CARMERA, Thor Trucks, what3words Advance To Next Round Of AutoMobility LA's 2018 Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition

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Top Three Finalists to Pitch in Front of Judges During LA Auto Show's AutoMobility LA

Grand Prize Winner to Be Announced and Receive $15,000 on Nov. 27

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Los Angeles Auto Show and AutoMobility LA

Nov 26, 2018, 10:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The LA Auto Show's AutoMobility LA™ today announced that CARMERA, Thor Trucks, and what3words were selected as the top three companies for its 2018 Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition™ (Top Ten), presented by Plug and Play and SiriusXM Connected Vehicles. The top three finalists deliver groundbreaking autonomy, electric mobility, and addressing system solutions and were narrowed down from an impressive pool of applicants that provide innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies with the potential to significantly impact the future of mobility.

Specializing in large-scale "living" high-definition maps for autonomous vehicles, CARMERA is building the most robust street intelligence platform in the world. The company provides a video monitoring telematics service for professional fleets that improves the safety and productivity of high coverage vehicles on the road today. Those vehicles help identify real-time change detection and navigation-critical events, in combination with AV data, to keep precision 3D maps up-to-date for some of the world's leading automakers and mobility-as-a-service companies. CARMERA also partners with cities to share planning data such as pedestrian density and construction events to promote private-public partnerships that ensure that autonomy works for all.

Thor Trucks is leading a global shift to cleaner commercial mobility, making electric trucks easier and less-expensive to adopt. Thor has developed a cost-effective commercial vehicle platform capable of saving fleets over 65% in operating costs. Thor developed its first prototype the ET-One, a fully-electric semi-truck, in just over 6 months. Over the past two years, the Thor team has focused on developing battery technology specifically for commercial applications and engineering a modular, connected platform. Rather than pursue vertical integration, Thor has leveraged relationships throughout the commercial vehicle ecosystem to deliver electric solutions for today's most practical applications. Thor Trucks have been deployed in select markets with scale production slated to begin in early 2019.

what3words is the first addressing system designed for voice input. The system has divided the entire world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and given each square a unique three-word address – which is the simplest way for people to talk about a precise location. what3words currently partners with some of the largest brands in the automotive and mobility industries, including Daimler (Mercedes-Benz), Jaguar Land Rover, Navmii, and TomTom, among others.

"The pioneering technologies and solutions of CARMERA, Thor Trucks, and what3words have a real potential to impact the future of transportation," said Terri Toennies, General Manager and Executive Vice President of the Los Angeles Auto Show and AutoMobility LA. "We look forward to showcasing them and all of 2018's Top Ten Automotive Startups at AutoMobility LA this week."

The top three finalists will pitch their product or technology to a panel of judges on Tuesday, November 27 during the conference portion of AutoMobility LA. Immediately following the pitch session, the judges will determine this year's grand prize winner and award the startup with a $15,000 award to help grow their business. All of this year's finalists will receive an exhibit space at AutoMobility LA and exposure among the thousands of media and industry professionals attending the event – including automakers, tech executives, investors, dealers, government officials, analysts and more.

AutoMobility LA's 2018 Top Ten Automotive Startup Competition will be judged by leaders from major companies in the automotive and technology sectors, including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Plug and Play, Porsche Consulting, Sansea Consulting, and Sirius XM Connected Vehicles. Plug and Play and SiriusXM Connected Vehicles are sponsors of the 2018 Top Ten Automotive Startups Competition. Additionally, Audi and URBAN-X™ - built by MINI and Urban Us - have signed on as supporting sponsors of this year's competition.

To learn more about this year's Top Ten finalists, to get additional information on LA Auto Show's AutoMobility LA or to register for the event, please visit AutoMobilityLA.com.

About the Los Angeles Auto Show and AutoMobility LA

Founded in 1907, the Los Angeles Auto Show (LA Auto Show®) is the first major North American auto show of the season each year. In 2016, the show's Press & Trade Days merged with the Connected Car Expo (CCE) to become AutoMobility LA^TM, the industry's first trade show converging the technology and automotive sectors to launch new products and technologies and to discuss the most pressing issues surrounding the future of transportation and mobility. AutoMobility LA 2018 will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center Nov. 26-29, with manufacturer vehicle debuts intermixed. LA Auto Show 2018 will be open to the public Nov. 30-Dec. 9. AutoMobility LA is where the new auto industry gets business done, unveils groundbreaking new products and makes strategic announcements in front of media and industry professionals from around the globe. LA Auto Show is endorsed by the Greater L.A. New Car Dealer Association and is operated by ANSA Productions. To receive the latest show news and information, follow the LA Auto Show on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and sign up for alerts at http://www.laautoshow.com/. For more information about AutoMobility LA, please visit http://www.automobilityla.com/ and follow AutoMobility LA on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Listen to past panels, interviews, and keynotes on AutoMobility LA's new podcast at AutoMobilityLA.com/Podcast.