This May, Electronic Specifier’s Managing Editor, Paige Hookway, takes a look at the top 5 automotive products released in May 2026.
A²B 2.0 for next‑gen in‑vehicle audio experience
Analog Devices has announced that its A²B 2.0 (Automotive Audio Bus) is now fully released to production. As the next evolution of ADI’s A²B technology, A²B 2.0 is designed to help automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and Tier 1 suppliers deliver richer in‑cabin audio experiences through greater bandwidth and Ethernet integration, while preserving the low‑latency, simple architecture that has defined A²B for years.
Built for applications where low and deterministic latency is a key system requirement, A²B was designed to support demanding use cases such as road-noise cancellation and in‑car communications through a simple, flexible, and cost‑effective approach to audio connectivity. Its single main, multiple sub‑node daisy‑chain architecture reduces wiring complexity and associated costs by up to 75%. The straightforward architecture with zero software overhead also lowers overall development time and investment for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
SMT flat-wire inductor for automotive electronics
Würth Elektronik introduces its new WE-SFIA series of flat-wire inductors in 2010, 2013, and 2016 packages. The inductors feature exceptionally low DC resistance and extended operating temperature range from -40°C to +180°C. The WE-SFIA series is available as catalogue components but can also be adapted to meet customer-specific requirements.
The WE-SFIA inductors are designed for high-efficiency DC/DC converters in the automotive field, such as single- and multiphase converters, as well as buck and boost converters with high saturation currents of up to 150 A. Other filter choke applications include battery management, motor, audio, and infotainment systems.
Power delivery IC targets USB Type-C ports
The MPQ4242B-AEC1 features an integrated buck-boost converter with four power switches and a USB PD controller. It is AEC-Q100 Grade 1 qualified and designed for USB Type-C sourcing ports in automotive applications.
This IC supports up to 5-amps of continuous output current (IOUT) over the specified input supply range.
It features a USB Type-C port that supports USB PD revision 3.1 with a programmable power supply (PPS). The MPQ4242B-AEC1 is backward-compatible with dedicated charging port (DCP) schemes for battery charging specification (BC1.2), 3A divider mode, and 1.2V/1.2V mode.
Accelerating deterministic zonal networking for SDVs
NXP and Quanta deliver a deterministic zonal networking platform enabling real-time communication, automated configuration, reduced integration risk, and scalable, software-defined vehicle architectures with predictable latency, improved performance, and streamlined deployment.
As the automotive industry transitions to software-defined vehicle (SDV) architectures, NXP Semiconductors is collaborating with Quanta to enable a deterministic zonal networking solution purpose-built for next-generation vehicle architectures. The solution is built on NXP’s S32 automotive processing platform and the TrustMotion MotionWise middleware to enable predictable, real-time communication across zonal vehicle networks.
Built on NXP S32-based zonal controllers, the solution addresses a major OEM pain point: ensuring deterministic timing across hosts and network components, which reduces late-stage integration risk. Through a plug-and-play development flow that can accelerate development significantly, NXP is helping customers like Quanta dramatically speed the time required to deploy modern SDV designs.
SmartMCD integrating MCU and MOSFETs
Toshiba Electronics Europe has started shipping engineering samples of the TB9M040FTG, a new addition to its SmartMCD series. The device integrates a microcontroller (MCU) with power MOSFETs for three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive, enabling direct control of small automotive motor systems operating below 40W.
As vehicle electrification continues to expand, demand for compact three-phase BLDC motors used in applications such as electric valves, HVAC dampers, small pumps, fans, and grille shutters is increasing. These applications require highly integrated solutions to reduce component count and thereby minimise ECU size.
The TB9M040FTG addresses these requirements by integrating a 32-bit Arm Cortex-M23 core, flash memory, a three-phase BLDC motor driver with built-in MOSFETs, a 5V power supply for optional components/sensors, a LIN transceiver, all within a compact 6 × 6mm (typ.) VQFN36 package.
For more automotive product news, and the latest on the electronics industry, check out the other articles on the website.
