ATX Forum at SAE to Focus on Shifts in Marketing for Generation Y

Generation Y Wants Unbundled Telematics Option, Seeks Parents' Influence In Vehicle Purchases

DETROIT, April 8, 2008 -- How today's teens and twenty-somethings (also known as Generation Y or the Millennial Generation) will change the way automobiles are made, marketed, serviced and equipped with electronics and telematics will be the focus of a two-hour business forum on April 15 sponsored by ATX Group, the world's largest independent telematics services provider to the automotive industry. The presentation, 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 and 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," said Steve Millstein, ATX president and CEO. "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 also 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," emphasized 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."

ABOUT ATX: Based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Dusseldorf, Germany, ATX Group is the world's largest provider of customized telematics services to the automotive industry, serving both North America and Europe. ATX telematics services are designed to provide enhanced safety, security and driving convenience to vehicle owners. These services include location-specific emergency and roadside assistance, automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle recovery, remote diagnostics and real-time traffic and navigation assistance. ATX also customizes telematics services to help automobile manufacturers and their affiliated dealerships to use telematics data to reduce costs, enhance vehicle servicing, and more closely manage customer relationships. ATX services are provided to vehicle owners through the brand names of its customers -- Mercedes-Benz, BMW, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. For more information, visit www.atxg.com.