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Convergence '98 Explores Role of 'Infotronics'

15 October 1998

Convergence '98 Explores Role of 'Infotronics' in Shaping Tomorrow's Vehicles

    DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 15 -- What electronic features will
future buyers expect from their vehicles?  How can the industry guarantee that
the sophisticated new hardware and software is user-friendly?  And what steps
can automakers and suppliers take to ensure that the new electronic
technologies don't compromise the privacy and security of customers?
    The chief executives of three multi-national companies are among the
experts who will address these and other challenges in the rapidly evolving
world of automotive information electronics during Convergence '98,
October 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan.
    The conference opens at 9 a.m. Monday.  Media are invited to pick up press
materials in the Media Center located in the Stutz-Bearcat Suite at that time.
Richard Parry-Jones, Ford Motor Company group vice president of Product
Development, will be the first keynote speaker Monday morning.
    "Vehicle Infotronics: Enabling the Integrated Mobility Experience" is the
theme of this year's Convergence, formally known as the International Congress
on Transportation Electronics.
    "We coined the word 'Infotronics' to reflect the synergy between
mechatronics -- the merger between mechanical systems and electronics -- with
the Information Age," said conference chairman Dr. William F. Powers, vice
president, Research, Ford Motor Company.
    "We're already beginning to see communications infrastructure that is
taken for granted in the home, such as the Internet, popping up in vehicle
applications," Powers added.  "We expect whole new classes of vehicle products
to be created by the interplay of information technology, electronics and
mechanics."
    Long regarded as the premier global forum for bringing together the
automotive and electronics industries, Convergence has been held every two
years since it was conceived in 1974.  This year's conference offers one of
the strongest lineups of international speakers, with roughly one-third from
Asia, one-third from Europe and one-third from the United States, Powers
noted.
    Keynote speakers for the three-day event include Christopher B. Galvin,
chief executive officer, Motorola, Inc.; Lewis E. Platt, chairman of the
board, president and CEO, Hewlett-Packard Company; Alex Trotman, chairman and
CEO, Ford Motor Company; George H. Heilmeier, chairman emeritus, Bell
Communications Research, Inc.; Richard Parry-Jones, group vice president,
Product Development, Ford Motor Company; Helmut Petri, executive vice
president, Daimler-Benz AG and Akihiro Wada, executive vice president, Toyota
Motor Corporation.
    In addition to the keynote addresses, the conference features 12 technical
sessions presenting more than 60 technical papers, several moderated and blue
ribbon panels and more than 75 exhibits.  About 4,000 automotive and
electronics executives, scientists and engineers from around the world are
expected to participate in the conference.
    Technical sessions will focus on affordability, advanced electrical
systems and components, vehicle computing and communications architectures,
wireless communications technology, technology trends (two sessions), future
buyer expectations, vehicle/driver interface, security, industry
infrastructure, electric vehicles and the vehicle life cycle.
    Convergence '98 is organized by the Convergence Transportation Electronics
Association (CTEA) with sponsorship from the Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and
numerous co-sponsors.  For the latest information on Convergence '98, visit
the conference web site at http://www.converge98.org.