Winner of the 8th Annual LA Auto Show Design Challenge to be
                             announced Nov 17

    For decades, automobiles have played fundamental roles in some of
Hollywood's most popular films. The big screen has seen a steady parade of
iconic autos that not only entertained as the emblematic rides of their
famous drivers, but also stole the show and took leading roles themselves.
Thanks to vehicles such as Steve McQueen's 1968 Mustang GT that raced
through the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt, to the DeLorean featured in
Back To The Future, automobiles are firmly a part of film lore.

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    (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111101/MM96082 )

    (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060612/LAM005LOGO)

    In the quest to find the next A-list automobile, this year's Los Angeles
Auto Show Design Challenge focuses on designing Hollywood's next hottest
movie car. The entries range from vehicles acting as faithful companions to
their human counterparts, specifically developed to withstand inhospitable
and dangerous realities, to strong protectors of freedom and justice.

    Automotive design studios from around the world are invited to
participate and this year, studios from Germany, Japan and the U.S. accepted
the challenge. The winning design will be announced Nov. 17 during the
Design Los Angeles conference at the L.A. Auto Show.

    Judging criteria is based upon various factors including: how the
vehicle reflects its brand attributes relative to the plot, how the vehicle
relates to the brand or targeted audience, the level of imagination, the
character development of the vehicle and the uniqueness of the combination
of car, story and character.

    2011 Design Challenge entries include:

    Honda Research and Development Americas, Inc. - A futuristic
action-adventure, Honda takes you hundreds of years into the future after a
catastrophic event wiped out society as we know it in High Noon, featuring
the Honda IH (Intelligent Horse). A vehicle that serves as a companion and
protector in the inhospitable and lonely environment, the Honda IH was
inspired by the legend and material remains of an ancient creature called
the horse and brought to life with advanced technology. At High Noon the
dangerous environment is apparent when there is a showdown between IH's
competing for fuel and other resources, leaving the audience to question,
who will prevail?

    Hyundai Design North America - Following the immortal daughter of
vampire parents through the most dangerous places in the world to stop the
negative effects of communism, Hyundai's Countess of Siberia features the
Hyundai Stratus Sprinter multi-purpose vehicle and the DB Atlant Airship.
Serving as the Countess Elena's homebase, both vehicles have a magical
stealth force that renders them invisible during daylight, only to reappear
after dark. The vehicles contain the most modern features and have light
combat capabilities that help on her quest of justice.

    Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc.: Advanced
Design Center California - In a futuristic society of increased artificial
intelligence, two enlightened crash test mannequins, Hans05 and Franz02,
show that they are no dummies when it comes to recognizing a potential
catastrophe and decide to take matters into their own hands. Using the
Mercedes Silver Arrow, reminiscent of the W125 series, a Silberpfeil racecar
of the late 1930s and the Uhlenhaut SLR from the 50s, Hans05 and Franz02
lead the relentless and evil 'Dr. Barrier' on an action-packed thrill ride
through the past and future of transportation.

    Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Germany - In a city famous for its
friendly people and beautiful weather, but notoriously known for a lack of
parking spaces, reporter Annie Angle is on a mission to write her first,
potentially career-making, front page news article. On an early Sunday
morning, an article in a newspaper catches Annie's eye..."Smart Granny
Robots Missing!" Using her Smart 341 Parkour and its three different modes -
a typical drive mode, a fly mode that allows the vehicle to hover far above
the streets and a climb mode that allows the vehicle to run up the walls of
skyscrapers - Annie sets off on an investigation to discover the missing
link for her journalistic masterpiece.

    Subaru Design Tokyo Studio - 200 years after the Earth stopped rotating,
the Earth was split into two, distinctly different hemispheres - the
Daysphere and the Nightsphere. Humans have been living in a highly-developed
civilization in the Nightsphere, away from the sun's harmful electromagnetic
waves. However, the fuel for the power generation system, a rare
crystallized mineral, was running out. Known to be found only in the pole of
the Daysphere, a place from which no human has ever come back alive, a team
of four ventures to the other end of the world in the Ultra Subaru HORIZON.
The HORIZON is specially developed to withstand the strong electromagnetic
field, chemical imbalances, scorching heat and raging storms of the
Daysphere. Follow Subaru in this action thriller, Divided.

    Mercedes-Benz Interior Design Studio, Germany - The newest Cinderella
story, follow Cindy, a neglected stepdaughter in a dysfunctional family,
through this romantic drama as she celebrates her birthday on the town. A
surprise from her father, Cindy sets out in a new Maybach prototype, the
Maybach Berline, and meets a mysterious and handsome stranger. Based on the
dimensions of a Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, the Maybach Berline Carriage is an
E-Cell or F-Cell vehicle and features autonomous driving, a virtual
chauffeur, vis-a-vis seating layout with a "Royal Lounge," and large divided
gullwing doors with oversized privacy glass and retractable stairs for
convenient entrance. Moviegoers will awe in the romance and new technology
as Cindy races home just in time for curfew, but not before one more moment
with her new love.

    Entries will be judged by Tom Matano, director of Industrial Design at
San Francisco's Academy of Art University; Mark West, transportation chair
of Detroit's College for Creative Studies; Stewart Reed, chairman,
Transportation Design at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design; and Jay
Shuster, art director at Pixar Animation Studios.

    About the Design Challenge

    The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile
designers' conference that is held annually during the L.A. Auto Show Press
Days, November 16-17, 2011. Each year, for the past eight years, a new
Design Challenge theme is chosen and the major automotive design studios
showcase their talents, competing against each other to flex their
creativity and further explore new ideas in automotive design. The Design
Los Angeles conference also gives designers access to design industry
leaders and provides the opportunity to address common industry issues.

    The Design Challenge has received rave reviews from journalists and
extensive media exposure throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. More
information, including images, is available at
LAAutoShow.com/DesignChallenge.html.


     SOURCE: Los Angeles Auto Show

    CONTACT: Jessica Schmidt
             Rogers Ruder Finn
             +1-310-552-4177
             LAautoshow@RogersRuderFinn.com