At the end of last year, the VDA QMC published the new version 4.0 of the “Automotive SPICE®” process assessment model. The “International Assessor Certification Scheme” – “intacs®” for short – had already decided to develop a new concept for the training of assessors and practitioners, the release of which is to take place in coordination with the VDA QMC in parallel with the new model version.

The new version of SPICE for Mechanical Engineering was recently released. This shows fundamental changes compared to the previous version, as the structure of the processes has changed. In addition, it has been harmonized with version 4.0 of the Automotive SPICE® maturity model, although it has not been incorporated into the standard.

In May 2023, the VDA QMC published a pre-release version of Automotive SPICE® 4.0 on its website together with the draft “Automotive SPICE® Guidelines 2nd edition” (the so-called yellow volume). We took a closer look at the modifications in both documents.

The Automotive SPICE® process assessment model is facing significant changes with its new version 4.0. The goal of the VDA QMC changes is to add cybersecurity-specific processes to the model to meet regulatory requirements such as those of UNECE R155 for managing cybersecurity risks in supply chains.

Wait, hasn’t the development of electrics and electronics always been part of our systems? In principle yes, but the development was largely self-sufficient and the existing interfaces were often neglected.