Traditionally car buyers picked a certain model because they liked its physical attributes such as engine power, vehicle design or dynamic response.
In the future, differentiation between models will be "70 to 80 percent" down to software, Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess says.
The "car-as-computer" vision has been largely embraced across the automotive industry as automakers try to entice customers into paying more for services in the fast-evolving electric vehicle era.
Now comes the long journey to turn that vision into a reality.