Manufacturing Leadership to Address CAR Management Briefing Seminars Attendees

Connected Vehicle session offers government and industry speakers

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --  Leading executives from BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan and Toyota -- as well as from Yazaki and Continental -- will provide insight into their manufacturing plans for the future at the annual CAR Management Briefing Seminars, Aug. 2-5.  Chaired by Jay Baron, president and CEO at the Center for Automotive Research, the World Class Manufacturing sessions will focus on the strategic issues automakers and their suppliers face with increased fuel economy regulations, continued emphasis on flexibility, and the challenges of building electric vehicles.

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"Auto companies have had major changes over the past year, and new leadership will be defining their strategies for some time to come," said Baron.  John Fleming, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe; Scott Garberding senior vice president manufacturing, Chrysler Group LLC; and Diana Tremblay, vice president, manufacturing and labor relations, General Motors Company will present during the "Strategic Manufacturing: A Merger of Product and Process" session Monday morning, August 2.  

Norm Bafunno, vice president, production engineering, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America; Susan Brennan, vice president, manufacturing, Smyrna and Decherd, Nissan North America; Warren Harris, president and COO, Tata Technologies; Richard Morris, vice president, assembly, BMW Manufacturing Company; Mike Oatridge, vice president, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama; Jim Romine, president, Component Business Unit, and executive vice president of engineering, Yazaki North America; and Kregg Wiggins, senior vice president, Powertrain Division, Continental will contribute during other Monday manufacturing sessions focused on lean and flexible performance and the manufacture of tomorrow's automobiles.

Tomorrow's vehicles will certainly have increased connectivity and the implications and business benefits of this advancement will be discussed in Monday afternoon's session "Deploying Connected Vehicles: Advancing Safety and Creating New Markets."   Chaired by Richard Wallace, senior project manager in CAR's Sustainable Transportation and Communities group, the program features Robert Bertini, deputy administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S. Dept. of Transportation; Burkhard Huhnke, executive director, Electronics Research Laboratory, Volkswagen of America; Kieran O'Sullivan, executive vice president, Business Unit Infotainment and Connectivity, Continental ; Kirk Steudle, director, Michigan Dept. of Transportation; and James Vondale, director, Automotive Safety Office, Environmental and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company.

The 10th annual Advanced Powertrain Forum will take place Tuesday, August 3, along with sessions focused on China, the financial environment, and full-scale deployment of electric vehicles.  

The August 4-5 Wednesday and Thursday sessions will focus on restructuring and the face of the new industry.  

The 2010 CAR Management Briefing Seminars marks the 45th year of this prestigious industry event.  Over the years, a number of the auto industry's most illustrious leaders have participated as speakers and attendees.  The tradition continues with the Seminars taking place at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, in Traverse City, Mich.

An up-to-date listing of speakers and sessions is available on the event's Web site: mbs.cargroup.org. For more information regarding MBS, contact the Center for Automotive Research at (734) 662-1287 or visit the Web site. Media representatives may attend at no charge, subject to approval.  

The Center for Automotive Research is a nonprofit organization based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Its 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.  For more information: www.cargroup.org

SOURCE Center for Automotive Research