Collaborating to Deliver Consumer-Focused Innovation Will Help Strengthen the Auto Industry, Say Engineers Attending the 2005 SAE World Congress

DETROIT, April 7, 2005; Engineers and designers planning to attend the 2005 SAE World Congress opening here next week believe "emphasizing consumer-facing innovations" and "increasing collaboration along the value chain" are the top strategies that will strengthen the auto industry, according to the 11th annual DuPont Automotive/SAE survey.

Respondents also say that consumers have the most value for enhanced safety systems (64 percent), better vehicle performance (41 percent), fuel efficient, environmentally friendly vehicles (34 percent) and styling (34 percent).

The survey, conducted by Automotive Consulting Group, Ann Arbor, annually tracks trends and concerns of SAE members who say they plan to attend the World Congress, April 11-14 in Detroit. This year, SAE marks its 100th anniversary.

Top challenges facing the automotive design and engineering community in 2005 are cost reduction (26 percent); safety (15 percent); fuel economy and alternative powertrains (11 percent each), according to the survey.

"Cost still tops the list of challenges faced by the industry, but when you look over time, cost has fallen from a high of 44 percent in 2003 to 26 percent this year," said Christopher S. Murphy, automotive director - Americas for DuPont Automotive Performance Materials. "It appears the focus is shifting to new priorities -- initial cost reduction is and likely always will be a driver, but it is not the end in and of itself. Collaborating to deliver customer-focused innovation that offers final cost-benefit vehicle value is the mantra -- and it is through mutually beneficial business relationships that span the global value chain that we will deliver innovation to consumers at affordable prices."

Murphy focused on one of several new applications on display at DuPont booth #1959 that illustrate the power of collaboration. Toyota led a team from DuPont Automotive, molder Uchiyama Manufacturing Corp. of Okayama-City, Okayama (Japan) and Tier One supplier Aisan Industry Co. Ltd. Of Obu, Aichi (Japan) to deliver a water spacer jacket of DuPont(TM) Zytel(R) HTN high- performance polyamide for the Toyota Zero Crown engine.

The water jacket spacer improves engine cooling by transferring heat away from key areas of the combustion chamber to equalize cylinder wall temperatures. Toyota engineers credit the improved cooling with increasing fuel efficiency by 3 tenths of a mile per gallon, or 1 percent, while increasing engine life.

"The components and systems that deliver the greatest value are the ones with mutual benefits through the value chain and to consumers; in this case contributing to improved fuel efficiency," Murphy said.

Collaboration Speeds Safety Systems to Market

Perennially paramount on the minds of engineers and designers planning to attend SAE are enhanced safety systems. "We see double-digit growth for safety systems that advance efforts in collision avoidance, that detect occupant positioning and actively deploy interior systems to minimize injury," said Michael L. Sanders, global director automotive safety. "Tied to other trends in this study, we believe that close-collaboration among design, engineering, materials development and prototypers throughout the value chain will help bring these innovations to market faster and more cost-effectively."

In booth #1959, DuPont Automotive is showcasing global materials and development capabilities for blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, high- and low-frequency radar systems, head-up-display, frontal crash sensing and occupant sensing.

"Our Electronic Technologies group has adapted high- and low-frequency military radar to commercial applications," Sanders said. "We meet with customers and go over their design parameters for things like signal loss and antenna type, then we turn to our experts at Research Triangle Park, N.C., who draw on our vast database of best practices to help the customer through the design and prototype phases. This gets their products to the market faster, giving them a competitive advantage."

Recent crash safety rankings are driving consumer demand for side air bag and air curtain systems, more robust anti-intrusion protection and laminated side glass, particularly in small cars where efficient packaging and weight reduction are essential. "Side-impact improvements will require an innovative systems approach that takes advantage of lightweight engineering plastics and other materials," Sanders said. "All of these factors must be optimized to meet the proposed NHTSA standards and IIHS crash worthiness ratings."

Automotive Safety Gets a New "Look"

Design is very important to consumers, say 34 percent of SAE attendees, "and when you can add design to a strong and desirable vehicle feature, you have an innovation that may just catch the consumer's eye," said David Lee, marketing manager for DuPont Automotive Glass Laminating Solutions (GLS) Americas.

In booth #1959, DuPont is introducing DuPont(TM) SentryGlas(R) Expressions(TM), which allows images to be digitally printed directly on SentryGlas(R) safety window interlayer so designers can offer durable photographic or graphic images inside laminated glass. The process uses a new DuPont proprietary ink jet printing process.

"There are a number of opportunities for designers and brand managers alike -- anything from brand logos and vehicle 'badging,' advertising on commercial vehicles -- introducing color to the shade band, back window, sunroofs and or sidelite," said Lee. (Editors - see separate release New DuPont Technology Gives Auto Safety Glass a New "Look")

Which Emerging Technologies are "Driving" the Future?

SAE attendees predict that alternatively powered vehicles (27 percent) and advanced electrical and electronic enhancements (20 percent) will deliver the greatest industrywide impact over the next 5 to 10 years. When asked which direction future powertrain development is headed, survey respondents said hybrids (38 percent) and optimization of internal combustion engines (36 percent). Further development of fuel cells remains the third priority this year at 21 percent.

"Changes in the powertrain segment and the evolution of hybrid technology is nothing short of dramatic," said Murphy. He pointed out that the North American International Auto Show in January was used to announce more than a dozen hybrids in the coming years for all vehicle classes -- from sedans to SUVs and including mass transit. "At the same time, there are still more opportunities to optimize the internal combustion engine for better fuel efficiency and greater engine performance."

In booth #1959, DuPont highlights new materials and applications -- from sealed cylinder head covers, air ducts, engine cooling system components to an oil tank featured on the new BMW K 1200 S motorcycle -- that use high- performance thermoplastics to reduce weight, cost and deliver added performance and functionality in powertrain.

"For the next three to four years, according to the survey results, the focus will continue to be on the internal combustion engine, but as sales of hybrids rise, so will the technological focus of the industry," said Murphy.

Weight, Cost, Durability Drive Materials Selections

When searching for a new material, SAE attendees are looking for those that reduce cost (52 percent); offer better durability/high performance physical properties (48 percent); and reduce weight (46 percent).

In booth #1959, DuPont is featuring several new materials to complement its high-performance portfolio, including:

* A new family of more than a dozen grades of "superstructural" materials reinforced with short- and long-glass fibers and other enhancement technologies offer stiffness, strength and impact resistance properties that are closer to metal than conventional engineering plastics. (Editors - See separate release DuPont Superstructural Plastics Push Back Barriers to Metal Replacement)

* A new ultra low warp DuPont(TM) Zytel(R) HTN high-performance polyamide, especially important for underhood electrical component boxes, warps 79 percent less than a typically used polymer. (Editors - See separate release New DuPont Plastic Promises Better Electrical Connectors, Control Boxes and More)

"There's no doubt that the science of polymeric materials technology is the core of DuPont," said Murphy. "But our real value to the industry is working collaboratively, globally and early in the design phase to help make sure the application delivers the cost, weight and performance benefits our customers expect."

DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

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