'Automotive News' Honors Verizon's Hughes Telematics, Mercedes-Benz USA for Innovation

DETROIT, April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Telematics Inc., a Verizon company, has been recognized by Automotive News with two prestigious PACE awards for the company's collaboration with Mercedes-Benz USA to develop and implement remote software-update technology.

The 19^th annual PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) awards were announced April 15 at a ceremony in Detroit. The prestigious awards given to Hughes Telematics – which was acquired by Verizon last year – recognize automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance.

Hughes Telematics was recognized in the Information Technology and Services category for its automatic remote software-update technology. The cloud-based technology enables secure, remote updates to automotive software and features, providing a lower-cost alternative to traditional dealer software updates.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz USA and Hughes Telematics were recognized with an Innovation Partnership Award recognizing the companies' collaboration in implementing the Hughes Telematics automatic remote software-update technology. This technology, which will first be used to add features to the Mercedes-Benz mbrace2 service offering, enables new features and relevant enhancements to be quickly deployed to drivers, keeping infotainment systems up-to-date.

"These awards recognize that our feature-rich telematics solutions can provide a very real benefit to car makers and consumers, enabling a rapid deployment of software updates while helping to hold the line on costs,'' said Jeff Leddy, chief executive officer of Hughes Telematics. "We see the telematics market – particularly software for the automotive industry – as a tremendous opportunity for Verizon, and we will continue to innovate in this space to benefit car makers and consumers."

The awards, accepted worldwide as the industry's symbol of innovation, are open to suppliers that contribute products, processes, materials or services directly to the manufacture of cars or trucks.

The PACE Awards were presented after an independent panel of judges conducted an extensive review, including an evaluation of a comprehensive written application and a site visit.  For complete details of the Automotive News PACE Awards, visit www.autonews.com/pace.

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SOURCE Verizon