Interior Motives China Conference 2009

As global automakers such as Porsche put the finishing touches to their show cars in the run-up to the Shanghai Motor Show on April 20th, sister publication Interior Motives is doing the same with its exciting line-up of speakers as it prepares to host the second Interior Motives China design conference in the city the following day.

Scheduled to take place on 21st and 22nd April (immediately following the first motor show press day) at the InterContinental Shanghai Pudong hotel, this event will see the biggest names in Chinese, Asian and Western car design come together for a two-day program of interactive debate. Entitled 'China: Changing the landscape of car design', this year's conference will focus on the issues and opportunities facing both foreign and domestic carmakers as they search for commercial success in China.

East will meet West as Pininfarina Design Director Lowie Vermeersch and Simon Loasby, Director of Volkswagen Design China, discuss the need for new research methods in China with Yangfeng Visteon's Design Studio Manager, Shizuki Kajiyama, and conference chair/China Automotive Design Institute Director, Li-Chih Fu. Debating how elements of Chinese culture can help establish a distinct 'C' Factor, meanwhile, will be an all-star cast of senior executives: including Zhen Su Lin, Design Director of Donfeng Motor Corp; Hideichi Misono of Tecno Art Research; Tongji University's Li Yanlong; Johnson Controls' Richard Chung; and Design Director of GM PATAC, Friedhelm Engler. The challenges of harnessing Chinese design awareness for the good of car design will then fall to Robert Walker, Interior Design Project Manager for PSA China, and former Nissan Design Europe Design Director, Stéphane Schwarz.

The first day's sessions will conclude with a workshop on computer-aided design (CAD), styling and design management processes. Demonstrations will be provided by Guillaume Diet, Digital Manager of Technicon Design China; Chief of Design and Styling at GM Holden Special Vehicles, Julian Quincey; and Günther Hansa, Global Projects Manager for OPTIS. Rounding off the day will be a gala dinner and an exclusive boat tour of Shanghai at night, giving delegates and speakers the chance to take in the sights and carry on the debate into the small hours.

Day two will kick off with an equally exciting line-up of influential speakers. In our ‘Eco Design Future' session, Microsoft's Managing Director of Automotive Alliances, Manuel Simas, will talk about how the need to create more environmentally friendly vehicles is pushing designers to create new shapes, techniques and technologies in the 21st century. Joining him will be Filipe Braganca, Design Director of China-based Axius Designs, and Vice President of R&D at Eagle Ottowa, Nathan Mullinix.

Also providing expert opinion on day two will be Ed Wong, Director of Transportation Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Peter Stevens of the Royal College of Art in London, and Professor Yang Yin from Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing. Their discussions will revolve around the secrets of effective car design education, and will outline the skills that OEMs are looking for from students and discuss how their courses and applications should be tailored to meet carmaker requirements.

The importance of brand identity within the Chinese market is another topic that will provoke debate, this time between newly appointed Design Director of Stile Bertone, Jason Castriota; Lotus Cars Head of Design, Russell Carr; and Sebastian Stassin, Partner at Austrian-based design consultancy Kiska.

Delegates that register for the conference will also receive a VIP invitation to the inaugural Car Design Night on the evening of the first press day (April 20th). There they will have the chance to mingle and make connections with senior design figures as they relax and unwind after a hard day of interviews and meetings at the Shanghai auto show.

For a full list of speakers and sessions, and to register for this exciting and insightful event, visit the Interior Motives China Conference 2009 homepage: www.interiormotivesconference.com/china

By Euan Sey