USC’s Entertainment Technology Center Announces Volkswagen Group of America as New Executive Sponsor

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Entertainment Technology Center at USC (ETC@USC) (www.etcenter.org), announced today that Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. has joined as an executive sponsor of the ETC. Volkswagen joins a growing group of studios and major technology companies that sponsor the non-profit consortium, which brings together top entertainment and consumer electronics companies to listen to and evaluate consumer mindshare towards future technologies.

The Volkswagen Group is a leader in incorporating the latest consumer and safety technology into its vehicles, and is committed to cutting edge research that will bring the newest innovations to drivers on the go. One of ETC’s goals is to understand what entertainment products consumers want today and into the digital future. Bringing in corporations such as Volkswagen Group, with a history of research and innovation, to collaborate with ETC’s world-leading sponsors and staff, will help improve the technology consumers will use.

Volkswagen will participate in ETC’s cross-industry CxO round tables, ETC’s Anytime/Anywhere Consumer Research, Student Feedback Forums, ETC Board and other exclusive meetings, and Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab (AACL), which will all aid in the furthering of ETC’s mission. The goal of these sponsorship programs is to provide invaluable guidance and technical resources for both the products of the future – and for the companies that make them.

“This is an important aspect of bringing our company closer to customers of the future, increasing competitiveness and achieving sharper focus on key markets,” said Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, Executive Director of Volkswagen Group of America Electronics Research Laboratory. “There is no better way to understand what people think about than to ask them directly, and to work with key participants in the value chain to create new consumer experiences.”

Since the ETC is part of the University of Southern California it has access to educated, next-generation consumers who have no problem speaking their minds – students (ages 18-24). Combine that with companies from multiple industries and the possibilities are limitless for new entertainment-related products to reach those consumers.

“The ETC is enthusiastic about working together with the trend-setters in anytime/anywhere entertainment,” explains ETC executive director, David Wertheimer. “We couldn’t be happier to welcome Volkswagen to our Executive Sponsorship board – they bring a strong history of innovation and a desire to innovate around entertainment-oriented systems.”

About Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, the world’s fourth largest automaker and the largest carmaker in Europe. It houses the U.S. operations of a worldwide family of distinguished and exciting brands including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, as well as VW Credit, Inc. Founded in 1955, the company’s headquarters are in Herndon, Va.

Volkswagen Group of America brings to the U.S. vehicles that marry the science of engineering and the art of styling, with the goal of offering attractive, safe, and environmentally sound automobiles that are competitive and set world standards in their respective classes.

The company has approximately 2,500 employees in the United States and sells its vehicles through an 800-dealer strong network. With increasing popularity for its brands in the U.S., the company has set the goal of reaching one million car sales in the country by 2018.

For more information, visit www.volkswagengroupamerica.com.

About the Entertainment Technology Center at USC

The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC, founded in 1993 with the help of George Lucas, is a non-profit organization within USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. The ETC brings together the top entertainment, technology and consumer electronic companies to evaluate what consumers really want, which is then translated to the companies that make technology products. The ETC strives to show how technology impacts the next generation consumer, which will improve the consumer experience and will uncover new revenue streams for entertainment-related products. Current ETC sponsor participants include; Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, NBC-Universal, Viacom/Paramount, Warner Bros., Tata Consultancy Services along with Cisco, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Inc., Lucasfilm Ltd, and Thomson. For more information, email: info@etcenter.org.