Magna Bags Ford World Excellence Award

Magna International Inc. has recently bagged this year’s Ford World Excellence Award in the “Smart” category for its groundbreaking technology featured in the 2016 Ford F-150 Pro Trailer Backup Assist system.

According to Hau Thai-Tang, Ford Motor Company group vice president, global purchasing, Ford’s World Excellence Awards enable them to acknowledge suppliers who show a strong commitment to quality, performance, and teamwork. He said that Magna has helped them deliver a breakthrough year, and they are grateful Magna is part of their One Ford team.

Magna’s automated trailer backup assist system enables a driver to safely back-up a trailer by steering the trailer utilizing a control knob while the truck steers its own wheels.

Meanwhile, Ford’s system is enabled by Magna’s rear view camera, which gauges the angle between the truck and the trailer, as well as Magna’s image processing algorithm, which estimates trailer angle by spotting target decals on the trailer. The state-of-the-art system also received the CES 2016 Innovation Award for its excellent performance in the Vehicle Intelligence category.

Swamy Kotagiri, Magna Chief Technology Officer and President of Magna Electronics, said that the award further recognizes the advanced technologies that they bring to market as a global leader in vision-based ADAS systems. He added that their trailer backup assist system shows how they are applying smart technology—giving drivers and vehicles the information they need when they need it. “We are honored that Ford, a longtime customer of ours, has given us this award.”