Also at the ceremony, the Automotive News PACEpilot program, which spotlights innovations that have not reached commercialization, separately named 11 Innovations to Watch from nine suppliers. The PACEpilot recognition included two separate citations for advances that came from business units of Magna International and two from Forvia, formerly Faurecia, and Hella.
The PACE programs consider nominations in all fields of automotive activity for technical innovations. An independent panel of judges reviews all nominations, meets with suppliers and puts each finalist through a rigorous analysis to select the winners.
Douglas Ober, director of judging for the Automotive News PACE Awards, said the judges were surprised this year by the level of innovation still going on around vehicle comfort and appearance.
"We saw new innovation in exterior paint and lighting as well as applications for improved display technologies, interior lighting, mirrors, seating comfort and climate control — often combined," he said.
"We're continuing to see significant advancements in materials sustainability, manufacturing efficiency and lightweighting."
Here are the 13 winners of the 2024 Automotive News PACE Awards and their innovations.
- Apex.AI: The Apex.Grace software development kit
- Aspen Aerogels: PyroThin advanced thermal barriers
- BlackBerry QNX: BlackBerry IVY software platform
- Carbon Revolution: Mass-produced carbon-fiber automotive wheels
- Dana: Multimode, electromechanical infinitely variable transmission
- Dürr Systems: EcoInCure painted vehicle curing from the inside
- Magna: Integrated driver- and occupant-monitoring system
- Nemak: Innovative sustainable material card for lightweight high-pressure die cast product
- Sensata Technologies: GigaFuse high-voltage passive/active fast disconnect
- Stanadyne Operating Systems: Two-piston diesel common rail fuel pump
- UVeye: UVeye automatic vehicle inspection system
- Valeo: Third-generation lidar perception system
- Yazaki: Flexible printed circuit busbar module
