Leading software-defined vehicle innovator deepens engagement with German OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers
Sonatus, a leading supplier of software products and solutions that accelerate the shift to software-defined vehicles with artificial intelligence, today announced the opening of a new office in Frankfurt, Germany, and the addition of three seasoned experts to its team. This strategic expansion reinforces Sonatus' commitment to the German automotive market, providing local expertise to better support leading OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers in their pursuit of crucial vehicle innovations.
"Germany's automotive ecosystem is one of the most advanced in the world, and this expansion reflects our commitment to delivering innovative, software-defined solutions to our partners in this critical market," said Jeff Chou, co-founder and CEO of Sonatus. "With a strong local presence and an expanded team, we are poised to help German OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers accelerate their transition to smarter, more connected vehicles."
Marcus Bortel joins Sonatus as director of business development, focusing on German car manufacturers. Marcus brings over 25 years of experience in the embedded market and over 10 years in the automotive sector. Most recently, he worked at KPIT as senior sales director, overseeing the sales part of the joint venture between KPIT and ZF. Previously, he was a senior key account manager at Elektrobit, overseeing the collaboration with Volkswagen. Before that, he was with QNX and Wind River in field applications manager and technical account manager roles, respectively. He has a degree as an electronic data processing specialist.
Marcus added: "Sonatus is at the forefront of developing solutions that address key challenges critical to the future of vehicles and mobility. German suppliers are a cornerstone of the global automotive industry, and I am excited to join this dynamic team and strengthen our collaboration within this important ecosystem."
Peter Palasthy joins Sonatus as global account manager, focusing on building and managing strategic relationships with German Tier 1 suppliers. Prior to Sonatus, Peter had a successful 25-year career at industry-leading Tier-1 supplier Continental, where he most recently served as head of project administration at Continental Autonomous Mobility, overseeing €27M in global projects and leading project planning, controlling, and reporting. Earlier in his career he was key account manager with a proven track record in managing major OEMs, including Suzuki and Toyota, driving sales, contract negotiations, customer relations, and leading international teams with projects across Europe and Asia. He holds a diploma in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Applied Sciences, Remagen.
Dominik Biber recently joined Sonatus as senior pre-sales engineer. Dominik brings over 15 years of extensive experience in the automotive industry. Most recently, he served as the head of EMEA auto field application engineering at QNX, where he had been since 2018. Earlier, he held significant positions at Continental as a software project manager for an autonomous driving project, where he was involved in release planning, customer requirements management, and strategic technical leadership. Prior to that he was with Vector Informatik where he was software development engineer responsible for the design, development, and testing of Classic AUTOSAR basic software components. He has a diploma in Computer Science from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
The new Frankfurt office establishes a strategic hub for Sonatus' operations in Germany, enabling closer collaboration with OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers while supporting the company's broader European expansion. This investment positions Sonatus to scale its offerings, strengthen customer relationships, and drive long-term growth as the demand for software-defined vehicle solutions continues to accelerate.
To learn more about the new Sonatus staff, watch a German-language video introduction to the team. In the video, the team explains their background, the opportunities they see in automotive, and what motivated them to join Sonatus.
About Sonatus
Sonatus is a vehicle software company that is accelerating the transition towards software-defined vehicles with artificial intelligence. The diverse products comprising the Sonatus Vehicle Platform serve as key building blocks that allow automotive companies and their ecosystem to fast forward to the future of mobility and deliver continuous improvements in costs, capabilities, reliability, and user experience over the vehicle lifespan. Sonatus' award-winning software platform is in mass production in over 3 million vehicles from Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Sonatus is a privately-held company and has raised more than USD $110 million with world-class automotive, technology, and venture investors, including Foxconn, Hyundai Motor Group's Kia Corporation, LG Electronics, Marvell, NEC and Translink Orchestrating Future Fund, SAIC Capital, Translink Capital, UMC Capital, and Wanxiang. Sonatus headquarters are in Sunnyvale, CA (Silicon Valley), with offices in Bangalore, Dublin, Detroit, Frankfurt, Kraków, Paris, Pune, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.sonatus.com.
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Contacts:
Michael Cory
press@sonatus.com
310-721-8033
