FEV Sets Schedule for Powertrain Sessions at SAE World Congress

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 14 -- The FEV Powertrain Innovation Forum at the SAE 2006 World Congress will feature a series of panel discussions and technical sessions on topics ranging from motorsports to hybrid-electric powertrains and new transmission technology, to thought-provoking discussions on the future fuel mix in the transportation industry.

"This year's forum takes a close look at the drivers of innovation, new powertrain innovations, and what future innovations will be necessary in the powertrain industry," says Gary Rogers, FEV President and CEO. This is the second year that FEV, a global powertrain and vehicle development company, is sponsoring the powertrain forum.

"We worked closely with SAE to develop a compelling lineup of technical sessions and topical content that is timely, and addresses the things that people in our industry are really talking about around the water cooler," says Bob Last, FEV vice president of operations and communications. "There's something for everyone and I'm sure that those who attend will come away energized with a new perspective on the challenges facing our industry."

Gary Rogers will moderate a panel discussion at the forum that will look at how automotive and oil companies need to cooperate to develop new powertrain technologies that can take advantage of the likely fuel mix and costs for the next 20 years. Meanwhile, Floyd E. Allen, FEV consultant and former DaimlerChrysler vice president of powertrain operations, will chair a session that examines the unique product planning process and innovation challenges in creating niche market vehicles.

The FEV Powertrain Innovation Forum lineup includes:

* Monday (all day) April 3: "The Relevance of Sportscar Racing to the Automobile Manufacturer." Organized by Herb Fishel, formerly with General Motors Racing, the morning and afternoon sessions feature representatives from four race-sanctioning organizations and five automakers, plus production and race-car models. Panelists will discuss how racing benefits the production of current and future consumer vehicles.

* Tuesday (morning) April 4: "Diesel Emissions Management Status Report and Newest Developments." Organized by Kevin F. Brown, assistant technology manager for engine control systems, Lubrizol Corp., this session looks at emissions-related technologies for light-, medium- and heavy-duty diesel engines.

* Tuesday (afternoon) April 4: "Powertrain Innovation for Niche-Market Vehicles." Chaired by Allen of FEV, this panel discussion highlights product innovation and developments conducted by auto manufacturers worldwide and the challenges of creating higher performance, niche-market vehicles.

* Wednesday (morning) April 5: "SAE Technical Session: Transmission Systems." Leading with a keynote speech by Larry Nitz, GM executive director of hybrid powertrains, this session includes several presentations by representatives from Magna, BorgWarner, Toyota, and General Motors about a diverse range of transmission topics, including Toyota's and GM's new six-speed automatic transaxles.

* Wednesday (afternoon) April 5: "How Oil Reserves and Fuel Prices will Influence Innovation in the Next Decade." Organized by Rogers of FEV, this panel discussion introduces a dialogue about how the unprecedented volatility of the world's oil market will impact not only the future vehicle fuel mix -- gasoline, diesel, hydrogen and other alternative fuels -- but also what technologies can be developed to best meet market needs.

* Thursday (all day) April 6: "SAE Technical Session: New Hybrids for Production." Organized by Michael Duoba of the Argonne National Laboratory, Matthew Fleming of Ford, and Mark Theobald of GM Powertrain, there are morning and afternoon sessions with presentations from Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Honda and GM engineers about the developments of a number of hybrid systems, such as a high-performance rear-wheel drive transmission by Toyota; a discussion of noise, harshness and vibration issues by Ford; and a study on misfiring in hybrid vehicles by Hyundai.

FEV is an independent engine and powertrain systems research, design and development company, headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Globally, it provides complete concept-to-production (C2P(TM)) support to the transportation industry, commercial engine manufacturers and the emerging fuel-cell industry. The company designs, prototypes and develops advanced gasoline-, diesel- and alternative-fueled engines, as well as advanced vehicle powertrain concepts, electronic control systems and hybrid-electric vehicles. FEV also is a global supplier of advanced test cell, instrumentation and test equipment.

Please visit http://www.fev.com/ for additional company information.

Visit FEV at SAE Booth #1817