Automobile electronics is the general name of car body automobile electronic control device and vehicle-mounted automobile electronic control device. The car body electronic control device includes engine control system, chassis control system and car body electronic control system (car body electronic ECU).

The most important function of automotive electronics is to improve the safety, comfort, economy and entertainment of automobiles. An electronic control system consisting of sensors, microprocessors, actuators, dozens or even hundreds of electronic components and their parts.

Automobile electronization is considered as a revolution in the development of automobile technology. The degree of automobile electronization is regarded as an important symbol to measure the level of modern automobile and the most important technical measure to develop new models and improve automobile performance. Automobile manufacturers believe that increasing the number of automobile electronic equipment and promoting automobile electronization are important and effective means to seize the future automobile market.

According to statistics, from 1989 to 2000, the proportion of electronic devices per vehicle in the whole automobile manufacturing cost increased from 16% to more than 23%. In some luxury cars, the number of single-chip microcomputers has reached 48, and electronic products account for more than 50% of the cost of the whole car.

According to the influence on automobile driving performance, automobile electronic products can be divided into two categories: one is automobile electronic control device, which should be used in conjunction with the mechanical system on the vehicle, that is, the so-called "electromechanical combination" automobile electronic device; They include engine, chassis and body electronic control. For example, electronic fuel injection system, anti-lock braking control, anti-skid control, traction control, electronically controlled suspension, electronically controlled automatic transmission, electronic power steering, etc., and the other type is vehicle-mounted electronic devices, which can be used independently in the automobile environment and have no direct relationship with the performance of the automobile itself. They include car information system (driving computer), navigation system, car audio and TV entertainment system, car communication system, internet equipment and so on.

In 2008, the development direction of electronic technology was centralized integrated control: the engine management system and automatic transmission control system were integrated into the integrated control (PCM) of power transmission system; The anti-lock braking control system (ABS), traction control system (TCS) and drive anti-skid control system (ASR) are integrated together for braking control. Through the central chassis controller, the control systems such as braking, suspension, steering and power transmission are connected through the bus. The controller coordinates the subsystems through complex control operations, and controls the vehicle running performance to the best level, thus forming an integrated chassis control system (UCC).

Due to the rapid increase in the number of electronic and electrical devices in automobiles, in order to reduce the number and weight of connecting wires, network and bus technologies have developed greatly during this period. Bus technology is to connect all kinds of automobile electronic devices into a network and send and receive information through data bus. Electronic devices can not only independently complete their respective control functions, but also provide data services for other control devices. Because of the network design, the wiring is simplified, the number of electrical nodes and the amount of wires are reduced, which simplifies the assembly work and increases the reliability of information transmission. Through the data bus, you can access any electronic control device, read the fault code and diagnose it, which makes the maintenance of the whole vehicle easier.

The application of automotive electronic technology will make the following major changes to automobiles:

First, the mechanical structure of the automobile will also undergo major changes, and various control systems of the automobile will develop into electronization and electrification, realizing "line control". Replace the original mechanical transmission mechanism with wires, such as "wire braking", "wire steering" and "electronic throttle".

Second, the car's 12-volt power supply system is converted to 42 volts. With the increasing number of automotive electronic devices, the power consumption is increasing greatly. The existing 12-volt power supply can no longer meet the needs of all electrical systems in automobiles. In the future, an integrated starter-generator 42-volt power supply system will be adopted. The maximum output power of the generator will be increased from 1 kW in 2005 to about 8 kW, and the power generation efficiency will reach over 80%. The implementation of the new standard for 42 volt automotive electrical system will make great changes in the design and structure of automotive electrical components, and mechanical relays and fuse protection circuits will be eliminated.

The application of automotive electronic technology will make cars more intelligent. Smart cars are equipped with a variety of sensors, which can fully perceive the status of drivers and passengers, the information of traffic facilities and the surrounding environment, judge whether the passengers are in the best state, whether the vehicles and people will be in danger, and take corresponding measures in time.

Today, the society has entered the era of information network. People hope that the car is not only a means of transportation, but also an extension of the scope of life and work. Just like staying in their office and home, they can listen to the radio, make phone calls, surf the Internet and handle work. With the progress of digital technology, automobiles will also enter the multimedia era. The vehicle-mounted computer multimedia system developed by operating system has the functions of information processing, communication, navigation, anti-theft, language recognition, image display and entertainment. In the foreseeable future, the car will be equipped with automatic navigation and assisted driving system, and the driver can input the driving destination into the car computer, and the car will travel along the best driving route to reach the destination. People can control various facilities in the car through the language recognition system, while driving the car, while enjoying music TV, and can also book dining tables and air tickets online.