Bill Russo to Discuss Outlook for Chinese Auto Market and Luxury Brands at Investor Conference Call

Investor Conference Call, August 21, 2013

Wednesday, August 21, 2013, 10:00 AM EDT

Expert:  
William Russo
Founder and President, Synergistics Ltd.

Wed, 8/21 at 10 a.m. EDT 
REGISTER 
Replay available upon request.

EXPERT INSIGHTS ON:

• Five year growth outlook for China’s premium car segment
• Big three German OEMs vs. smaller players
• Demand drivers and adoption rates for SUVs and sports sedans
• Premium car buyer spending patterns, customer loyalty and opportunities for new brands
• Market segmentation from eastern to western provinces and from large to small tier cities
• Companies: Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Volkswagen (VOW), Toyota (TM),Honda (HMC), Chrysler, Nissan (NSANY), Hyundai (HYMTF), Daimler AG(DDAIF), BMW AG (BMW)

The Chinese auto market has passed a key inflection point, downshifting to a more sustainable growth pattern in-line with GDP. Competition is intense among the foreign and domestic vehicle OEMs as they adjust to the slower environment and attempt to stay profitable. While structural challenges will likely result in negative pricing and margin pressures, certain segments will continue to drive profitability, including luxury cars and SUVs. It remains to be seen if automakers and their partners can understand and anticipate these developments and implement strategies to diversify revenue streams.

ABOUT OUR EXPERT:

Bill Russo is President of Synergistics, Ltd, a consulting firm to the auto market and he has more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Prior to Synergistics he was VP of Chrysler Northeast Asia, where he successfully negotiated and secured government approval for six vehicle programs with three different Asian partners. In this time period, he launched a regional holding company as well as two distribution companies and oversaw the industrialization of the first Chrysler and Dodge-branded vehicles in Asia. He holds a U.S. patent for his innovative efforts towards reducing automotive new product development cycle time and is a published author and opinion leader whose viewpoints have appeared throughout several media outlets.

OUR ANALYST:  
Michael Cohen         Director, Consumer Research