---

Over 100 Automotive Suppliers to Participate in Transatlantic Business Opportunity Meetings During SAE World Congress in Detroit

16 January 2001

Over 100 Automotive Suppliers to Participate in Transatlantic Business Opportunity Meetings During SAE World Congress in Detroit

EU-USA Interprise Program, funded by European Union and supported by leading
International organizations, aims to help suppliers identify opportunities for
European/American collaboration

    TROY, Mich., Jan. 16 Key executives of U.S. medium- and
small-sized automotive suppliers are setting up meetings with their European
counterparts at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress and
Exposition, March 5-8 to discuss mutually beneficial business opportunities
through the unique "match-making" EU-USA Interprise Program.
    Funded by the European Union and several leading international
organizations, the program will foster meetings of U.S. suppliers and supplier
executives from Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden.  Executives will
meet in one-on-one introductory meetings to discuss a host of business issues
including:

    *  Collaborating on potential joint ventures or other projects
    *  Establishing dialogues
    *  Expanding business relationships (potential suppliers and potential
       customers)
    *  Exploring the OEM global impact in Europe
    *  Investigating global market opportunities
    *  Learning about the latest European manufacturing technologies and
       products.

    Suppliers who are interested in participating may review detailed
information about the program and register at http://www.SAE2001.de .  Companies can
also link directly from the HCI Group, Ltd. website,
http://www.GlobalAutoIndustry.com .  HCI Group is the major U.S. sponsor of the
EU-USA Interprise Program.
    Other partners include:

    *  German American Chamber of Commerce (Chicago, USA office)
    *  IHK German International Chambers of Commerce (Germany)
    *  SMMT -- The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Ltd. (UK)
    *  Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Eure & Loir (France)
    *  Mondimpresa (Italy)
    *  Business Region Goteberg (Sweden)
    *  Consejo Superior de Camaras de Comercio Industria y Nevegacion (Spain),
       and
    * U.S. Department of Commerce -- International Trade Division (Detroit,
      USA office)

    U.S. companies who participate in meetings pay a one-time $150
participation fee (whether the U.S. supplier meets with one or more European
companies, the cost is the same).  There is no cost to register.
    The HCI Group, Ltd. is a leading supplier of "globalization" products,
services and programs to the worldwide automotive supplier industry.  The
Company publishes the EUROtalk, LATINtalk, and AMERItalk quarterly
newsletters; the GLOBALtools product catalog; Globalization Seminars &
Conferences; the ASTEP and Global Engineer Traineeship programs; and the
European Engineer Recruitment Program.  For more information on any of the
Company's activities and programs, automotive suppliers are invited to visit
http://www.GlobalAutoIndustry.com