Connected Car Software Product Specification Template

Safety systems and driver experience share the top priority. Safety features have regulatory requirements and certification timelines that can delay launches by months if not addressed early. Driver experience determines daily engagement and satisfaction. Start with the safety classification (which features are ASIL-rated) and the core interaction model (how the driver accesses the three most frequent functions) before filling in the rest.

Define each feature as a single user story that specifies both surfaces. For example, "Driver sets a departure time on the companion app; vehicle pre-conditions cabin and charges to 80% by that time." Then break it into vehicle-side and app-side requirements with a clear API contract between them. Use the [PRD template](/templates/prd-template) to structure cross-platform features as end-to-end journeys.

For infotainment, yes. The ability to fix bugs and ship improvements without a dealer visit is expected by modern car buyers. For ADAS and safety-critical ECUs, OTA is valuable but carries higher certification costs. Scope your MVP to include infotainment OTA and plan safety-critical OTA for a subsequent release once your update infrastructure is proven.

Define a privacy framework that meets the strictest regulation you will encounter (usually GDPR) and apply it globally. Add market-specific layers only where required (e.g., China data residency). Implement granular consent management so drivers can control each data category independently. Document your approach in the Data Privacy section and review with legal counsel for each launch market.

At minimum: vehicle location, health status, driver behavior scoring, and maintenance alerts. Fleet managers care about utilization, fuel/energy cost, and compliance. Use the [TAM Calculator](/tools/tam-calculator) to size the fleet opportunity in your target market. If fleet represents less than 10% of your expected volume, consider building fleet features as an integration layer on top of existing fleet management platforms rather than a standalone dashboard. ---