Bayer MaterialScience LLC Materials and Technologies Help "Reinvent" Traditional Approach to Automotive Design

Los Angeles, CA, March 11, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Designers revolutionizing the automotive industry gathered at the annual Motor Press Guild/AutoDesignO event to discuss their insights regarding design trends supporting vehicle innovation.

Integral to the advancements are new materials that enable designers to achieve both style and performance goals.

“Right now is a very exciting time for automotive OEMs and design firms,” said AutoDesignO Executive Director John Grafman. “We’ve seen so much imagination flow from West Coast designers that is translating into exciting new vehicles. We assembled a panel of top-notch automotive designers to share what’s inspired them and to share what’s next.”

Panelists at this year’s event, which was held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, included:
• Frank Stephenson, design director, McLaren Automotive
• Jason Hill of the California-based design firm Eleven, whose credits include Aptera and the Porsche Carrera GT;
• Troy Sumitomo of the Huntington, Calif.-based Five Axis, whose resume includes Toyota and Honda projects.

Event sponsor Bayer MaterialScience LLC highlighted its innovative materials and application technologies to support automotive innovation. These offerings can help provide significant benefits including weight savings, part integration, aesthetics, design freedom and performance enhancements using engineering thermoplastics and polyurethane composite technologies such as:
• The adoption of lightweight polymers to replace traditional materials such as glass and steel in exterior applications, including window glazing and body panel components.
• Polycarbonate and polyurethane incorporated into roof modules that reduce weight and lower the vehicle center of gravity.
• Modularity, which provides streamlining during assembly by combining multiple parts and features into one subassembly that can be installed all at once to the vehicle.
• Underbody applications that assist with battery location and sound reduction along with providing the potential for significant parts reduction/consolidation and mass reduction.
• Long-term car brilliance with high-performance, two-component polyurethane coatings for excellent appearance, etch resistance and self-healing effect.
• A variety of interior surfaces with raw materials for waterborne coatings that can impart a range of "touch" and appearance to interior surfaces, from a velvety soft feel to dry luxuriousness to special decorative effects.

“We were energized to share our materials and technologies with leading automotive designers at the Motor Press Guild/AutoDesignO event,” said Bruce Benda, Vice President, Automotive Marketing, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. “We valued learning firsthand the challenges designers face. Today’s automotive market and market drivers such as increased fuel economy and environmental issues present an opportunity for a paradigm shift in how vehicles are made, and we’re well-positioned to work with designers to ‘reinvent’ the traditional approach.”

Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,300 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2009 sales of 7.5 billion euros. The company manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, excellence in corporate management, social responsibility and respect for the environment.

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