Dassault Systèmes Promotes Innovation as Lead Sponsor of EyesOn Design Competition

Prestigious Event Celebrates 6th Year at North American International Auto Show.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich ─ Dassault Systèmes announced that it is the lead sponsor of the sixth annual EyesOn Design Awards competition to be held on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at the 2011 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Additionally, Dassault Systèmes vice president of Design Experience and head of the company’s Design Studio, Anne Asensio, will be serving her second year as part of the event’s judging panel.

EyesOn Design is the only automotive design contest that is judged by the most senior and successful members of the design community. The judging panel is comprised of representatives from the OEMs, design schools and independent automotive design studios. It is also the only venue that recognizes both production and concept vehicle debuts at the NAIAS. New vehicles -- inclusive of cars, trucks, and crossovers -- are judged in two categories: Production Vehicle Design and Best Concept Vehicle Design. Asensio who, prior to joining Dassault Systèmes, spent many years as head of design at both General Motors and Renault, will be presenting both of these awards.

Dassault Systèmes has partnered with the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (DIO) since the inception of the NAIAS EyesOn Design fundraising event, which honors and recognizes the most significant new automotive designs on display at the show.

“We are honored to continue this relationship with the DIO as a way to inspire innovative vehicle design while benefitting the visually impaired,” commented Asensio. “Dassault Systèmes is focused on providing designers with tools that enable them to be more creative, allowing for more ideas to be developed in a shorter time frame while linking the creative process directly to engineering, manufacturing and production for better design intent and shorter time to market.”

The EyesOn Design Competition at the NAIAS is an extension of the celebration of automotive design that occurs each June when the DIO hosts the annual EyesOn Design car show, which honors the past, present and future of automotive design. In addition to being recognized as major design achievement awards in the automotive design community, both EyesOn Design events raise funds to provide educational programs and to support leading-edge research and other programs to enhance the lives of the blind and visually impaired. More than 6,000 people directly benefit from these programs each year.