Although vehicle safety continues to improve, automotive innovation leaders such as Magna International Inc. realize there’s no time to rest. Magna says it also recognizes that the effort to find the next great safety innovation can come from anyone in any walk of life.
Accordingly, Magna is launching the “Innovation for the Open Road: Safer Mobility for the Future” contest, a competition which challenges the public, inventors, creators and everyday commuters to share their ideas on ways to further improve vehicle safety. Through the public competition, Magna is looking for groundbreaking ideas that can help create an even safer experience for drivers, passengers and pedestrians on the road.
“Magna has a history of turning ideas into industry standards,” said Swamy Kotagiri, Magna chief technology officer. “This contest is a great opportunity for inventive minds to collaborate with us to bring their safety innovations to market.”
Participants are required to submit a 500-word essay describing their idea by May 30, at magnachallenge.com. The essay must describe an idea that has the potential to improve vehicle safety. Qualifying submissions will be evaluated by Magna and outside automotive-industry judges, with the top seven entries announced on July 5. Those seven finalists will then pitch their ideas in person on July 27 before a panel of industry leaders and experts at Magna’s U.S. headquarters in Troy, Michigan, and will have the chance to win part of a $100,000 prize pool, with the first place winner taking home $50,000.
In recent years, Magna has expanded its innovation activities to include venture-capital investments in technology start-ups, sponsorship of a technology accelerator, collaboration with universities and technical colleges, as well as innovation challenges for students and employees. For instance, the company co-sponsors and works closely with Techstars Mobility, Driven by Detroit, a mentorship-driven technology accelerator company; has held student innovation challenges at the 2015 and 2016 CES tradeshows, as well as the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show; and engaged its global employee base in company-wide innovation contests.
For additional information on Magna’s Innovation for the Open Road: Safer Mobility for the Future contest, including official rules, and terms and conditions, visit magnachallenge.com. To view the official contest video, visit youtu.be/TaWLS-F38Y4.
