Younger generations' effects on automotive technology topic of panel at SAE World Congress

The ATX Group is looking into teen and 20-something’s driving habits and how they will affect how automobiles are made, marketed, serviced and equipped with electronics and telematics.

The two-hour business forum Tuesday, part of the new Executive Business Theater forum to be introduced this year at the Society of Automotive Engineers' (SAE) World Congress at Cobo Center, will be moderated by ATX President and CEO Steve Millstein. It will feature presentations by Teen Research Unlimited, a Chicago-based research firm specializing in identifying trends in consumer attitudes of Millennials; Siemens PLM Software; ATX; and the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. The forum, part of a day-long theme on business innovation, is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Detroit Hall. Consulting4Drive GmbH, a German-based consulting firm, is co-sponsoring the theater with ATX.

"Unlike previous generational transitions, which primarily entailed identifying changing tastes in vehicle design and lifestyle, marketing to Generation Y will entail radical changes in vehicle ownership," says Millstein. "This is the first generation that has been raised entirely with the Internet and technology. It's a generation that expects things on-demand and doesn't necessarily respond to traditional brand marketing. We're hoping that this will be one of those free-wheeling, outside- the-box discussions that will stimulate discussions between automotive engineers and marketers about innovative new ways to approach the next wave of consumers."

Leading off the program, Michael Wood, vice president and director of syndicated research for Teen Research Unlimited (TRU), will share some of the primary insights into Generation Y attitudes that TRU has identified in the ongoing Trendwatch panel it conducts for consumer products companies.

William A. Carelli, Siemens vice president of strategic marketing, and Dean Imre Molnar of Detroit's College for Creative Studies, will share insights on marketing to this new generation of car buyers.

ATX is currently engaged with in-depth research on the Millennial market as it relates to the convergence of telecommunications devices, Internet content and the electrical buss of the vehicle.

"The idea that this generation is going to respond to any shrink-wrapped solution that a vehicle manufacturer or telematics provider bundles up for them is simply flawed," states Millstein. "This is a generation that wants their vehicle and infotainment systems customized to fit individual demands, not packaged for them. They want their vehicle to accommodate the devices and content they prefer. They do not want to be told by a gatekeeper what they can or cannot access."

For more information, visit www.atxg.com.