Transfer to Industry: A Spin-off for Virtual Tire Development

Fraunhofer ITWM Spins off a New Company: VTT – Virtual Tire Technologies GmbH

Press Release / March 23, 2026

A new company has emerged from successful research in digital tire development: VTT – Virtual Tire Technologies GmbH, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, was launched in February 2026 to sustainably meet the rapidly growing global demand for the tire modeling software »CDTire« and to further develop the technology. The Fraunhofer ITWM and VTT will continue to work closely together in the future.

Over the past few years, the »CDTire« software has established itself as the industry standard for realistic tire models. Nearly all major vehicle and tire manufacturers use this tool in virtual vehicle development. »Strong demand, increasing globalization, and the growing need for specific customizations made an independent corporate structure necessary. With the founding of VTT – Virtual Tire Technologies GmbH, we are laying the groundwork to provide even more personalized support and to consistently further develop the technology,« said Dr. Manfred Bäcker, who has been involved in the development of CDTire from the very beginning and now serves as managing director of the new company.

Fewer Prototypes and Test Runs Are Required

»CDTire« enables realistic simulations of tire behavior – including thermal effects, dynamic internal air simulation, and consideration of modal rim deformation. This significantly reduces the need for time-consuming real-world test drives and expensive prototypes in early development phases. Vehicle manufacturers can virtually evaluate comfort, driving dynamics, noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), as well as durability, even before the vehicle is built. On the tire manufacturer’s side, variants of a base tire can be generated very quickly, which are then compared in virtual driving tests and validated for all key performance metrics. This accelerates and improves the quality of vehicle-oriented tire development.

Logo VTT – Virtual Tire Technologies GmbH

»With CDTire, we have built a bridge between the tire and automotive industries,« explains Dr. Klaus Dreßler, head of the »Mathematics for Vehicles, Systems, and Production« division at Fraunhofer ITWM. »The technology enables virtual tire and vehicle prototypes to be tested in real time. The spin-off is the logical next step in continuing this success story. The close collaboration between Fraunhofer ITWM and VTT is a classic example of successful technology transfer.« This also contributes to the Fraunhofer Society’s goal of further advancing the transfer of research results to industry through its own spin-offs in order to strengthen Germany as a business location.

The Collaboration Continues

Fraunhofer ITWM will remain a key innovation partner in the future. While VTT will handle market expansion, global sales, and the further development of tire models and tire development tools, the institute will continue to conduct fundamental scientific research for the next generation of tire models. They also remain closely connected geographically, as the new company is initially located right next door at the Business Innovation Center Kaiserslautern GmbH (bic) at Trippstadter Str. 110.

With this spin-off, Fraunhofer ITWM strengthens its role as a catalyst for innovation in the field of digital vehicle development and underscores the high industrial relevance of mathematical modeling and simulation.