AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award

Since 2005 the Center of Automotive Management has been conducting a study among manufacturers and suppliers to identify outstanding innovation achievements in the automotive industry. Based on the CAM database of vehicle technology innovations, the future trends of automotive companies are identified and honored as part of the AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Awards.

AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award 2026 – Winners & Finalists:

Most Innovative Automotive Groups 2026
^{Top 3 of 36 OEMs}

Most Innovative Volume Brands 2026
^{Top 3 of 60 volume brands}

Most Innovative Premium Brands 2026
^{Top 3 of 50 premium brands}

Most Innovative Car Models 2026
^{Top 3 of +200 car models}

The AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award is based on the annually published AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Report of the Center of Automotive Management (CAM). For the year 2025/26, CAM analyzed the innovations of 36 global automotive manufacturers and newcomers with over 100 automotive brands, including 50 premium brands and more than 200 car models. A total of over 860 individual OEM innovations in the technology fields of Electric Drive, Autonomous Driving & ADAS, and Infotainment & Connectivity were evaluated, 660 of which are already available to customers in key global markets. Of these, 358 originate from premium brands. The scientific evaluation incorporates criteria such as maturity level, originality, customer benefit, and degree of innovation and results in an innovation index score. In addition to series production innovations, pre-series innovations and studies indicate the development trends of automotive manufacturers in the coming years.

For an overview of the methodology of the „scoring“ of the innovations according to the M.O.B.IL approach of CAM see Objectives & Methodology and our summary for download.

PREVIOUS YEAR: AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award 2025 – Impressions