The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : SAE meet to showcase frontier technologies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 14, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

SAE meet to showcase frontier technologies

Special Correspondent

The conference will bring together 800 to 1,000 delegates

EXPOSITION: R. Seshasayee, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, briefing the press on SAE Mobility conference in Chennai on Thursday. To his left is V. Krishnamurthy, chairman, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council. — Photo: S. Thanthoni

CHENNAI: : `Technology for emerging markets - India opportunity,' will be the theme of an international mobility conference, to be held here from October 23 to 25.

Organised by the Society of Automobile Engineers India at the Chennai Trade Centre, the meet will bring together about 800 to 1,000 delegates. As many as 62 technical papers will be presented in areas, including automotive infotronics, body and safety engineering, emission control and powertrain. The event would also have two toptech programmes — one on internal combustion engine design and mechanical development and the other on powertrain selection for fuel economy and acceleration performance.

Addressing presspersons here, the Ashok Leyland Managing Director, R.Seshasayee, said that SAEINDIA would also organise an exposition in which technological advances made by the industry would be exhibited. R. Mahadevan, president, SAEINDIA, said that the exposition was not aimed at selling any product; it was only for the industry to showcase frontier technologies.

`Next big thing'

Mr.Seshasayee, who is also chairman of the steering committee of the International Mobility Engineering - Congress and Exposition 2005, described automobile design services as the "next big thing after Information Technology" and said that the conference would focus on this aspect. The SAE would also organise a mobile exposition, `knowledge on wheels,' in a bid to take automobile engineering to the people and also kindle interest in the field among children.

V. Krishnamurthy, chairman, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Government of India and patron, SAE, said that the difference between various autoshows and the SAE meet was that while most of the other shows were product exhibitions, this was a knowledge exhibition. He said that the developments in the sector had done the country proud.

Answering questions, Mr.Seshsayee said that a healthy growth rate for the country was "good news for the auto industry in general." Arguing the need for a "clear and articulate strategy" to encourage public transport, he said that dedicating lanes exclusively for buses as in London and taxing private vehicles entering the city had worked there. If action was not taken now, then Chennai too would become another Bangkok or Bangalore, he added.

The transport policy should be aimed at providing "public transport with dignity," he said. This would also be better for the economy since lower fuel consumption would mean that the sustained high levels of trade deficit could come down.

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