elements for requirements, behavior, variability and dependability are associated to the core structure. Relation between EAST-ADL and AUTOSAR Instead of providing modeling entities for the lowest abstraction level, i.e. implementation level, EAST-ADL uses unmodified AUTOSAR entities for this purpose and provides means to link EAST-ADL elements on higher abstraction levels to AUTOSAR elements. Thus, EAST-ADL and AUTOSAR in concert provide means for efficient development and management of the complexity of automotive embedded systems from early analysis right down to implementation. Concepts from model-based development and component-based development reinforce one another.An early, high-level representation of the system can evolve seamlessly into the detailed specifications of the AUTOSAR language. In addition, the EAST-ADL incorporates the following system development concerns: Modeling of requirements and verification/validation information, Feature modeling and support for software system product lines, Modeling of variability of the system design, Structural and behavioral modeling of functions and hardware entities in the context of distributed systems, Environment, i.e., plant model and adjacent systems, and Non-functional operational properties such as a definition of function timing and failure modes, supporting system level analysis. The EAST-ADL metamodel is specified according to the same rules as the AUTOSAR metamodel, which means that the two sets of elements can co-exist in the same model. The dependency is unidirectional from EAST-ADL to AUTOSAR, such that AUTOSAR is independent of EAST-ADL. However, relevant EAST-ADL elements can reference AUTOSAR elements to provide EAST-ADL support for requirements, variability, safety, etc. to the AUTOSAR domain. A model may thus be defined where AUTOSAR elements represent the software architecture and EAST-ADL elements extend the AUTOSAR model with orthogonal aspects and represents abstract system information through e.g. function and feature models. Such model can be defined in UML, by applying both an EAST-ADL profile and an AUTOSAR profile, or in a domain specific tool based on a merged AUTOSAR and EAST-ADL metamodel. History and Specification of EAST-ADL The EAST-ADL language has been defined in several steps within European research projects: EAST-ADL is governed by the EAST-ADL Association, founded in September 2011. The EAST-ADL UML2 profile is represented in the EAST-ADL annex to the OMG MARTE profile. Discussion While interest from automotive companies in EAST-ADL is increasing over the past years, EAST-ADL is still to be seen as a research effort (as of 2012). The practical acceptance of EAST-ADL in the automotive industry is still very low, even though EAST-ADL addresses many important aspects of