Winner: ActivRak - Bishop Steering Technology

Open to OEMs and suppliers alike, the Innovation of the Year category attracted a broad range of nominations.
As the judges’ scores rolled in, a close contest for category honors developed between Bishop Steering Technology’s ActivRak variable-rate steering systems, and another well-received steering innovation, this time on the rear axle: Renault’s impressive 4Control 4WS technology.

But it was Bishop’s simple but clever, mechanical substitute for the vehicle dynamics component of active steering that took the title. ActivRak is a variable ratio steering rack that quickly reduces the steering ratio off center. The system is incorporated into the Direct Steer technology already seen in Mercedes-Benz’s SLK, SL, and CLC models. In the first half of 2009 it will also be released on the new Mercedes-Benz E Class, then progressively rolled out across S-, M- and R-Class models through 2009 as the next stage of its implementation on all Mercedes models in the next three years.

For jury member Jim McCraw, it was simplicity that won the day: “It is a simple, elegant solution to a very complex problem,” he explained, “one that works without computers and algorithms and add-ons. In dynamic terms, it works to make the vehicle feel more sporty in the corners and more stable on the highway, without cost or complication penalties.”

Fellow juror Brian Cowan concurred: “The best steering systems have always been based on pared-to-the-bone simplicity. ActivRak is a fine example of that tradition.”