI
• Nissan — CONSULT
• Stellantis — wiTECH
• BMW — ISTA
• Audi/VW — ODIS

Several statements now indicate that third-party tools are not validated for certain procedures. This could create significant workflow and cost implications for repairers and service providers.

What These Changes Mean to the Industry

These updates likely extend beyond the shop floor.
As repair procedures become more prescriptive, expect increased scrutiny around:
• DRP compliance
• Documentation requirements
• Calibration validation
• Claims reimbursement disputes
• Liability discovery during litigation

A repair file that lacks scans, calibration documentation, OE procedure verification, or proof of proper component selection could become difficult to defend.

Final Thoughts

The collision industry may be entering a period where ADAS and OEM repair procedures, documentation and validation become a requirement.
The question for repairers and insurers is shifting from…. "Was the vehicle repaired?"………TO: "Can the repair and calibration process be documented, validated, and defended?"

All Things ADAS

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