The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has launched its fifth annual Award for Automotive Innovation competition, to find the best ground-breaking ideas from the UK car industry. The award recognises great UK invention and promotes technologies and concepts that could potentially transform the motor industry. Last year, the award was won by the Ford Motor Company, which received the trophy for their hugely efficient but powerful EcoBoost engine. The punchy little one litre unit has since gone on to be used in more than 100,000 Ford vehicles in the UK.
SMMT chief executive, Mike Hawes, hailed the tradition of innovation in British motor making and said: "The UK automotive industry has a long history of exceptional engineering and design; a vital asset that is spearheading the UK’s automotive efforts on the world stage. The Award for Automotive Innovation is just one example of the work SMMT is doing with its members and government, to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of global vehicle development. It has always attracted an outstanding selection of entries, so we look forward to seeing what the industry has to offer in 2014." Nigel Stein, chief executive of award sponsors, GKN, hailed the continued high standard of innovation in the UK car industry and looked forward to more of the same this year.
The car industry is one of the country’s greatest investors in research and development. Last year, the industry set aside £1.9 billion for R&D, a commitment that is key in keeping the UK automotive sector at the forefront of the global car industry. The 2014 Award for Automotive Innovation will be officially opened for entries on June 11 and there is a closing date of September 12. There will first be a short-listing process and then the short-listed companies will be invited to present their ideas to a panel of top industry experts. The SMMT will then announce the winners at their annual dinner on November 25. The dinner is one of the highlights in the motoring industry calendar and will be attended by more than 1,000 industry luminaries.
During the submission period, the SMMT will continue to encourage interest by publishing an `Innovation of the Week' feature on the SMMT website. This will take a longer view of the proud record of British motoring innovations throughout history, presenting a fascinating story of some of the biggest breakthroughs in the car industry.