ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 16, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – Governments are playing a critical role in the restructuring of the global automotive industry. In the United States, President Obama’s Automotive Task Force has presided over the successful emergence of General Motors and Chrysler from bankruptcy, and has provided critical assistance to automotive finance and supplier firms.
Ron Bloom, who recently assumed the leadership of the Presidential Task Force on the Automotive Industry, will join the speaker lineup at the industry’s traditional summer gathering, the CAR Management Briefing Seminars Aug. 4-7 in Traverse City, Mich.
The seminars, sponsored by the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, offer several sessions focused on critical global automotive strategies, including “The Beneficent Hand? The New Role of Government in the Global Auto Industry.” Bloom will address this Aug. 5 session, along with Linda Hasenfratz, Chief Executive Officer, Linamar Corp. and Chairperson, Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA); Rod Lache, Director, North America Equity Research, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.; Ken Lewenza, National President, Canadian Auto Workers; and Dave McCurdy, President & CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
“Government and other stakeholders are offering a very rare second chance to this vital sector of the U.S. economy,” said Dr. Sean McAlinden, CAR’s executive vice president of research and chair of the session. “In this session, we will hear firsthand from key players in the government-led restructuring, some of whom are now charged with protecting the public’s investment in GM, Chrysler and GMAC.”
Additional speakers at the Automotive sessions Aug. 5-6 include: Lewis Booth, Chief Financial Officer, Ford Motor Co.; Larry Dominique, Vice President of Product Planning, Nissan North America Inc.; John Hoffecker, Managing Director, AlixPartners LLP; Samir Salman, CEO, NAFTA Region, Continental North America; and Tom Stephens, Vice Chairman, Global Product Development, General Motors. The newly named president of Toyota Motor Corp., Akio Toyoda, has been invited to provide the keynote address at the Wednesday morning, Aug. 5, session, chaired by David Cole, chairman of CAR.
The CAR Management Briefing Seminars have been an automotive industry tradition for more than 40 years and attract attendees from auto manufacturers, suppliers, the government, academia and the media who participate in targeted sessions, senior-level executive panels and highly valued networking opportunities.
In addition to the special strategic sessions, other sessions during the week focus on manufacturing, sustainability in an era of climate change and related policies, the evolving role of innovation, and the growing development and impact of the connected vehicle. A Friday, Aug. 7, session will look at the changing financial environment given low sales, bankruptcies, availability of financing and the U.S. government’s role as lender.
The 9th Advanced Powertrain Forum, sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, also takes place Aug. 7 and will address both policy and technology issues in the evolving area of powertrains.
An up-to-date listing of speakers and sessions is available on CAR’s Web site: mbs.cargroup.org. For more information regarding MBS or to register, contact the Center for Automotive Research at (734) 662-1287 or visit the Web site. Media representatives may attend at no charge.
CAR’s mission is to conduct research on significant issues related to the future direction of the global automotive industry, as well as organize and conduct forums of value to the automotive community.
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Source: Center for Automotive Research
CONTACT: Lisa Hart of Center for Automotive Research, +1-734-929-0465, lhart@cargroup.org;
or Bernie DeGroat of University of Michigan News Service, +1-734-647-1847, bernied@umich.edu
Web Site: http://www.cargroup.org/
