2003 Michelin Challenge Design(TM) Jury Announced

DETROIT, July 10 -- Entries for the first annual Michelin Challenge Design(TM) are due July 15, 2002, and that's when the distinguished panel of international designers and educators, announced today, will go to work selecting the entries that will gain the honor of being displayed during the 2003 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, January 5-20, 2003.

This year's panel of judges was selected from an international body of professional transportation designers and educators possessing significant experience in design evaluation and selection from large bodies of design work. They are:

Dick Ruzzin, Michelin's Design Consultant based in Detroit, Michigan, is the chairman of this year's Michelin Challenge Design jury. Before consulting with Michelin, Ruzzin was the design director for General Motors Europe. He retired from General Motors in 1998 after 36 years of participating in and directing the creative design development of many General Motors vehicles on five continents: North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. Ruzzin has participated in numerous design projects and contributes to ID Magazine and cardesignnews.com. Luciano D'Ambrosio is General Director and Design Chief for Segna Design in Milano, Italy. His area of expertise is in contemporary European automotive design. D'Ambrosio has been involved in design since 1978 and has worked at a variety of companies involved in transportation design including Cos.mo in Milano, Italy; Agrati-Garelli in Como Italy; Ford-Werke in Koln, Germany; Italdesign, Bertone and L D'A Design all in Torino, Italy. He earned a masters degree in Automotive Design from the Royal College of Art in London. Ronald Ihrig is founder of Ihrig Design in Worfelden, Germany. Ihrig founded the company in 1984 to provide clients design consulting and evaluation. Clients have included 3M, abt, Adam Opel AG, Alldos Gmbh, Airline-Bohnen&Kern GmbH, Blaupunkt Bosch Group, Ista, Mitsubishi MRDE, Michael Conrad & Leo Burnett, Silverhaze, VIA International and VW-Votex. He began his design career in 1979 with GM-Adam Opel AG in Ruesselsheim, Germany. Ihrig earned an industrial design degree from the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, Germany and degrees in Philosophy, German and Politics from the Technical University of Darmstadt. William Porter is an instructor at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, Mich. U.S.A., where he teaches the History of Modern Design. He retired from GM in 1996 as Chief Designer of Buick Studio No. 1 after a 38 year career in design with the automaker. He has been teaching design related courses since 1963 at CCS and Wayne State University in Detroit. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from the University of Louisville, Kentucky and a Masters of Industrial Design from the Pratt Institute in New York. Stewart Reed is founder of Stewart Reed Design in Holland, Mich. U.S.A., a company he formed in 1994 to consult with the automotive and consumer manufacturing industries. Reed has been active in design since graduating from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., in 1969. He began with Meyers Manx and designed and developed the Manx SR. Reed spent nine years at Chrysler Corporation's advanced design department; six years as the chief designer of Toyota's California advanced design studio; and eight years with Prince Corporation, now part of Johnson Controls. He has taught transportation design courses at the Art Center College of Design and completed numerous works for clients including Robert Lutz's reintroduction of the Cunningham C7 in 2001, which Reed designed. Dan Sturges is executive director of Mobility Lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a company he founded in 2001 to work with cities to create integrated transportation solutions. Sturges is an expert in future transportation design concepts and culture and was responsible for the design of the first neighborhood electric vehicle at GEM (Global Electric Motor) Cars, a company he co-founded which is now owned by DaimlerChrysler. Sturges has been involved with design since 1986 when he joined General Motors Design staff after graduating from the Art Center College of Design. After GM he joined international design firm frog design where he advised clients ranging from Apple Computer and Samsung to Ford and Subaru. The jury of judges will gather July 15-16 in Detroit to review design entries received from individuals, companies and students representing more than 40 countries. These design solutions from individuals, companies and students have been submitted as either computer generated drawings, two- dimensional drawings or models.

It will be the jury's job to determine which entries will be selected for display at the 2003 North American International Auto Show in January. The selected entries will be announced this August.

The 2003 Michelin Challenge Design is focused on the past, present and future vehicle designs that reflect the unique and special character of French design, for France and other world markets.

The Michelin Challenge Design was established in 2002 as a way to bring forward and display significant design work that would not normally have the opportunity to be displayed at a major, international auto show. At the 2002 NAIAS, works based upon the theme of Italian design were displayed during press and public days.

For complete information on Michelin Challenge Design, including specific entry requirements, entry process, rules and theme details, visit www.michelinchallengedesign.com .

Michelin manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, maps and atlases covering Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelin.com ) employs 26,500 and operates 23 plants in 19 locations.