The shortlist of companies and projects chosen by an expert judging panel for this year’s ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International Awards has been revealed.
Subscribers to ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International (AAVI) magazine (subscribe here) can now vote on the shortlisted nominations, choosing the most worthy across five categories. Voting will remain open until Friday May 1, 2026. You can vote here.
The winners will be announced during a live ceremony that will take place at 5:15pm on Day 2 (June 24) of this year’s ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo at Messe Stuttgart, Germany.
Coordinated by AAVI magazine, the awards celebrate the very best innovations across the ADAS and autonomous mobility sector during the last 18 months, acknowledging the achievements of the most remarkable projects and companies.
The shortlist
The following companies and projects have been nominated for this year’s awards:
Vehicle Deployment of the Year
Recognizing a standout vehicle deployment that successfully integrates ADAS or autonomous technology, the judging panel has chosen the following nominated companies:
- Waymo (500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across 10 US cities).
- BYD (God’s Eye 5.0 assisted driving system available across full range, including entry-level Seagull).
- BMW Neue Klasse (Motorway Assistant hands-off function and Active Lane Change with eye activation).
- Gatik (First US company to operate fully driverless trucks at scale for commercial deliveries).
- WeRide (1,500+ L4 vehicle fleet, including 700+ robotaxis; autonomous driving permits in seven countries).
- Aurrigo (Real-world trials at 12 global airports).
Safety Innovation of the Year
Recognizing a technology or system designed to improve safety and risk reduction, the following companies have been nominated:
- Wayve AV2.0 (generalizable AI driving capable of adapting to each country’s road infrastructure, signage, traffic laws and driving behaviors).
- EuroNCAP (new ADAS, driver monitoring, crash avoidance and post-crash safety requirements; and new virtual testing protocols).
- Open Autonomy Safety Case Framework (popular roadmap for how AVs can be deployed safely and responsibly).
- Valeo and Hero Advanced Rider Assistance System (radar-based safety system for two-wheelers)
Collaboration of the year
Recognizing a successful partnership between companies that led to a breakthrough in ADAS or autonomous technology. The nominees are:
- Honda and Helm AI (vision-first AD software integrated into a major OEM’s development pipeline).
- Uber and Nvidia (robotaxis across 28 cities by 2028).
- Waabi and Volvo (Waabi Driver integrated into the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck).
- Stellantis and Pony.ai (integrating Pony.ai’s autonomous driving technology into Stellantis’s AV-ready platform for robotaxi applications).
- Lucid, Nuro and Uber (Uber aims to deploy 20,000 or more Lucid vehicles equipped with the Nuro Driver over six years).
Disruptor of the Year
Recognizing a company, product, individual or initiative that has significantly challenged conventional industry practices. The judging panel has selected the following:
- Tensor (L4 self-driving car designed for private ownership).
- Glydways (autonomous mass transit model built on small dedicated guideways).
- Wayve (vehicle-independent AI autonomy stack).
- Holon (innovative full-service approach, covering vehicle manufacture, operation and service of autonomous fleets, as well as finance).
Startup of the Year
Recognizing an early-stage company (≤ five years old) making a significant impact in ADAS or autonomous vehicle technology. The nominations are:
- Bot Auto (recently completed its first humanless hub-to-hub autonomous truck validation run in Houston, Texas)
- Ex9 (autonomous electric yard tractors, recently deployed and tested by DHL).
- AVES Reality (AI-generated 3D digital twins for the next era of physical AI).
- Parallel Domain (synthetic data generation engine for virtual vehicle testing).
Learn more about the awards here; and to register for an entry pass to the show, please visit the Autonomous Vehicle Tech Expo Europe website.
