ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan will bring together auto executives, consultants, policy-makers and scholars to discuss the current state of the auto industry in Asia on Oct. 23 at the Dearborn Inn in Dearborn, Mich.

“Asian Autos After the Crash: Where to From Here?” will feature a panel of U-M experts who will address the auto market situation, prospects for economic recovery and policy changes in individual Asian countries. A second panel, made up of auto industry executives, will discuss the impact of the Asian economic crisis on their companies and will give their views on market developments.

“The prolonged economic crisis in Asia has caused a meltdown in the regional market for automobiles,” says David Cole, director of the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT) at the U-M Transportation Research Institute. “At the same time, the crisis offers interesting opportunities for new entry and market share expansion by European and North American players. The region remains the biggest new market and the largest cost-competitive production base in the world, which no serious global industry player can afford to ignore.”

The conference is sponsored by OSAT and the U-M’s Southeast Asia Business Program, part of the U-M Business School’s Center for International Business Education. For registration information, call (734) 764-5592 or (734) 998-7276.

U-M News and Information Services University of Michigan

David ColeCenter for International Business EducationU-M News and Information ServicesUniversity of Michigan