Cleveland Driven: The Future of Automotive Design

In many ways, Cleveland has simultaneously shaped - and been shaped by - the automobile industry. In the 1920s, 70 percent of the steel made in Cleveland was destined for automotive manufacturing; the first traffic light was installed at East 105th and Euclid; and, today, the automotive industry is one of a few sectors where growth in Northeast Ohio is expected to outpace U.S. growth. Moody's Economy.com forecasts 19 percent growth here versus a scant 3 percent growth nationally by 2024.

Despite Cleveland's success, Japan and China have out-produced the American auto industry since the 1980s. Increasingly, governments are regulating the environmental impact of cars. In 2012, the Obama administration announced increased fuel economy standards (54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by model year 2025), and driverless car prototypes are more and more within the realm of possibility. So what does all this mean for the future of automotive design?

Join us as a panel of automotive designers - all graduates of the Cleveland Institute of Art - share their thoughts on the future of automotive design in America.