MICHauto, an economic development program of the Detroit Regional Chamber, will focus on how Michigan can better position itself as a hub for intelligent mobility and autonomous vehicles during the Driving Intelligent Mobility in Michigan event at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit on Wednesday.
“Intelligent mobility is the sexy topic of the day — everybody is interested in cars that talk to each other, cars that talk to roads, and cars that drive themselves,” says Rob Luce, MICHauto’s program manager. “There are a lot of organizations focusing on the technology aspect, but this event is really meant to focus on how Michigan can capitalize on its existing automotive assets to ensure that this technology is developed and integrated here, versus in Silicon Valley or Germany or Asia.”
The region’s assets include a strong engineering talent pool, an extensive base of major OEMs, and testing facilities for connected cars at the University of Michigan and the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. “These assets should be embraced, promoted, and coordinated to ensure that this is the place to be when you’re talking intelligent mobility,” Luce says.
During the event, three speakers — Masa Hasegawa, principal of Deloitte Consulting; Bill Kohler, partner and co-chair, of Clark Hill’s Automotive and Manufacturing Practice Group; and Doug Patton, senior vice president of engineering at Denso International America — will discuss various aspects of intelligent mobility, ending with a 45-minute Q&A session about Michigan’s relation to the subject.
For more information about the event, which runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and costs $25 for chamber members ($50 for prospective members), click here.
