The use of networks for communications between the Electronic Control Units (ECU) of a vehicle in production cars dates from the beginning of the 90s. The specific requirements of the different car domains have led to the development of a large number of automotive networks such as LIN, J1850, CAN, FlexRay, MOST, etc.. This talk first introduces the context of in-vehicle embedded systems and, in particular, the requirements imposed on the communication systems. Then, a review of the most widely used, as well as the emerging automotive networks is given. Next, we address the problem of how to verify the respect of the performance requirements of the communication systems, be it by monitoring, simulation or analysis. The current efforts of the automotive industry on middleware technologies which may be of great help in mastering the heterogeneity are then reviewed, with a special focus on the proposals of the AUTOSAR consortium. Finally, we highlight future trends in the development of automotive communication systems.