On June 5–6, 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago hosted its Fifteenth Annual Automotive Outlook Symposium. The Symposium began on Thursday, June 5, with a speaker and a test drive of fuel cell vehicles, courtesy of General Motors. There was a dinner following the event at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago–Detroit Branch, 1600 East Warren Avenue, which was sponsored by J. D. Power and Associates.
On Friday, June 6, the symposium convened at the Detroit Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. This year's symposium focused on the shaping of the vehicle industry. The topics included: a review of the Detroit Three–UAW labor contracts; the vehicle sales outlook from the OEM (original equipment manufacturers) perspective; medium- and heavy-duty truck industry outlook; dealers' and suppliers' perspectives on the sales outlook; and the consensus outlook of symposium participants.
Fifteenth Annual Automotive Outlook Symposium
06/05/08
General Motors Presentation
Speaker
Britta Gross, Manager, Hydrogen & Electrical Infrastructure Commercial, General Motors
06/06/08
Continental Breakfast
Welcome
William Strauss, Senior Economist and Economic Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Speaker
Emily Kolinski Morris, Senior Economist, Ford Motor Company
Break
Speakers
Ken Vieth, Senior Partner and General Manager, Americas Commercial Transportation Research Company
Paul Taylor, Chief Economist, National Automobile Dealers' Association
Lunch
Speakers
Kristin Dziczek, Director, Program for Automotive Labor and Education, Center for Automotive Research
David Andrea, Vice President, Business Development, Original Equipment Suppliers Association
