User-Convenient Vehicle Electronics are Centerpiece of Convergence 2008

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DETROIT, MI. Sept. 22, 2008 - Making sure electronic features are "user-friendly" is the focus of Convergence 2008, the world-class transportation electronics conference hosted by Chrysler and set for Oct. 20, 2008-22 at Cobo Hall in Detroit.

Today's consumers are increasingly comfortable with technology, and with that comfort level, their expectations have increased as well. Organizers of the conference note, however, that it is no longer beneficial to simply offer an extensive array of electronic features; today, those features also must serve a true need and be easy to use as well. Features that are overly complex - even for technically-savvy drivers -- are disregarded out-of-hand; ease-of-use is where manufacturers will find a competitive advantage.

So the determining question for the industry becomes: "Does this meet a real customer need?"

  Seminars at the bi-annual conference include:
  --  Human Machine Interface;
  --  The Connected Vehicle;
  --  Targeting Consumer Needs in the Perfect Storm;
  --  Product Development in a Global Environment, Today and in the Future;
      and
  --  The Need for Standards in the Automotive World.

Chrysler Vice Chairman and President Jim Press will be the featured speaker at the Convergence 2008 banquet set for Oct. 22. Andreas Schell, vice president of the electrical/electronics engineering core for Chrysler, serves as general chairman of Convergence 2008.

Convergence 2008, which is administered by SAE International, also will feature outstanding keynote speakers, including Mel Karmazin, CEO of Sirius XM Radio, and Gene Kranz, former director of mission operations for NASA and author of the book, "Failure is Not an Option."