5 Magna Innovations Named Automotive News PACE and PACE Pilot Award Finalists

Automakers are managing different electrification pathways across vehicle segments and regions, and Magna can support all their strategies, from ICE to Hybrid to BEV. For those OEMs including hybrids as part of their product mix, Magna’s DHD Duo provides a scalable hybrid architecture designed to help balance performance, efficiency and cost across multiple vehicle configurations.

First announced in 2024, the system is now in series production with Chery on the Jetour G700, demonstrating Magna’s ability to move complex high-voltage propulsion technology from development into production quickly and at scale.

Read more: DHD DUO: A Scalable Hybrid Architecture for a Market That Demands Flexibility

Building on its success as a 2025 PACEpilot finalist, Magna’s Battery Enclosure with OptiForm™ Endcaps advances the future of EV battery packaging. This innovative design leverages a deep-draw stamping process to produce near-rectangular corners and vertical sidewalls in a single, seamless component.

By integrating OptiForm™ Endcaps, the enclosure maximizes battery space—up to 10% more—while streamlining manufacturing.

This solution exemplifies a systems-level approach to overcoming key engineering challenges in EV development: enhancing structural performance while minimizing weight, cost, and complexity.

Learn more: Read Perfecting the Rectangle: The Challenge Behind EV Battery Enclosures

Traditional dimensional inspection often relies on fixed metrology rooms and dedicated gauges, limiting flexibility when production needs change.

Magna’s Collaborative 3D Laser Inspection Station pairs a collaborative robot with a Class-2 laser scanner on a self-contained mobile cart, combining automated scanning, reporting, data trending and traceability in one system.

Now in production, the station uses a modular fixture platform to support multiple part variants while reducing reliance on custom gauges and enabling more frequent, consistent inspection.

Polyurethane foam is fundamental to the comfort and functionality of automotive seating, making it an important area for innovation and environmental improvement.

Magna has engineered a bio-based polyurethane foam system that integrates renewable resources into both the resin blend and isocyanate components, a unique capability that is not currently deployed at scale across the industry.

Bio-based foam maintains high-performance foam properties while enabling up to 20% renewable content, a level not achievable with traditional resin-only approaches. This approach delivers an 18% reduction of carbon dioxide generation compared to traditional PU foam.

By combining high-performance foam with enhanced sustainability, bio-based foam represents a significant step forward in the industry’s efforts to reduce environmental impact while maintaining quality and functionality.

Learn more: Read Setting a New Standard for Sustainable Automotive Foam

Battery electric vehicles create new opportunities and constraints for front-end structural design. Magna’s Two-Load-Path Front-End Architecture uses engineered load paths to redirect crash energy away from the passenger cabin while accounting for battery protection and different vehicle configurations.

In virtual testing, the architecture demonstrated improved management of impact forces, showing the potential for vehicle structures to be designed more deliberately around the unique packaging and structural requirements of BEVs.

Learn more: Read Reengineering Front-End Architecture to Improve EV Crash Safety