WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and Radio2010 Automotive News World Congress to Showcase Top Industry Leaders

DETROIT, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Chrysler Group; Frederick (Fritz) A. Henderson, President and Chief Operating Officer, General Motors Corporation; Yoshimi Inaba, President and CEO, Toyota Motor North America and Roger Penske, Chairman, Penske Corporation are among the nearly 20 executives who will address Navigating the New Automotive Epoch at the 2010 Automotive News World Congress, Tuesday - Thursday, Jan. 12 - 14 at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Mich.

The Congress opens on Tuesday morning, January 12, which is also the second and final media preview day at the North American International Auto Show. A special session begins at 10:30 a.m., Connectivity: The New Way of Doing Business. The session will discuss what "connectivity" of the vehicle fleet -- to the dealerships, to the OEM, to other cars -- could mean for the future. The afternoon session gets underway at 1:30 p.m. with Alan Mulally, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company.

Among the executives slated to speak to the more than 650 expected attendees are:

• Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Chairman & CEO, WL Ross & Co. LLC and Chairman, International Automotive Components Group (IAC)

• Bo Andersson, President, GAZ Group

• Stefan Jacoby, President & CEO, Volkswagen Group of America

• John Mendel, Executive Vice President, Automobile Sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

• Kevin E. Wale, President & Managing Director, GM China Group

• Rodney O'Neal, Chief Executive Officer & President, Delphi Corporation

• Don Walker, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Magna International Inc.

• Mike Jackson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, AutoNation

• Henrik Fisker, Chief Executive Officer, Fisker Automotive, Inc.

• Michael Brylawski, Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Bright Automotive, Inc.

• Sheldon Sandler, Founder & CEO, Bel Air Partners

• Charles Gassenheimer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Ener1, Inc.

• Shai Agassi, Founder & CEO, Better Place

• Walter E. Huizenga, Chief Operating Officer, Gezon Motors

Topics for the special sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 12 and 13 are:

• I'm from the Government and I'm Here to Help: New fuel economy standards, cap-and-trade plans to reduce energy consumption and the possibility of competition from new light-rail transportation systems could make it challenging for automakers to survive and thrive. Hear what the industry should expect from the government and how to cope with it.

• Let's Make a Deal: With fewer dealerships for competition, revised business models, and new ventures, surviving dealers have more options. Learn how savvy dealers are making the best out of a challenging situation.

• New Ventures: New government regulations and public interest in fuel-efficient vehicles have opened the door for niche companies specializing in low-volume green projects. Gain insights into how a new generation of entrepreneurs is changing the auto market.

A networking reception and dinner will follow the opening session on Tuesday. Recipients of the Polk Loyalty Awards will be announced during Tuesday evening's dinner program. The conference continues Wednesday with individual presentations and special sessions from 9 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Wednesday's dinner program will feature presentation of the Automotive News/PricewaterhouseCoopers Shareholder Value Awards and the BorgWarner Championship Driver's and Team Owner's Trophies. A Thursday morning tour of the North American International Auto Show concludes the conference.

The registration fee is $1,295. Dinner-only tickets for the Tuesday and Wednesday evening programs are $195 per person or $1,750 for a table of ten. A full agenda, speaker background and online registration are available at www.autonews.com/worldcongress. For questions, e-mail congress@autonews.com or call 313-446-0326.

The 2010 Automotive News World Congress is sponsored by IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Additional conference sponsors are ATX, BorgWarner, i2, International Automotive Components (IAC), JATO, State of Kentucky, Microsoft, OESA, Raytheon Professional Services LLC, R.L. Polk & Company, Siemens PLM Software, Springbok Services, the Commonwealth of Virginia and WJR.

Automotive News, a trusted brand in the automotive industry for more than 80 years, serves the North American auto industry. With a 100% paid circulation of more than 70,000 subscribers, it provides in-depth coverage of the industry and is written for automakers, dealers and suppliers. This unsurpassed industry coverage is complemented by the online product www.autonews.com, e-mail newsletters, breaking news alerts, webinars, a daily newscast and a myriad of conferences and events that provide the most up-to-date auto industry information.

SOURCE Automotive News