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Three innovative Ford technologies recently earned Gold honors at the 2011 Edison Best New Product Awards gala in New York. Ford’s rear inflatable seatbelts, MyFord Touch^™ and MyKey^™ each earned top distinction in their respective categories.

 

Named after inventor Thomas Alva Edison, the annual awards recognize innovation, creativity and ingenuity. They are chosen by 2,000 members of the not-for-profit Marketing Executives Networking Group, made up of America’s top marketing professionals and academics. Nominees are judged on innovation, marketplace success, technological innovation, market structure innovation, societal impact and design innovation.

 

The rear inflatable seatbelt system was introduced on the 2011 Ford Explorer as the world’s first-ever automotive inflatable seatbelt. The unique restraint system is designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear-seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries. A Gold honor was awarded to this cutting-edge safety system in the Applied Technology category.

 

MyFord Touch earned Gold distinction in the Transportation – In-Car Driving Aids category. This revolutionary in-car technology allows drivers to control music, place and answer phone calls, regulate the temperature and get directions with a simple voice command or touch of a button, all while keeping hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. SYNC AppLink, the free software program from Ford that gives SYNC users voice control of smartphone apps, was also recognized in the Transportation – In-Car Driving Aids category with a Silver award. 

 

Rounding out Ford’s Gold honors was MyKey, another industry exclusive technology that allows parents to program a key that limits top speed and audio volume in vehicles driven by teens to encourage safer driving and improve fuel efficiency. MyKey, honored in the Transportation – Remote Driving Aids category, debuted as a standard feature on the 2010 Ford Focus and is now a no-cost feature on nearly all Ford and Lincoln models.

 

In addition to bestowing Gold awards on three Ford technologies, the Edison Awards also honored Ford CEO Alan Mulally with the Edison Achievement Award in recognition of his many contributions to innovation throughout his career. Past honorees have included representatives from organizations such as IDEO, MIT and Greentech.

 

It is no surprise that Ford continues to be recognized for its long history of innovation. It began with founder Henry Ford and his development of the assembly line and mass production. Today, that same American spirit of innovation lives on in new Ford technologies such as rear inflatable seatbelts, MyFord Touch and MyKey.