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Collins & Aikman and Sanyo Automotive Announce Automotive Interior Design & Engineering Award Winners

TROY, Mich., Dec. 21, 2004 -- Collins & Aikman Corporation & Sanyo Automotive announced the winners of the Automotive Interior Design & Engineering Competition for University of Michigan - Dearborn (UM-D) and College for Creative Studies (CCS) Students.

The Automotive Interior Design & Engineering Competition concluded last week with presentations at the College for Creative Studies campus in Detroit, Michigan. CCS students in Industrial and Transportation Design and UM-D students at the College of Engineering and Computer Science competed for cash prizes, internship opportunities and the chance to have their work displayed at multiple OEM attended venues throughout 2005.

"Pairing teams of industrial design students with engineering students is a unique format that creates a win-win situation for all -- the students, the faculty and the sponsors," said Dr. Vivek Bhise, professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan - Dearborn. "It exposes the students to the roles of designers and engineers in a real-world product development process, provides the faculty an opportunity to promote 'systems thinking,' and rewards sponsors with novel but technically feasible design concepts in an accelerated timeframe."

The competition began in May, 2004 with extensive consumer research studies conducted by the students under the direction of faculty and professionals at Collins & Aikman and Sanyo Automotive. Students were then challenged to create two center console unit concepts (one near-term concept and one advanced concept) for a mid-size sport utility vehicle. The entries were required to incorporate the latest trends in new technology related to entertainment and communication as well as human factor and consumer preference parameters. Evaluations were based on originality, manufacturing feasibility and material use, ergonomics and safety, ability to meet consumer needs, and final presentation. The judging panel consisted of faculty members and management from the sponsors as well as design and engineering professionals from DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM and Hyundai.

"This competition is an important aspect of Collins & Aikman's commitment to, and fostering of, the design and engineering of cohesive automotive interiors," said Kurian Pothen, Collins & Aikman's Executive Vice President - Global Engineering, Design and Product Development. "The students presented many innovative ideas for storage features, reconfigurable designs, customizable locations of consumer convenience features, and future entertainment and telematics features. These concepts should turn heads in automotive design studios all around the world."

Winners for the Automotive Interior Design & Engineering Competition - Center Console Challenge:

  CCS Designers
  *  Eric Bruckbauer
  *  Christopher Hawkins
  *  Matthew Heinig
  *  Stephen Warden

  UM-D Engineer
  *  Ananda Pandy

Additional category awards were presented for best infotainment concept, best storage innovation, best cup holder design and best reconfigurable design concept.

Collins & Aikman Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global leader in designing, engineering and manufacturing automotive interior components and systems, including: instrument panels, fully assembled cockpit modules, flooring and acoustic systems, automotive fabric, and interior trim, as well as exterior trim and convertible roof systems. The Company's current operations span the globe through 16 countries, more than 100 facilities and nearly 24,000 employees. Information about Collins & Aikman is available on the Internet at http://www.collinsaikman.com/ .

Sanyo Automotive, Inc. is a manufacturer of consumer and commercial electronics for the automotive market, including multimedia and telecommunication products. Based in Novi, Michigan, Sanyo Automotive (a division of Sanyo North America Corporation, a subsidiary of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.) markets audio systems, portable and mobile electronics, televisions and DVD players. For more information contact Sanyo Automotive, Inc., (248) 465-1151.

The College for Creative Studies is one of the nation's leading arts education institutions. A private, fully accredited, four-year college, CCS offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in advertising, animation and digital media, art education, communication design, crafts, fine arts, illustration, industrial design, interior design, and photography. CCS is credited with having the world's most recognized program in transportation design and for placing more graduates in automotive design than any other school. CCS is located in Detroit's Cultural Center; where it provides a dynamic learning environment in which students explore issues of art and design and the culture in which they exist, while preparing for careers in the professional world. For more information, contact CCS at (313) 664-7400 or visit http://www.ccscad.edu/ .

The University of Michigan - Dearborn is a regional campus of the University of Michigan operating under the policies of the University's Board of Regents. Established in 1959 with a gift from the Ford Motor Company, the University of Michigan - Dearborn has developed into a comprehensive university with more than 8,800 students pursuing undergraduate and professional degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, engineering, management, education, and public administration. For more information, contact University of Michigan - Dearborn admissions office at (313) 593-5100.