11/16/2007-11/25/2007 LA AUTO SHOW

LA Auto Show Design Challenge Robocar 2057 entry by Mercedes Benz Advanced Design NA

LA AUTO SHOW 2008 November 16-25, 2007: More Than 40 World and North American Vehicle Debuts Planned For the Los Angeles Auto Show The 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show will feature at least 14 World debuts and nearly 30 North American debuts during press days, Nov. 14 and 15. The show kicks-off with 28 press conferences featuring some never-before-seen vehicles as well as many eagerly anticipated North American debuts. The show opens to the public at the conclusion of the press days Friday, Nov. 16 and runs through Nov. 25, including Thanksgiving Day. "The show's new fall dates now make Los Angeles the first major North American stop of the auto show season, and as anticipated, manufacturers have taken advantage of this earlier timing by making more World and North American debuts than in previous years" said Andy Fuzesi, general manager of the LA Auto Show.

Design Challenge Robocar 2057 entry by Honda R&D North America While most World debuts remain closely guarded until press days, a few manufacturers have announced their intentions including Hyundai's world premiere of a new sports car concept, Nissan's all-new, mid-size Murano crossover and Volkswagen's new mini-car concept design. Other Worldwide debuts are anticipated to include new hybrid editions and other advanced environmental technologies. Among the vehicles making their first appearance on U.S. soil include, the completely new Jaguar XF luxury performance sedan and the entirely new BMW 1 Series coupe. Performance enthusiasts also anxiously await an in-person view of the U.S. unveiling of Mitsubishi's tenth generation Lancer Evolution and Subaru's all-new WRX STI. And, finally arriving in the U.S. after much anticipation is Nissan's GT-R supercar. Los Angeles has emerged as the main stage for luxury and exotic automakers to showcase their most elite vehicles partly due the fact that the Los Angeles region has highest concentration of luxury and exotic car buyers. The most expensive new vehicle to make its U.S. debut will be the $1.4 million Lamborghini Reventon, hailed as the most powerful and expensive Lamborghini ever built. Ferrari will debut its new lightweight 430 Scuderia, Bentley will showcase its new and more powerful Continental GT Speed and Porsche will debut its most powerful 911, the new GT2. Also of increasing importance, as consumer demand for more fuel efficient and environmentally positive vehicles grows exponentially, is the announcement of this year's Green Car of the Year®. The winner of the 2008 Green Car of the Year (GCOY) award will be named during a press conference the morning of Nov. 15. The importance of this award is validated not only by the increase in consumer demand but by the rapid growth of low emission and environmentally-friendly new vehicles on the market. More vehicle choices require greater public education and the Green Car Journal's annual award helps consumers each year by identifying the top picks from leading industry environmental and automotive experts.

Design Challenge Robocar 2057 entry by Toyota's Calty Design Research Automotive Design Studios Predict How Robotics and AI Transform Transportation in 50 Years Today's vehicles feature artificial intelligence that allow hands-free parking and electronic stability control, but in 50 years vehicles might be able to move in any direction, drive and navigate robotically and have structures that morph and adapt to passengers' needs. This is according to auto designers as part of the fourth annual Los Angeles Auto Show's Design Challenge. Eight automotive design studios based in Southern California, including Audi, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen created design concepts that envision the RoboCar of 2057. These futuristic designs adapt to a variety of environmental conditions and consumer needs, from battling LA's traffic vertically to turning pollutants extracted out of the air into fuel and even picking the kids up after soccer practice without the need for a human driver. The designers entered two dimensional renderings and concept descriptions predicting how the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence will integrate into the automobile to make life safer, more convenient and more attractive to consumers 50 years from now. Entries will be judged by Tom Matano of San Francisco's Academy of Art University, Imre Molner of Detroit's College for Creative Studies and Stewart Reed of Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. Special guest judge this year is robotics expert Chris Myers. Meyers is an independent design consultant specializing in remote telepresence robotics and has been a contributing writer for robotic hobby magazines, Servo and Robot. He also teaches design at San Francisco's Academy of Art University.

Design Challenge Robocar 2057 entry by Volkswagen of Am. Design Center Entries in this year's RoboCar 2057 Design Challenge include: * Audi of America Design Center California: The Audi Virtuea Quattro hydrogen-powered vehicle. * General Motors Advanced Design: The GM-Onstar ANT features vehicle-to-vehicle communication to optimize traffic flow. * Honda Research and Development, North America: The 14 - One to the Power of Four is a solar-hybrid powered robotic commuter. * Mazda R&D of North America: The Motonari RX integrates the driver with the vehicle allowing the driver to experience the road psycho-somatically. * Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design of North America: The Silverflow utilizes micro-metallic particles that can be arranged via magnetic fields. * Nissan Design America: The Nissan OneOne is guided by a real-time GPS network and acts as both transportation and personal assistant. * Toyota's Calty Design Research: The Biomobile Mecha can extract pollutants in the air and utilize it as an energy source. * Volkswagen of America Design Center: The Slipstream adapts for city and freeway driving. The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference that has evolved into an integral element of the Los Angeles Auto Show. Entering its fourth year, Design Los Angeles provides designers with leading design speakers and the opportunity to address common issues. More than 500 designers attended last year's event.

World Debuts 14 models to be announced North American Debuts Aston Martin V-8 Vantage N400 Audi A4 Bentley Continental GT Speed BMW 1 Series BMW M3 Chevrolet Aveo5 Dodge Journey Ferrari 430 Scuderia Jaguar XF Lamborghini Reventón Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG MINI Cooper Clubman Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Nissan GTR Porsche 911 GT2 Porsche Cayman S Porsche Design Edition 1 Spyker C8 Laviolette LWB Subaru WRX STi Volkswagen Jetta TDI Volvo V70

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