Hot, New Vehicle Body Styles for the Future

WARRENDALE, Pa., Jan. 31 -- What are the hot, new automotive body styles for the future and why will they catch your eye? Have SUV's peaked? Will station wagons make a come back? How about hatchbacks? What will consumers want in a car? To be successful, automakers need answers to these questions.

David E. Cole, President, Center for Automotive Research, Environmental Research Institute-Michigan, will moderate a panel discussion on these topics during the SAE 2002 World Congress, March 4 - 7, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

``Consumers want awesome looking cars that are quiet, energy efficient and ultra-safe,'' said Cole. ``Meeting these needs provide difficult design challenges for automotive engineers. Our panel unites experts who will examine these challenges and suggest solutions for advancing automotive design to meet the vehicle requirements of future consumers.''

``The trick is for automakers to anticipate what consumers will want. As we have seen, sometimes they get it right and sometimes they don't. It gets even trickier to forecast OEM portfolios when you have to take into account new factors such as tax credit programs for hybrid vehicles, fast changing lifestyle preferences and ever increasing safety concerns. Our panel hopes to provide insights that will help automakers design and manufacture vehicles that will sell.''

The Panel will commence at 1 p.m., Monday, March 4, Room 02-33. Panelists include: Csaba Csere, Car and Driver Magazine; John McElroy, Blue Sky Productions; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; and William Visnic, Ward's Communications, Inc.

SAE World Congress, the world's largest showcase of automotive engineering technologies, attracts attendees from more than 50 countries. For more details, including registration and special events, visit the SAE 2002 World Congress web site at www.sae.org/congress or call 1-877-SAE-CONG (723-2664); outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-724-772-4027.