Car buying app wins Autocar’s Drivers of Change Award

An idea for a car buying app has been recognised by Autocar as one of three winners of its inaugural Drivers of Change awards.

Split across three categories (digital, retail and technology), entrants were encouraged to come up with innovative solutions to some of the automotive industry’s key challenges.

Marvin Samuels (pictured) won the retail category award with his idea for the ‘Carbusi’ Car Model Recognition and Car Buying App. Carbusi stands for Car Buying Simplified and the app can identify a car from a photo and then guide users through the process of buying it, highlighting specification details, prices and nearby dealers. 

Autocar editor-in-chief Steve Cropley said: “In difficult times, the entrants’ response to Drivers of Change was amazing and uplifting. There was an atmosphere of innovation and positivity around every entry that made us quite certain this was the right time to launch a new competition. 

“And the winners set such a high standard: their ideas could all turn into genuine business opportunities. We’re extremely proud of Drivers of Change’s flying start and optimistic about its future.”

All three winners receive a prize of £5000 alongside expert mentoring to develop their ideas and automotive careers. 

Tomas Costa Capezzone won the Technology category with his idea for a system to protect the grid from the growing number of electric vehicles being charged. The ‘Smart Measurement Points’ concept combines electric vehicle charging pads with artificial intelligence to control and adjust charging times and rates, to prevent the electric grid from being overloaded or distorted. 

The Digital category was won by Dr Madeline Cheah for her idea of the ‘Automated Offensive and Defensive Security’ (Automods) platform for cars and self-driving cars, which is based around the creation of a system to protect cars from cyber-attacks. 

Lynda Ennis, founder of Ennis & Co, said: “Ennis & Co have been absolutely delighted to have been part of this incredible initiative this year. We truly are passionate about driving talent into the automotive industry and this competition has allowed just that – and more. When we look at the diverse range of individuals that have applied here, we have found impressive skill sets that just go to show a more diverse, inclusive workforce is what the automotive industry needs.”