Automotive Design Studios Envision the 1,000 Pound Car

Design Studios from the U.S., Germany and Japan Participate in the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge

LOS ANGELES, August 17, 2010 - With consumers seeking to minimize consumption of the earth's resources,
auto manufacturers and designers are challenged to meet these growing socio-
and economic trends with style and finesse, all while adhering to government
and safety regulations.

    (Logo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060612/LAM005LOGO)
    (Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060612/LAM005LOGO)

This year's Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge asks design studios to
envision the 1,000 pound, 2+2 vehicle that is both comfortable and secure,
while delivering satisfactory driving performance without sacrificing the
emotional connection and beautiful styling consumers demand.

For the first time, participating design studios from not only the U.S.,
but also Germany and Japan, will compete against each other to showcase their
talents. Design studios from General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda,
Mercedes-Benz Germany (Smart), Mercedes-Benz Japan (Maybach), Mercedes-Benz
U.S., Nissan, Toyota and Volvo will explore new ideas in automotive design as
they contend for this top annual design honor.

"More than ever, automotive designers are able to experiment with hi-tech
materials and alloys and this year's Design Challenge has provided them with
the opportunity to use their creative talents to look into the future,
exploring the hottest technologies to fulfill the needs of the consumer and
the environment," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and
partner in The Design Academy, Inc.

The winning design will be announced Nov. 18 during the Design Los
Angeles conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Judging criteria will be
based upon not only meeting the weight constraint (1,500 pounds maximum with
occupants), but also for the artistic beauty, comfort, uniqueness of design,
roadworthiness, sustainability, performance and user-friendliness of the
vehicle.

Entries will be judged by Tom Matano, director of Industrial Design at
San Francisco's Academy of Art University; Imre Molnar, dean of Detroit's
College for Creative Studies; Stewart Reed, chairman, Transportation Design,
Pasadena's Art Center College of Design and Clive Hawkins, president, Aria
Product Development.

The Design Challenge is sponsored by Faurecia (www.faurecia.com),
one of the world's leading automotive suppliers specializing in seats,
interiors, front ends and exhaust systems, as well as Yokohama Tire
(www.yokohamatire.com), which works closely with auto manufacturers in
the U.S., Europe and Japan to develop tires for the latest concept vehicles.

About the Design Challenge

The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile
designers' conference that is held every year during the Los Angeles Auto
Show Press Days, November 17-18, 2010. Each year, for the past seven years, a
new Design Challenge theme is chosen and the major automotive design studios
showcase their talents, competing against each other to flex their creativity
and further explore new ideas in automotive design. The Design Los Angeles
conference also gives designers access to design industry leaders and
provides the opportunity to address common industry issues.

The competition has received rave reviews from journalists and extensive
media exposure throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. More information,
including images, is available at
www.LAAutoShow.com/DesignChallenge.html.

Jessica Schmidt of The Rogers Group, +1-310-552-4177, LAautoshow at rogerspr.com, for Los Angeles Auto Show