ANN ARBOR, Mich. -

As the industry gears up for the 2012 Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars this August, officials revealed some key speakers for the event, as well as hot-button topics.

Leaders from automotive manufacturers and suppliers, along with the governors from the states of Michigan and Tennessee, “will discuss strategies to keep the momentum of the automotive industry headed in the right direction" during the event, scheduled for August 6–9 in Traverse City, Mich.

"The CAR Management Briefing Seminars provide industry stakeholders an important opportunity to connect, and gauge where the business is headed over the short term and the long term," said Jay Baron, CAR’s president and chief executive officer, and moderator of several sessions at the event. 

Sean McAlinden, CAR’s chief economist, and one of the moderators of the automotive strategy session, chimed in, noting, "Manufacturing continues to drive the economic recovery of the United States and with the motor vehicle industry contributing more than half the growth, this dialogue is critical to our nation’s future.”

Organizers also highlighted the speaker lineup for the August event.

First up, a key speaker at Wednesday’s automotive strategy session will be Jim Lentz, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Motors Sales USA and a managing officer of Toyota Motor Corp. 

"Jim holds a critical position with Toyota in the U.S. market as the voice of Toyota to its dealers and customers and in turn, their voice to Toyota," McAlinden said.

"His insight regarding the future of the U.S. market and the role of leadership for a technology and market leader such as Toyota will be invaluable to attendees,” he added.

During the Wednesday session, titled, "Leveraging Leadership, Maximizing Momentum,” speakers will “share their vision on where the industry is headed and how they plan to capitalize on the momentum in sales, technology, innovation and manufacturing to benefit their organizations,” officials explained.

Speakers for Wednesday’s session include: 

•    Michgian Gov. Rick Snyder
•    Jim Lentz, president and CEO of Toyota Motors Sales USA
•    Erik Berkman, president, Honda R&D Americas Inc.
•    Jan Kowal, president, Brose North America
•    Mitch Bainwol, president & CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
•    Roy Norton, Consulate General of Canada, Government of Canada

Moving on to Thursday, the closing session, "Leading Forward, Lessons Learned," will be moderated by Paul Smith of WJR radio and will feature a panel of automotive industry veterans who will discuss the “tumultuous past and the way forward for this industry.

“This lively, wide-ranging panel discussion will serve as a summation of the 2012 MBS, and give attendees a chance to consider the opportunities of the coming year,” officials explained.

Speakers include Susan Cischke, retired group vice president, sustainability, environment and safety engineering at Ford and David Cole , chairman emeritus, CAR.

Thursday’s session speakers also include the folowing:

•    Tennesse Gov. Bill Haslam
•    Werner Struth, member of the Board of Management, Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman, president and chief executive officer, Robert Bosch LLC
•    Carla Bailo, senior vice president, Research & Development, Nissan Americas
•    Alicia Boler Davis, vice president of Global Quality and U.S. Customer Experience, General Motors Co.
•    Hans-Werner Kaas, director, McKinsey & Co.

The CAR MBS is an annual gathering of more than 900 auto industry, academic and government leaders addressing critical issues and emerging trends in an atmosphere designed to build relationships, officials noted, highlighting the event in more detail. 

“In addition to the sessions on automotive strategy, the event includes targeted sessions focusing on topics such as  global manufacturing, tooling, connected vehicles, advanced powertrain, purchasing, sales, skilled workers, designing for technology and benchmarking,” they continued.

The 2012 event will take place at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, near Traverse City, Mich.

For more information, visit mbs.cargroup.org.