Solutia Automotive Signs on as Inaugural Sponsor of Design Los Angeles
Leading Auto and Architectural Glass Interlayer Supplier Reaches Out to Important Design Community
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18 -- The Los Angeles Auto Show and Solutia Automotive (Solutia) (BULLETIN BOARD: SOLUQ) today announced the addition of Solutia as inaugural sponsor of Design Los Angeles, the automobile designers conference that will run parallel to the Auto Show's press days this January 5 and 6, 2005. The announcement was made by LA Auto Show general manager Andy Fuzesi and Peter Eppen, Global Marketing Director of Solutia's Laminated Glazing Interlayers business. Design Los Angeles, the theme of the 2005 Auto Show, is envisioned to be an ongoing program to establish automobile design as an integral part of the show.
"We are fortunate to have a number of the most influential automotive design houses located in our vicinity," said Fuzesi, "this is a natural outgrowth of the proximity of those facilities, where some of the most innovative vehicle designs have been born." Fuzesi also points to the Art Center College of Design, one of the premier transportation design schools, as playing an important role in maintaining the area's prominence as a global design hub.
Solutia's partnership with Design Los Angeles is an evolutionary step for the company, which is the leading producer of automotive and architectural laminated glass interlayers globally. Solutia's automotive interlayer products (Vanceva) have been extremely popular with concept vehicle designers over the past several years, and its products are being widely adopted into production vehicles by automakers for use in side, roof, and rear window glass.
"Our advanced Vanceva brand color and metallic products have been incorporated into vehicles as a design element on at least 10-15 concept vehicles per year, globally," said Eppen, "we see Design Los Angeles as a way to connect the leading designers in the industry with our innovative Vanceva product line."
Eppen also pointed out that Solutia is continuing to build its portfolio of Vanceva advanced interlayer products, and it is important to be in touch with designers to anticipate and help support the development of potential new products. "Design Los Angeles is the perfect way to keep on the cutting edge of design. And since the world of design tends to transcend industries, we see the innovation and technology we offer as not only useful in the automotive industry, but touching and influencing the architectural industry as well."
Unique to Design Los Angeles is the fact that the program has been conceived and organized by the designers themselves. An advisory board was established early in the conceptual stages consisting of representatives from BMW Group DesignworksUSA, Calty Design Research, VW/Audi Design Center, Honda Research & Development, Hyundai & Kia Technical Center, and GM's 5350 Industrial Concepts. The board is headed by renowned designer and founder of Designworks Chuck Pelly, now of the Design Academy, Inc.
The conference will consist of several general sessions and seminars specific to industry issues such as modeling and color trends. Most seminars are designer-only sessions, but media are invited to attend Thursday's opening session and announcement of the winner of the OE design studio competition, and the afternoon panel discussion of prominent designers. A celebratory reception honoring the 75th anniversary of Art Center will close the program.
About Solutia Inc.
Solutia uses world-class skills in applied chemistry to create value-added solutions for customers, whose products improve the lives of consumers every day. Solutia is a world leader in performance films, producing Saflex(R) and Vanceva(TM) brand polyvinyl butyral interlayers for laminated glass in automotive, architectural and residential applications, helping to create the future of glass. Solutia is also a leader in process development and scale-up services for pharmaceutical fine chemicals; specialties such as water treatment chemicals, heat transfer fluids and aviation hydraulic fluid and an integrated family of nylon products including high-performance polymers and fibers.
For more information on Solutia's automotive products, visit www.solutiaautomotive.com
About Design Los Angeles
Recognizing the global influence of Southern California as an automotive design center, the Los Angeles Auto Show adopted Design Los Angeles as its theme for the 2005 show. The design theme is envisioned to be the beginning of an ongoing program to establish automobile design as an integral part of the LA Auto Show.
An innovative part of Design Los Angeles is the integration of an automobile designers conference within the show's media days. This is the first conference of its kind to be held at an auto show that provides designers with focused meetings, prominent speakers and discussion topics specifically geared toward automobile designers. Some of these sessions will be open to media, thereby providing journalists with access and interaction with designers.
Design Los Angeles is being developed in close collaboration with the design community. Chuck Pelly and Joan Gregor of The Design Academy, Inc., serve as conference directors. Pelly is an Art Center graduate and former instructor, and is founder and president emeritus of BMW Group DesignworksUSA. Highly regarded throughout the international design field, Pelly has received numerous accolades, including this year's Eyes on Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award.
The Design Academy is working with the auto show's Design Advisory Board in helping establish the framework for the design conference.
The Design Advisory Board is comprised of:
Chris Chapman, director of automotive design for BMW Group DesignworksUSA
Kevin Hunter, vice president of Calty Design Research
Derek Jenkins, chief designer of VW/Audi Design Center California
David Marek, chief designer of Honda Research and Development
Joel Piaskowski, chief designer of Hyundai & Kia Design and Technical
Center
Frank Saucedo, director of design for GM's 5350 Industrial Concepts