Partnerships and Alliances are Forged; Governor Tours NAIAS

January 16, 2019 by NAIAS

The importance of partnerships and alliances – whether they are global in scale or are aimed at reducing isolation in rural communities in the Upper Peninsula – emerged as the dominant theme on Tuesday at the NAIAS.

Important partnerships ranged from global deals such as Ford's alliance with Volkswagen to a new sponsorship agreement between the IndyCar Series and Japanese data and communications firm NTT to partnerships with local implications such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announcing $4.8 million in mobility-related community grants.

Ford and Volkswagen

The day began with Ford and Volkswagen announcing they would team up to produce pickups and commercial vans together for certain global markets and a commitment to explore ways to collaborate on the development of self-driving cars.

The two automakers said the alliance plans to deliver its first medium pickup trucks for global customers in 2022 followed by commercial vans in Europe in 2023. In addition, Volkswagen and Ford have signed a memorandum of understanding to investigate collaboration on autonomous vehicles, mobility services and electric vehicles and have started to explore opportunities. Both companies also said they were open to considering additional vehicle programs in the future.

Michigan Mobility Challenge

Gretchen Whitmer made her first visit to the show as governor on Tuesday to announce grants and emphasize that the state's transportation and mobility-related investments should be aimed at making sure new technology helps people and communities.

'Too often when we talk about mobility, we have a tendency to talk about self-driving cars. What we should really be talking about is how this technology can impact and improve life for our people,' she said. 'I'm talking about everybody in our state.'

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The governor announced the final round of pilot projects to receive funding under the $8 Million Michigan Mobility Challenge. The Michigan Mobility Challenge grants address core mobility gaps for seniors, persons with disabilities and veterans across the state, with projects in Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, the Central Upper Peninsula and Southeast Michigan receiving funding.

Techstars Mobility becomes Techstars Detroit

Later, Techstars Mobility announced that it has changed its name to Techstars Detroit and said it will move into a new office in Lear's Innovation Center in downtown Detroit.

'The name change was a way of signaling a further commitment to the Detroit ecosystem,' said Ted Serbinski, the tech start-up incubator's founder and managing director, who also said that the name Techstars Detroit resonates better than mobility because it is more specific.

Techstars Mobility also announced that Lear is its seventh corporate partner. Techstars provides portfolio companies with access to financial, human and intellectual capital to fuel the success of their business.

IndyCar Series links up with NTT

The IndyCar Series announced that global information technology and communications leader NTT has signed a multiyear agreement to become the sponsor of what is now officially named the NTT IndyCar Series. NTT also will be the official technology partner of IndyCar, the NTT IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500.

Tokyo, Japan-based NTT is a technology and communications company with more than $106 billion in revenue. NTT DATA, a U.S.-based NTT subsidiary headquartered in Plano, Texas, has been a sponsor with Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series since 2013.

'Having a strong technology partner is critically important to IndyCar's continued growth, so we are thrilled to welcome NTT as our new title sponsor,' said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Company, which owns IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 'IndyCar's rise in popularity is a testament to the fact that we've made the sport as accessible as possible to our fans, and we plan to continue in that mission.'

Infiniti Inspiration captivates designers

Innovative automotive design was celebrated as the EyesOn Design awards recognized the best and most innovative designs among the new cars, trucks and utility vehicles revealed at the show. The Infiniti QX Inspiration dominated the EyesOn Design awards after being praised by the industry's designers as it took three of the five awards. See related NewsFlash story for complete details.

Dr. Philip Hessburg, an EyesOn Design Committee member, captured the spirit of transformation occurring at this year's NAIAS as organizers prepare to move to a new date in June 2020.

'Suddenly, June 2020 will be the place to be for car executives, industry experts and car aficionados,' Hessburg said. 'As Detroit has exploded with a spirit of revitalization almost unparalleled anywhere on Earth, so too will June 2020 erupt with unprecedented energy…Enjoy our awards today knowing that in 2020, June will be spectacular.'

While Press Preview concluded on Tuesday the show is just getting started with Industry Preview, Charity Preview and the Public Show still to come. Here's what's coming up on Wednesday, as NAIAS opens its doors to thousands of engineers, designers and others who work for automakers and automotive suppliers.