MOTORTREND ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THIRD ANNUAL SOFTWARE-DEFINED VEHICLE INNOVATOR AWARDS
MotorTrend Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, announced the winners of the third annual Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The awards, presented in partnership with BlackBerry's QNX division, recognize innovators transforming the automotive industry from hardware to software focus.
Winners were selected across three categories: Pioneer, Leader, and Expert, from nominees representing 23 automakers and suppliers. Pioneer winners included innovators from Amazon Web Services, Eureka Labs, TTTech Auto, JIDU Auto, and XPENG Motors. Leader awards recognized executives from companies including Volvo Cars, Rivian, Ford Motor Company, Valeo, NIO, and LG Electronics. Expert awards celebrated technical achievements from professionals at Amazon Web Services, Tesla, Rivian, and Marelli.
MotorTrend Group, una società di Warner Bros. Discovery, ha annunciato i vincitori della terza edizione dei Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards durante il CES 2025 a Las Vegas. I premi, presentati in collaborazione con la divisione QNX di BlackBerry, riconoscono gli innovatori che stanno trasformando l'industria automobilistica da un focus sull'hardware a uno sul software.
I vincitori sono stati selezionati in tre categorie: Pioniere, Leader ed Esperto, tra i nominati rappresentanti di 23 produttori automobilistici e fornitori. I vincitori del premio Pioniere includono innovatori di Amazon Web Services, Eureka Labs, TTTech Auto, JIDU Auto e XPENG Motors. I premi Leader hanno riconosciuto dirigenti di aziende tra cui Volvo Cars, Rivian, Ford Motor Company, Valeo, NIO e LG Electronics. I premi Esperto hanno celebrato i risultati tecnici di professionisti di Amazon Web Services, Tesla, Rivian e Marelli.
MotorTrend Group, una empresa de Warner Bros. Discovery, anunció a los ganadores de la tercera edición de los Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards en el CES 2025 en Las Vegas. Los premios, presentados en asociación con la división QNX de BlackBerry, reconocen a los innovadores que están transformando la industria automotriz de un enfoque en hardware a uno en software.
Los ganadores se seleccionaron en tres categorías: Pionero, Líder y Experto, entre los nominados que representan a 23 fabricantes de automóviles y proveedores. Los ganadores del premio Pionero incluyeron innovadores de Amazon Web Services, Eureka Labs, TTTech Auto, JIDU Auto y XPENG Motors. Los premios Líder reconocieron a ejecutivos de empresas como Volvo Cars, Rivian, Ford Motor Company, Valeo, NIO y LG Electronics. Los premios Experto celebraron logros técnicos de profesionales de Amazon Web Services, Tesla, Rivian y Marelli.
모터트렌드 그룹, 워너 브라더스 디스커버리의 회사는 라스베가스에서 열린 CES 2025에서 세 번째 연례 소프트웨어 정의 차량(SDV) 혁신자 상 수상자를 발표했습니다. 이 상은 블랙베리의 QNX 부서와 파트너십으로 제공되며, 자동차 산업을 하드웨어 중심에서 소프트웨어 중심으로 변화시키는 혁신자들을 인정합니다.
수상자는 23개의 자동차 제조업체 및 공급업체를 대표하는 후보자 중에서 세 가지 범주: 선구자, 리더 및 전문가로 선정되었습니다. 선구자 상의 수상자로는 아마존 웹 서비스, 유레카 랩스, TTTech Auto, JIDU Auto 및 XPENG Motors의 혁신자들이 포함되었습니다. 리더 상은 볼보 자동차, 리비안, 포드 자동차, 발레오, NIO 및 LG 전자의 임원들을 인정했습니다. 전문가 상은 아마존 웹 서비스, 테슬라, 리비안 및 마렐리의 전문가들의 기술 성과를 축하했습니다.
MotorTrend Group, une entreprise de Warner Bros. Discovery, a annoncé les lauréats de la troisième édition des Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards lors du CES 2025 à Las Vegas. Les prix, présentés en partenariat avec la division QNX de BlackBerry, reconnaissent les innovateurs qui transforment l'industrie automobile d'une concentration sur le matériel à une concentration sur le logiciel.
Les lauréats ont été sélectionnés dans trois catégories : Pionnier, Leader et Expert, parmi des nominés représentant 23 fabricants automobiles et fournisseurs. Les lauréats Pionnier incluent des innovateurs d'Amazon Web Services, d'Eureka Labs, de TTTech Auto, de JIDU Auto et de XPENG Motors. Les prix Leaders ont reconnu des dirigeants d'entreprises telles que Volvo Cars, Rivian, Ford Motor Company, Valeo, NIO et LG Electronics. Les prix Experts ont célébré les réalisations techniques de professionnels d'Amazon Web Services, de Tesla, de Rivian et de Marelli.
MotorTrend Group, ein Unternehmen von Warner Bros. Discovery, hat die Gewinner der dritten jährlichen Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards auf der CES 2025 in Las Vegas bekannt gegeben. Die Auszeichnungen, die in Zusammenarbeit mit der QNX-Division von BlackBerry verliehen werden, würdigen Innovatoren, die die Automobilindustrie von einem Hardware- zu einem Software-Fokus transformieren.
Die Gewinner wurden in drei Kategorien ausgewählt: Pionier, Führer und Experte, aus Nominierten, die 23 Automobilhersteller und Zulieferer vertreten. Zu den Gewinnern in der Kategorie Pionier gehören Innovatoren von Amazon Web Services, Eureka Labs, TTTech Auto, JIDU Auto und XPENG Motors. Führer-Auszeichnungen ehrten Führungskräfte von Unternehmen wie Volvo Cars, Rivian, Ford Motor Company, Valeo, NIO und LG Electronics. Die Experten-Auszeichnungen feierten technische Errungenschaften von Fachleuten von Amazon Web Services, Tesla, Rivian und Marelli.
- Recognition of WBD subsidiary MotorTrend's growing influence in automotive technology sector
- Strategic partnership with BlackBerry's QNX division enhances industry credibility
- Expanded nomination pool from 23 automakers and suppliers indicates growing program relevance
- None.
Insights
This award ceremony represents minimal direct financial impact for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). While MotorTrend's SDV Innovator Awards highlight WBD's presence in the automotive media space through its subsidiary, the event itself is primarily a recognition platform rather than a revenue-generating venture.
The partnership with BlackBerry's QNX division adds credibility to the awards but likely generates monetary value. The real significance lies in MotorTrend's strategic positioning within the rapidly evolving automotive technology sector, particularly as vehicles become increasingly software-defined. However, MotorTrend's contribution to WBD's overall revenue remains relatively small compared to its major entertainment assets.
From an investor perspective, this news demonstrates WBD's peripheral involvement in the automotive technology sector but doesn't materially affect the company's financial outlook or stock valuation. The primary value is in brand positioning and industry relationships rather than direct financial returns.
-Unveiled at CES, the Awards Celebrate Visionaries Driving the Future of Mobility Through Software Innovation in the Automotive Industry-
The SDV Innovator Awards program was established to honor the next phase of automobile technology, with the goal of elevating and highlighting those who are leading the automotive industry's foundational shift from hardware to software. MotorTrend introduced the awards to recognize innovators who are redefining how vehicles are designed, manufactured, operated, and experienced.
Winners were awarded in the Pioneer, Leader, and Expert categories, as chosen by a panel of jurors from MotorTrend's editorial team. This year's winners were selected from the largest nomination pool in the award's history. The finalists, innovators from 23 automakers and suppliers, were announced in November.
"Software-defined vehicles have fundamentally upended the automotive industry, from the way the cars are designed, built, driven, and experienced," said Ed Loh, head of editorial at MotorTrend Group. "It is an honor to unveil the distinguished winners of the third annual Software-Defined Vehicle Innovator Awards, who exemplify innovation and progress in this rapidly evolving field. We are proud to celebrate this year's exceptional Pioneers, Leaders, and Experts, whose groundbreaking efforts are at the forefront of software-defined vehicle transformation."
Pioneer Award Winners
These outstanding individuals have demonstrably broken new ground within the SDV space through research, development, and application of new automotive software.
- Milena Boytchef, Tech Strategist, Auto & Manufacturing Generative AI, Amazon Web Services, for advancing how autonomous systems are created with cloud training platforms, generative AI-enabled tools for synthetic data creation, and scene search. Earlier in her career, Ms. Boytchef also developed the industry's first cybersecurity solution for autonomous trucks and created the "mission control" concept to manage fleets of AVs.
- Andrej Karpathy, Founder and CEO, Eureka Labs, for his early work at Open AI on deep learning and reinforcement learning and leading the development of the AI and computer vision system that are central to Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.
- Dr. Stefan Poledna, CTO and Co-Founder, TTTech Auto, for his pioneering work developing Audi's zFAS driver-assistance domain controller and the MotionWise safety software platform that decouples hardware and software, allowing for more flexible and scalable vehicle architectures.
- Joe Xia, CEO, JIDU Auto for adopting a vision-only version of Baidu's Apollo autonomous driving platform and integrating all sensors, cameras, and functional components into JIDU's SIMO AI assistant.
- He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO, XPENG Motors for integrating a highly centralized electronic architecture, implementing a large AI model for both digital cockpit and autonomous technologies, and for bringing advanced driver assistance features to more accessible price points. Mr. Xiaopeng also entered a strategic collaboration with Volkswagen for joint platform and software development and continues to advance the eVTOL flying car concept.
Leader Award Winners
These outstanding individuals hold a senior management position and lead a team that is transforming the automotive industry through the broad adoption and application of software solutions.
- Anders Bell, Chief Engineering & Technology Officer, Volvo Cars, for leading the development of core computing technology underpinning the EX90, Volvo's first vehicle to be truly software-defined from inception to production.
- Michael Goertz, VP, Vehicle Controls, Rivian, for leading the team responsible for developing more than 95 percent of the code underpinning the new zonal architecture that defines the Gen 2 R1 products at Rivian.
- Matt Jones, Executive Director of Technology Platforms, Ford Motor Company, for his work spanning the planning to delivery of digital software inside Ford, and for his industry liaison work and leadership with COVESA and the SDV Alliance.
- Jeffrey Shay, President,
North America , Valeo, for his work spearheading software-defined vehicle technology both within his own company and by helping launch and lead the B2B software-services marketplace SDVerse. - Qiyan Wang, VP of Digital Systems, NIO, for spearheading development of the next-gen digital architecture SkyOS that underpins NIO's software-defined vehicles and for his industry liaison work on the board of the open-source seL4 Foundation.
- Seok-Hyun Eun, President, LG Electronics VS, for his work developing LG's AlphaWare suite of software solutions and its Automotive Content Platform designed to deliver immersive in-cabin experiences.
- Alex Purdy, Global Head of Digital Product, Ford Integrated Services, Ford Motor Company, for his leadership in Digital Product development at Ford working on projects like BlueCruise, the FordPass app, and other means of optimizing retail and commercial customer experiences.
- Li Zhuang, Founder and CEO, Megatronix (
Beijing ) Technology Co., LTD, for founding Megatronix to support the global automotive industry's need for a "software-defined hardware framework" of domain controllers and big-data platforms.
Expert Award Winners
These outstanding individuals are subject matter experts within a specific SDV discipline (e.g., advanced driver assistance systems, digital cockpit, over-the-air updates), whose work has advanced the field.
- Tolla Cherwenka, Worldwide Tech Lead, Digital Customer Experience, Amazon Web Services, for transforming BMW's business with generative AI, cloud technologies, and a "data first" strategy.
- Wes Morrill, Cybertruck Lead Engineer and Senior Director of Engineering, Tesla, for bringing steer-by-wire, a 48-volt electronic architecture, and the bidirectional gigabit Etherloop controller network to production.
- Eddy Reyes, Senior Manager, Embedded Software In-Vehicle Experiences, Rivian, for his work on advanced 3D rendering for driver assistance visualization, digital instrument clusters, and infotainment, and for delighting customers with monthly over-the-air updates.
- Roberto Secchi, Head of Software Platforms and DevOps, Marelli, for leading the development of an advanced Digital Twin solution that replicates the features of a digital cockpit and allows developers to modify and deploy new applications in just seven minutes.
For more information on the awards and how QNX provides the high-performance foundational software for the vehicles of today and the future, please visit: blackberry.qnx.com/sdvawards
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About MotorTrend Group
MotorTrend Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, is the world's largest automotive media group dedicated to introducing, inspiring, and intensifying people's passions for the motoring world. Comprising more than 50 iconic brands including MOTORTREND, HOT ROD, ROADKILL and more, MotorTrend Group is the ultimate source of entertainment and information for both auto enthusiasts and car shoppers, with a monthly audience over 30 million in addition to over 70 million social followers. Featuring world-class automotive entertainment across the No. 1 television network for automotive fans, digital streaming channels, iconic events, the largest automotive social network, category-leading podcasts, over seven decades of print and digital editorial content, and cutting-edge resources for new car shoppers, MotorTrend embodies every corner of car culture. From electric vehicles to timeless classic customs, MotorTrend Group brings the latest motoring trends to fans of all generations.
About Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.
About BlackBerry
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About QNX
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MotorTrend Group Press Contacts:
Gabrielle Flamand, CIVIC on behalf of MotorTrend Group, gabrielle.flamand@civic-us.com
Chloe Lauter, CIVIC on behalf of MotorTrend Group, chloe.lauter@civic-us.com
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