---

Materials, Design, Featured at Auto & Transportation Interiors Expo

31 January 2000

Integrated Electronics, Materials, Design, Featured at Automotive & Transportation Interiors Expo and Conference in Detroit, May 16-18

    DETROIT, Jan. 31 -- Exciting recent trends in automotive
interiors -- from materials and electronics technologies to design -- will be
highlighted in the seventh annual Automotive & Transportation Interiors Expo,
May 16-18, 2000 at Cobo Center in Detroit.
    New to this year's show will be the addition of an "Electronics Pavilion,"
featuring auto supplier companies that integrate electronic solutions into key
interior designs.  These include:

    *  Advanced vehicle safety electronics such as collision avoidance
systems.
    *  Intelligent Transportation Systems' global positioning satellite
navigation technology.
    *  New developments in electronic vehicle controls, like voice-activated
automated systems or in-line display instrument panel/windshield viewing
systems.

    Richard Lebovitz, co-publisher and editor of Automotive & Transportation
Interiors, notes the critical role of electronics in today's interiors:  "Bold
solutions by suppliers at every tier level are enhancing consumer
connectivity, communications and convenience in the automotive environment.
The new Electronics Pavilion will serve as a focal point for forward-thinking
suppliers of cutting-edge technologies."
    The Interiors Expo, sponsored by Automotive & Transportation Interiors, is
the largest industry event in the world exclusively dedicated to automotive
interiors.  With the theme "Interiors: The Driving Force of the Next Century,"
the Expo lists a contingent of 200 exhibitors, and expects an attendance of
over 4,000 interiors professionals.
    Over the three day period, 21 conferences will be hosted by leading
industry experts from automotive OE and supplier companies, leading discussion
topics related to auto interiors, including materials selection, adhesives,
interior and decorative trim, safety regulation, plastics molding, interior
design, and other issues.  An additional special session will be held on
electronics and air bag system technology and a workshop on weathering and fog
testing.
    As part of the Expo and Conference activities, a student scholarship
awards banquet and golf outing are scheduled, with proceeds going to benefit
top students majoring in interior design and engineering at colleges and
universities across the country.
    Automotive & Transportation Interiors magazine is the automotive
industry's leading publication specializing in interior design, engineering
and manufacturing.