Twenty-two lectures were presented at the DVN Seoul Workshop which was held on 24-25 June at the wonderful Ritz-Carlton hotel. At the event, participants had the chance to benefit from high-level lectures from Audi’s Wolfgang Huhn, Hyundai Motors’ Geum Woo Youn, as well as interesting topical presentations from AL, SL, Varroc, Hyundai IHL, Hyundai Mobis, and light source and tier-2 suppliers.
14 exhibition booths created an interesting floor show; highlights included the booths of Osram, Philips, Seoul Semiconductor and LG Innotek, and the surprising Hyundai Genesis with its wonderful rear lights, its innovative front end including LED fog lamps and DRLs.
But the real innovation of the Seoul workshop was the 5 “round table” panel discussions sparking interesting debates among automakers, set makers, suppliers at every tier, and even regulators. It was an excellent gathering of VIP experts and relevant specific topics. These panel discussions are a widely-liked favourite feature of DVN Workshops. Here is a summary of the five panels’ opinions on the discussion topics presented:
Panel 1, automakers. Chair: Rainer Neumann.
The panelists were Audi’s Wolfgang Huhn, Hyundai’s Geum Woo Youn, Hitoshi Nakagaki from Nissan, Ralf Schäfer, Jean-Paul Charret, and Renault’s Jean-Philippe Benoist (left to right, below). Two questions from Rainer Neumann were debated during more than half an hour’s discussion:
1. What Strategy is your company following in the Future Regards to Lighting? All panelists regard lighting as a major lever for styling and safety, but answers differed according to market sector. The premium brands seek innovation in appearance, while mass-market brands go for styling differentiation compatible with price constraints.