Six finalists have been announced in the Autocar-Courland Next Generation award.
The finalists will now face a 'Dragons' Den' style judging day at Autocar's Teddington offices, where they will present their ideas to judges from Autocar, Courland International and representatives from vehicle manufacturers.
Six will then become three, as the top-scoring finalists are invited to the SMMT annual dinner later this month where the overall winner will be announced. The prize up for grabs is a paid internship package, with placements at JLR, McLaren, Peugeot, Skoda and Toyota as well as a cash prize of £7500.
The next-generation award is designed to provide an in-road to the automotive industry. Entrants were tasked with answering a brief set by Autocar's Steve Cropley, which read: "In no more than 500 words, describe an improvement (be it an invention, innovation, a legislative change, a change to corporate policy or the adoption of a new convention) which you believe would be a worthwhile benefit to the UK automotive business. You will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of how such an improvement could be made viable and what the wider implications of it might be."
Last year's winner, Roberto Antonio Pace, is now working at McLaren while other previous winners have secured jobs at the likes of Aston Martin and JCB.
The finalists are as follows:
Joshua Mitchell, from Southampton University, impressed judges with his child and pet-protection system.
Jake Larsson, from Cranfield University, who showed his new sensory integration system.
Alexander Siamatas, currently at Coventry University, who showed his designs for a collapsible compact seat.
Ashley Finn, from Cranfield University, who proposed a new adaptive engine temperature control system.
Aaron Lo, of Hertfordshire University, who put forward his idea for a new shock energy-regeneration system.
Serge Kaldany, currently at the City of London University, who showed his Second Active AeroTunnel design.
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