Designing the Ultimate Dream Car

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22, 2005 -- Ken Okuyama, design director for Turin, Italy-based Pininfarina, the world's oldest established automotive styling house, will provide a first-hand look into reinterpreting an automotive icon -- the Maserati Birdcage -- as a guest speaker at the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference.

The conference is held concurrently with the LA Auto Show's second media day on January 5, 2006. All conference participants and media days' attendees -- including journalists and automobile industry personnel -- are welcome to attend Ken Okuyama's presentation, as well as BMW Group AG's Chief of Design Chris Bangle's opening address in the morning.

The Maserati Birdcage 75th was created to celebrate Pininfarina's 75th anniversary and is based on the road racing chassis of the Maserati MC 12. The car pays homage to the storied tradition of extreme sports prototypes highlighted in the Italian renaissance of car design from the fifties through the early seventies.

"With the Maserati Birdcage 75th, Okuyama and his team have created a spectacular concept car that is the embodiment of every auto enthusiast's dream," said Chuck Pelly conference director for Design Los Angeles. "We are elated to have him at our conference; his insight and passion for auto design is sure to inspire our audience."

The Birdcage 75th combines Pininfarina styling with Motorola technology in an effort to address the increasing demand for immediate access to information. The car is equipped to function as a mobile office complete with access to state of the art mobile phone and personal data systems technology. It also contains a navigation system that can be tailored to personal needs, infrared technology to enhance the driving experience at night and numerous cameras strategically positioned to allow the driver to share their experience.

"We wanted to do something very special," Okuyama said of the design for the Birdcage 75th. "We wanted to give a future vision to a younger generation, to people outside the auto industry and to those who have aspirations of becoming the car designers of the future."

The Maserati Birdcage 75th will be on display in the Maserati exhibit throughout media and public days.

Okuyama worked as designer for Pininfarina from 1995 - 2000. During that period, he created highly praised designs for production cars such as the Ferrari Enzo, the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, the Maserati Quattroporte and successful prototype cars that included the Peugeot Nautilus and the Ferrari Rossa. He also supervised production projects for Alfa Romeo, Honda, Mitsubishi and Peugeot. After a four-year tenure as chair of the transportation design department at Art Center College of Design, Okuyama returned to the prestigious firm in 2004 as creative director and since July 1, 2005 holds the position of design director.

In its second year, Design Los Angeles continues to evolve into an important component of the LA Auto Show. With 14 automobile manufacturer design studios located throughout Southern California, the conference connects designers' interest by providing them with workshops, speakers and the opportunity to address widespread issues in their field. It is distinctive in that automobile designers play an essential role in its continuing development.

Last January Show

This January's LA Auto Show is the last one to be held in January, before permanently moving its dates to November. Media days for the 2007 LA Auto Show will be Nov. 29 and 30, 2006, and public days will be Dec. 1-10, 2006. The move to earlier dates addresses a longstanding desire from the automotive industry to have the LA Auto Show in its own time period away from other large shows and the winter holidays.

For additional information, visit the show's Web site at www.LAautoshow.com.