Convergence(R) 2004 Announces Powerhouse Keynote Speaker Lineup

Automotive & electronics industry leaders to discuss harnessing the digital revolution

DEARBORN, Mich., June 3 -- Innovators and leaders from Ford Motor Company, IBM, Robert Bosch, Adam Opel, DENSO and Peugeot will discuss trends and challenges in automotive electronics in keynote speeches this October at Convergence 2004, the world's premier automotive electronics conference.

In addition to Convergence 2004 Chair Dr. Gerhard Schmidt's opening remarks on Oct. 18, keynote speakers from high tech global companies include:

* William Clay Ford Jr. - Chairman of the Board and CEO of Ford Motor Company (invited), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., that manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 327,000 employees worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Quality Care and Hertz.

* Nicholas Donofrio - senior vice president of technology and manufacturing at IBM, the world's largest information technology company, business and technology services provider and information technology financier.

* Franz Fehrenbach - Chairman of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH, a worldwide supplier of innovative products for the automotive technology, industrial equipment, and consumer and building technologies markets.

* Carl-Peter Forster - General Motors Europe Vice President and Managing Director and Chairman of Adam Opel. Opel has a long-standing tradition of affordable technology in Europe and today produces and sells vehicles in markets around the world.

* Mitsuo (Matt) Matsushita - president and COO of DENSO International America, Inc., DENSO serves the world's major automakers and is a leading global supplier of advance technology, systems and components.

* Robert Peugeot - executive vice president of Peugeot, a recognized global automotive brand featuring innovation and styling.

"We are bringing together keynote speakers with expertise, leadership and a tradition of innovation in their companies and respective industries," says Schmidt, vice president of research and advance technology at Ford. "In true Convergence fashion we will share ideas and visions while working on a common framework to achieve the promise of technology."

Schmidt says keynote addresses will focus on the Convergence 2004 theme: Vehicle electronics to digital mobility - the next generation of Convergence.

At issue is the auto industry's need to interconnect vehicle electronics into a single system that increases consumer comfort, boosts operating efficiency and safely accommodates increasingly mobile consumer electronics. The challenge for Convergence participants is creating balance between consumer demand for additional functionality and mobility with possible driver distraction issues, rising vehicle costs, uneven product technology cycles and more sustainable vehicles.

Weighing in on those, and other challenges, in panel discussions and technical sessions are industry heavy hitters. Such as:

  *  Brian Althaver, Jabil Circuit, Inc.
  *  J. T. Battenberg, Delphi Corp.
  *  John Fikany, Microsoft Corp.
  *  Susan Cischke, Ford Motor Company
  *  Andreas Eppinger, IBM Corp.
  *  Gunter Hertel, DaimlerChrysler AG
  *  Ronn Jamieson, General Motors Corp.
  *  Trevor Jones, CTEA founding member
  *  Toyohei Nakajima, Honda R&D Americas
  *  Karl-Thomas Neumann, Volkswagen
  *  Rob Gingell, Sun Microsystems
  *  Peter Thomas, ELMOS Semiconductor AG

Convergence 2004, at Cobo Center in Detroit, Oct. 18 - 20, marks the 30th anniversary of this premier automotive electronics conference and three decades of successful collaboration between mechanical and electronics engineering. The conference was founded to develop and serve as a common ground between the mechanical and electronic engineering disciplines. Its success in creating dialogue and cooperation has supported the dramatic growth and ongoing innovation in automotive electronics.

Convergence 2004 features a record 85 white papers, 15 technical sessions, three interactive panel discussions and more than 200 exhibits from global automotive and electronic companies.

"For companies that want to lead the digital revolution in automotive applications, this is a can't miss event," says Schmidt.

The Convergence Transportation Electronics Association sponsors Convergence 2004. Host Company, Ford Motor Company, organizes the conference this year. Proceeds from Convergence benefit the Convergence Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 to support education in mathematics and science among school-aged children.