Ford has been named ‘Most Innovative High-Volume Brand 2023’ at the annual AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Awards, taking top honors in the ‘Autonomous Driving & ADAS’ and ‘Connected Car Services’ categories for high-volume brands.

The Center of Automotive Management and Germany-based PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH named Ford the category winner considering innovations from 29 global automotive groups, representing more than 80 brands. In total, 1,088 innovations were considered during the evaluation process for the 2023 awards. Ford scored a total of 91.2 points, ahead of VW (82.0 points) and Toyota (64.6 points) who came in second and third position respectively.

The introduction of BlueCruise 1, Ford’s advanced Level 2 hands-free driving assistance system, which is available on the Mustang Mach-E with regulatory approval from April for use on the UK motorway network, helped Ford win in the ‘ Autonomous Driving & ADAS”, paving the way for overall distinction. Special mention was also given to the F-150’s Pro Trailer Hitch Assist system.

The SYNC 4 2 cloud-based navigation system in the Ford Focus was a major innovation that brought Ford to the top of the Connected Car Services category. At the same time, Ford scored well in the remaining two categories ‘Electric Drive’ and ‘Interface and Connectivity’, in which it took second place.

“Throughout our 120-year history we have continuously innovated, producing vehicles and technologies with customer needs at the center,” said Silke Seitz, director, Digital Products Europe, who accepted the award on behalf of Ford. “The automotive industry today is changing at a pace we have never seen before, so to be recognized today for our innovations is a proud moment and a testament to the company’s agility, capability and continued ambition.”

The Center of Automotive Management is an independent research and strategic consulting institute in the fields of automotive and mobility at the University of Applied Sciences Bergisch Gladbach in Germany. The AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Awards recognize automotive engineering innovation with a jury chaired by the centre’s director, Professor Dr. Stefan Bratzel, in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers AG.

“For the first time since 2014, Ford is again the most innovative high-volume brand,” said Bratzel. “One of the success factors was the high balance of innovative forces in the most important areas of technology.”

The awards were presented during an event on 13 July 2023 in Frankfurt, with the organization celebrating 11 years of recognizing innovation in the automotive industry.