Toyota was the most inventive automaker in the U.S. in 2021 — if you use the number of patents awarded as the measuring stick, although automakers, in general, are pretty pioneering.
Toyota, which became the top-selling automaker in the U.S. last year, has been the leader for the eighth consecutive year, according to the new study by the Intellectual Property Owners Association.
According to an annual ranking by the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO). Toyota’s engineers and scientists were granted a total of 2,753 patents in 2021 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
But Ford, Hyundai, General Motors and Honda also showed up among the top 100 companies obtaining patent awards, the group noted.
Toyota’s innovations
The patent awards obtained by Toyota covered areas such as battery research to support vehicle electrification, automated driving systems, hardware, software, AI, materials and other mobility-related inventions.
“We are delighted to be recognized as a global technology leader as evidenced by the many patents issued to Toyota,” said Sandra Phillips-Rogers, general counsel, chief legal officer and chief diversity officer for Toyota Motor North America.
“The number of issued patents is a testament to Toyota’s vast R&D efforts and the team members who bring these technologies to life.”
Toyota continues to invest in innovative research and development (R&D) and has been the automotive leader for several years.
“This year’s patent list represents our efforts with respect to vehicle electrification, as evidenced by pioneering battery technology, as well as new IP to support Toyota’s transition into a mobility company,” said Frederick Mau, intellectual property counsel and director of patent licensing for Toyota Motor North America.
Toyota emphasizes research
Every hour, Toyota claims it invests more than $1 million in emerging technology globally and has invested at least $1 billion in R&D related to automated vehicles and robotics since 2017.
The auto industry is in the midst of an upsurge in innovation brought on the move towards electrification and autonomous driving as well as the stepped-up application of software in motor vehicles.
However, the number of patents secured may not be the best measure of a company’s creativity and ingenuity. Many observers note some companies prefer to hold off an applying for patents because they don’t want to tip off competitors about the work of the engineers and scientists at a time when competition in intense.