DATE: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 10, 2008.

EVENT: “Marketing New Powertrain Technologies: What Are Drivers Willing to Buy and How Do We Know?” will provide insight from market research firms and University of Michigan researchers looking into consumer and market models, as well as from the manufacturers themselves. Speakers and topics include:

• Walter McManus, director and research scientist at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Automotive Analysis Division, will discuss his collaboration with other U-M researchers on consumer choice models for new powertrain technologies.

• John L. Sullivan, research scientist at the U-M Transportation Research Institute, will talk about the use of agent-based modeling to explain the potential buying behavior of consumers when presented with new powertrain technologies.

• Ken Kurani, research scientist at the University of California-Davis, will take an anthropological view of consumer choice of new powertrains based on his recent research on plug-in hybrid vehicles and the views of consumers toward fuel economy.

• David Finnegan, marketing manager for hybrid vehicles at Ford Motor Co., will address the long- and short-term challenges of marketing new powertrain technologies to U.S. buyers.

PLACE: Michigan Ballroom, located on the 2nd floor of the Michigan League (on the corner of North University Avenue and Fletcher Street).

SPONSOR: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Automotive Analysis Division.

RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION: Lee Burge, (734) 936-2723 or [email protected]