Volvo Penta received five industry awards at the Miami International Boat Show. The honors include an Innovation Award from the National Marine Manufacturers Association and Boating Writers International, an NMMA Customer Satisfaction Index Award and three Neptune Awards from the Marine Marketers Association.

The NMMA Innovation Award recognized the Volvo Penta and Seven Marine Outboard Propulsion Experience, which debuted on the Tiara Sport 38LS at the Miami show. The system integrates Volvo Penta’s Electronic Vessel Control and Seven Marine’s high-performance outboards. The package included Volvo Penta’s Easy Boating solutions, such as joystick driving. The result is a combination of outboard power that delivers an inboard experience, according to a Volvo statement.

“The marriage between Volvo Penta and its Seven Marine division clearly demonstrates innovation in highly integrated and smooth-shifting helm-to-prop outboard propulsion systems,” said Alan Wendt, one of the BWI judges, in a statement.

“We’re taking a giant step forward to push the boundaries on what is possible today in outboard technology,” said Ron Huibers, president and CEO of Volvo Penta of the Americas and chairman of the Seven Marine board, in the statement.

“This important award is a reflection of our longstanding partnership with Volvo Penta, going back to 2004, when we worked together to package our Tiara 38 Open with Volvo Penta’s award-winning IPS system,” added Tom Slikkers, CEO and president, S2 Yachts. “This marks the next step toward a new journey into the future together.”

Volvo Penta also received a CSI award for sterndrives for the 16th consecutive year. The CSI award signifies that the sterndrives achieved and maintained a standard of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction. Volvo Penta is the only sterndrive manufacturer to win a CSI award 16 years in a row.

Volvo also received three MMA Neptune awards in three categories, as well as an honorable mention.

The awards included:

Best Advertising Series for the Boating Dreams online contest, which invited boaters to submit their stories, images and videos of their aspirations on the water and how they use their boats.

  • Best Sales Promotion for the dealer-focused program that supported Boating Dreams, utilizing displays, brochures and other materials in Volvo Penta dealerships.
  • Best Public Relations Campaign for an international press campaign to reveal Volvo Penta’s self-docking yacht concept.
  • Honorable mention for the Boating Dreams social media campaign, created in-house and featuring user-generated content.

“These five major industry awards are an important validation of our Volvo Penta team’s commitment to excellence, inspiration, creativity and innovation, both at our global headquarters in Sweden and in the Americas,” Huibers said. “It also speaks to the engagement of our dealers, distributors, partners and customers. It’s tremendously exciting to work with such a great award-winning team.”

Last year, Soundings Trade Only named Volvo Penta one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in the boating industry. This month, Volvo Penta was recognized as a Great Place to Work by a national institute, based on an independent survey of employee attitudes and satisfaction.