Asia's first automotive electronics fair, the 2006 Taipei International Automobile Electronics Show (AutoTronics Taipei 2006), was held on Apr. 17-20 at the Exhibition Hall of the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) in Taiwan.

The main organizers of the show, which is to be an annual event, were the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA). Co-organizers included the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers' Association (TTVMA), and the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC).

AutoTronics Taipei 2006 was divided into a number of theme areas, including Telematics/Drive Information Systems, Automobile Body Electrical Systems, Automobile Safety Systems, Automobile Security Systems, Engine Management Systems, Power Train Systems, Brake Control Systems, Suspension and Chassis Systems, Automobile Electronic Products, and Automobile Electronic Components and Parts.

According to TAITRA, the event attracted over 150 exhibitors from Taiwan, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Sweden, Australia, and other areas, who together occupied more than 300 booths. The show drew about 1, 400 visitors from overseas as well as over 17, 000 from Taiwan itself.
TAITRA reports that most major local automotive electronics companies took part, including Mobiletron, Stark Technology, E-Lead, the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC), Universal Scientific, Antec, Universal Scientific Industrial Co. (USI), and Everlight Electronics. Big international participants included Freescale Semiconductor, a leading supplier of integrated circuits for automotive applications.

AutoTronics Taipei 2006 was held simultaneously with the 2006 Taipei International Digital Electronics Show (DigiTronics Taipei 2006), a combination of the former Taitronics Spring and TaipeiOpto exhibitions.

Eight Major Activities

In addition to the exhibits, the show featured eight major activities:

1. The 2006 Taipei International Automotive Electronics Forum: High-ranking executives of international automakers and tier-one parts suppliers such as Ford, BMW, Chrysler, and Siemens VDO were invited to speak on such themes as telematics, automotive safety, and hybrid power.

2. Pre-show Press Conference and New-product Announcement.

3. Taiwan AutoTronics Night (on April 17): To enhance interaction between foreign buyers and local companies, numerous international buyers took part in this event, including representatives from BMW, Robert Bosch, Ford, Volkswagen, and Siemens VDO.

4. Taiwan Biz Tour: International buyers were invited to take part in city, nature, and night tours.

5. Industry Seminars: These covered such topics as Future Applications for Automotive Electronics, Development Trends of Automotive Semiconductors, Business Opportunities for Taiwan' s Automotive Electronics Industry, and Business Opportunities for Taiwan' s IC-Design Sector.

6. Partner-Nation Activities

7. Procurement Policy Explanation and Face-to-Face Biz Negotiations: TAITRA arranged about 300 one-on-one business negotiations for exhibitors and international buyers.

8. Three Theme Pavilions: Taiwan Car Electronics Pavilion, Human Technology– Intelligent Transportation System Pavilion, and Yulon Motor & Its Satellites Pavilion.

Three Theme Pavilions

The exhibition was given extra allure by three theme pavilions that were set up on the showground: the Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium (TARC) Pavilion, Human Technology – Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Pavilion, and Yulon Motor and Its Satellites Pavilion.

The TARC Pavilion, using the slogan "Innovative technology for a smart lifestyle, " was a cooperative project organized by the TARC consortium, which is an industry R&D alliance of four local research institutes.

This pavilion showed off the R&D achievements of TARC members in the field of automotive electronics, as well as the results of work carried out by a number of sub-alliances covering chassis sub-systems, vehicle safety, low-emission power trains, computer-aided engineering technical services for auto parts, intelligent adaptive front-light systems, hydro-formed auto parts, and automotive electronics.

The main-theme zone within the TARC Pavilion showcased the "t-car" vehicle platform, which is a technology-integration platform with a major emphasis on energy-conservation and safety.

The Human Technology – Intelligent Transportation Systems (HT-ITS) Pavilion highlighted Taiwan' s first ITS system, which is currently under trial operation in a city. The system uses ITS information and communication platforms along with a traffic dynamics simulation platform for system integration, verification, and demonstration of all HT-ITS subsystems. The "TAIWAN iTS-1" experimental car, developed via a project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, was also displayed.

Yulon Motor and Its Satellites Pavilion focused on the Yulon Group, Taiwan' s largest auto-manufacturing conglomerate and the island' s most aggressive developer of automotive electronics. It also exhibited the most advanced auto-electronics systems and parts, including security systems, heads-up displays (HUDs), infotainment systems, telematics systems, keyless entry systems, and other subsystems developed by Yulon' s satellite plants.

Table:

lang=EN-US style='font-size:16.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>  lang=EN-US style='mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>2006 Taipei International Automotive Electronics Forum   lang=EN-US style='font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family: 標楷體;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>

style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Moderator: style='mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Ms. Chun-fang Hsu, Deputy Director General of Bureau of Foreign Trade   style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>※ style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Topic: lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>The Current Development and Future Opportunities of Taiwan Auto Electronics Industries lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Speaker1: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>.Yi-Cheng Liu style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>（ lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Chairman of TTVMA style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>） lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>  style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>※ style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Topic lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> Global Trends in the Automotive Industry  style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'> style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Speaker2 :  Dr. Gunter Hertel (Vice President, Research Technology Management and Intellectual Property Management, DaimlerChrysler)

style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Moderator: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Walter Yeh, Executive Vice President of TAITRA.   style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>※ style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Topic: Telematics (Telematics and Tele-services) style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Speaker 1: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> Dr. Marc Girardet (Manager, Regional Marketing China of BMW AG) style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>  style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>※ style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Topic: Telematics (The Development of Telematics in Japan) style="mso-spacerun: yes">  style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Speaker 2: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Kentaro Sakamoto (Director of ITS, Japan style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>） lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>   style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>※ style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Topic: Telematics (Infotainment Solution from Siemens VDO) lang=EN-US style='mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Speaker 3: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> Dr. Jeff Zhou (Vice President Strategy and Marketing, Siemens VDO Automotive)

style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Moderator: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> Dr. Jet P. H. Shu, lang=EN-US>Deputy General Director, Mechanical Industry Research Laboratories, ITRI   style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>※ style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Topic: Hybrid (Hybrid Electric Vehicles on the Road and R&D of Commercial Vehicles) style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Speaker: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> Masahiko Hori (Senior Research Adviser, Japan Automobile Research Institute)   style='font-family:標楷體;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>※ style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Topic: Safety (Future Generation of Automotive Driver Assistance Systems) style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'>Speaker: style='mso-fareast-font-family:標楷體'> Dr. R. Schmidt (Technical Representative Tokyo, VW Group Japan KK)