"So early on in the design process, they'll be able to develop the configurations and have those configurations validated in the digital world ... to make sure the software meets the requirements that they've set out," he said. "Another important piece [of Nissan's decision] is the fact that our technology is known for its openness in the way we've developed it."

Carelli said that's important to Nissan because the software has to be integrated with other technologies within the company, such as manufacturing, technology for procurement and others.

"It will allow them to exchange information and integrate the design information with these downstream systems," he said.

In addition, the technology will allow Nissan to share information with its suppliers and hold collaborative design reviews on a global basis so they'll be able to share information about the vehicles, Carelli said.

"This was a major victory for UGS," said Charles Foundyller, an analyst at Daratech Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., in an analyst note. "We believe the key factors in the decision were UGS's ability to win over Nissan's management to its vision of a PLM infrastructure built on UGS's version of openness."