SAE International Convergence 2010 to Feature Ford, Microsoft Partnerships

WARRENDALE, Pa., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SAE Convergence 2010 will focus on partnerships - traditional and non-traditional - that are enabling the future of automotive electronics.

The premier two-day automotive electronics conference will be held Oct. 19-20 at Cobo Center in Detroit. The theme for the 2010 show is "Partnerships Driving Smart Mobility."

Co-hosts for the event are the Ford Motor Company and Microsoft.

"Many important topics which are timely for the automotive industry will be covered, from the connected car to green powertrains to partnering for safe mobility," said Patti Kreh, manager of engineering meetings for SAE International. "This year's Convergence exemplifies the collaboration of the automotive electronics supply chain; OEMs partnering with traditional and non-traditional suppliers."

Convergence will feature keynote speakers and executive management panels each morning and half-day technical sessions each afternoon.

Tuesday's events include:

• Keynote speaker Derrick Kuzak, Group Vice President of Global Product Development for the Ford Motor Company.
• A Blue Ribbon panel of senior managers representing the "Mobility Ecosystem" will speak on the opportunities for the convergence of new technologies and services to deliver on the promise of smart automotive mobility for tomorrow.
• Technical sessions on:
  • Smart Mobility Propelled by Green;
  • Smart Mobility is Connected; and
  • Learning Partnerships - Educators and Automotive EE Driving the Future of Science and Engineering.

Wednesday's events include:

• Keynote speaker Mark Johnson, chairman of Innosight, a strategic innovation consulting and investing company
• The ever popular "Car Makers Speak panel comprising electrical/electronic OEM managers discussing the progress toward the electrification of vehicles and the associated challenges.
• Technical sessions on:
  • Be Smart, Be Safe - Partnering to Create Safe Mobility;
  • Quantum Value Leaps Through Collaboration; and
  • Smartly Pulling it all Together - Systems Engineering.

Kevin Dallas, General Manager of the Windows Embedded Business Unit for Microsoft, will be the keynote speaker at the Convergence banquet Wednesday night.

Ford will host a ride-and-drive focused on the latest HMI advancements during Convergence 2010.

"Attendees will have the opportunity to drive vehicles on the streets of Detroit   equipped with the latest MyFord Touch feature, such as Internet access, web radio, and iPods. Kreh said.

Convergence 2010 will have over 100 exhibitors on the show floor and offer a variety of networking opportunities.

For more information, visit http://www.sae.org/events/convergence/ or contact SAE International customer service at 1-877-606-7323 (U.S. and Canada only) or 1-724-776-4970 (outside U.S. and Canada) or e-mail [email protected] .

SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.

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Contact: Shawn Andreassi of SAE International, 1-724-772-8522 or [email protected]

SOURCE SAE International