EAST-ADL is an Architecture Description Language (ADL) for automotive embedded systems, developed in several European research projects. It is designed to complement AUTOSAR with descriptions at higher level of abstractions. Aspects covered by EAST-ADL include vehicle features, functions, requirements, variability, software components, hardware components and communication. Currently, it is maintained by the EAST-ADL Association in cooperation with the European FP7 MAENAD project. Overview EAST-ADL is a domain-specific language using meta-modeling constructs such as classes, attributes, and relationships. It is based on concepts from UML, SysML and AADL, but adapted for automotive needs and compliance with AUTOSAR. There is an EAST-ADL UML2 profile which is used in UML2 tools for user modeling.The EAST-ADL definition also serves as the specification for implementation in domain-specific tools. EAST-ADL contains several abstraction levels. The software- and electronics-based functionality of the vehicle are described at different levels of abstraction. The proposed abstraction levels and the contained elements provide a separation of concerns and an implicit style for using the modeling elements. The embedded system is complete on each abstraction level, and parts of the model are linked with various traceability relations. This makes it possible to trace an entity from feature down to components in hardware and software. EAST-ADL is defined with the development of safety-related embedded control systems as a benchmark. The EAST-ADL scope comprises support for the main phases of software development, from early analysis via functional design to the implementation and back to integration and validation on vehicle level. The main role of EAST-ADL is that of providing an integrated system model. On this basis, several concerns are addressed: Documentation, in terms of an integrated system model. Communication between engineers, by providing predefined views as well as related information. Analysis, through the description of system structure and properties. Behavioural models for simulation or code generation are supported as references from EAST-ADL functions to external models, such as a subsystem in MATLAB/Simulink. Organisation of EAST-ADL Meta-Model The EAST-ADL meta-model is organized according to 4 abstraction levels: Vehicle level contains modeling elements to represent intended functionality in a solution-independent way Analysis level represents the abstract functional decomposition of the vehicle with the principal internal and external interfaces. Design level has the detailed functional definition, a hardware architecture and allocations of functions to hardware. Implementation level relies on AUTOSAR elements and does not have EAST-ADL-specific constructs for the core structure. For all abstraction levels, relevant extension