
Car Body Xperience 2026
Since its successful start in 2023, Car Body Xperience has established itself as an important industry gathering for car body engineers in North America and beyond. 2026 is the fourth time that the Automotive Circle will have the great pleasure of inviting all interested automotive engineering experts to meet in Rochester, Michigan and discuss all things Car Body.
- See, benchmark and discuss some of the latest Bodies-in-White on site.
- Enjoy two conference days full of engineering-oriented, technical presentations by engineers from the most relevant OEMs and their suppliers.
- Meet, connect, and be inspired by car body engineering experts from all over the world.
Let’s get together from April 21 – 22, 2026 in Rochester, MI, USA to stay up to date with the latest car body projects and experience the latest solutions firsthand! We are looking forward to meeting you in Rochester in April!
Don’t miss any updates by following our Hashtag: #ACXperience
Conference Program
| 8:00 AM |
Coffee & Breakfast SnackMeet the Exhibitors on site |
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| 9:00 AM | Welcome, Conference Introduction | Dr. Sibylle Freitag, Automotive Circle, DE |
Aluminium Study |
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| 9:30 AM | New aluminium study in cooperation with an OEM | Prof. Mark White, Alumobility |
Steel an Hybrid Solutions I |
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| 10:00 AM | Enhancing BIW Efficiency: The Role of New PHS Grades Based Laser Welded Blanks in Future Door Ring Designs | Nachiket Gokhale, ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks, US |
| 10:30 AM |
Coffee Break & Networking | Meet the Exhibitors |
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| 11:15 AM | Hybrid Structural Solutions for car body reinforcements: a lightweight, cost-efficient, and easy-to-manufacture solution | Dr. Marwen Chatti, Raoul Abas, Henkel AG & Co., DE; Emine Fulya Akbulut Irmak, LIA GmbH, DE |
OEM BIW PRESENTATION – technical presentation & discussion at the BiW |
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| 11:45 AM | The Honda Passport | Adam Swanson, Savio Rozario, Honda Manufacturing & Development of America, US |
| 12:30 PM |
Lunch Break & Networking | Meet the Exhibitors |
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Hybrid and Steel Solutions II |
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| 1:30 PM | Workshop: The Use of AI in Body Design and Development | |
| 2:00 PM | Steel Battery Enclosure Optimization | Michael Davenport, Auto/Steel Partnership, US |
| 2:30 PM | Assessing Formability for Next-Gen AHSS: Transitioning from Dual Phase to Multiphase 980/1180MPa Grades | Jatinder P. Singh, General Motors Company, US; Vasant Pednekar, U.S. Steel, US |
| 3:00 PM |
Coffee Break & Networking | Meet the Exhibitors |
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OEM BIW PRESENTATION – technical presentation & discussion at the BiW |
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| 3:45 PM | The Lucid Gravity | Siddarth Alampally, N.N., Lucid, US |
| 5:15 PM |
End of first conferene day & Get Together |
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| 6:00 PM |
Networking Night |
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| 7:00 AM |
Coffee & Breakfast SnackMeet the Exhibitors on site |
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Shaping and Forming |
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| 8:00 AM | Next-Generation Body Architecture Enabled by Steel Tube Air Forming | Ryuichi Funada, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, USA; US |
| 8:30 AM | 500R Radius AHSS Roll Formed Bumper Beam | Brian Oxley, Shape Corp., US |
OEM BIW PRESENTATION – technical presentation & discussion at the BiW |
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| 9:00 AM | The Cadillac Celestiq | N.N., General Motors Company |
| 10:30 AM |
Coffee Break & Networking | Meet the Exhibitors |
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OEM BIW PRESENTATION – technical presentation & discussion at the BiW |
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| 11:00 AM | Invited: Stellantis | N.N. |
Sealing Solutions |
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| 11:30 PM | From Manual to Automated: Pumpable Baffles for Large Cavities and Optimal Water Sealing | Kristen Johns; Neil Wilson, Henkel, US |
| 12:00 PM | New Strucutral Foam |
Kevin Cox, L&L Products, US
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Smart Body Shop |
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| 12:30 PM | Smart Factory Solutions for the Body Shop | Özgecan Sarı, Robolaunch, TR |
| 1:00 PM | Conclusions, farewell | Dr. Sibylle Freitag, Automotive Circle, DE |
| 1:10 PM |
Lunch Break & Networking |
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| 2:30 PM |
End of second conference day |
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What Makes Car Body Xperience Unique
Car Body Xperience isn’t a slide marathon. Built for engineers who value depth and transparency, it offers real insights and peer‑to‑peer discussion among car‑body specialists.
Long‑format OEM Presentations
Extended technical sessions that dive into real development decisions, trade‑offs and lessons learned.
Hands‑on Body‑in‑White Discussions
Interactive exchange directly at real BiW exhibits with in‑depth Q&A – the event emphasises that participants can see and discuss the latest bodies‑in‑white on site.
5 Confirmed OEM Presentations
Including Cadillac CELESTIQ and Honda Passport; additional OEM sessions and full program details will be announced soon.
Engineering‑to‑Engineering Exchange
Open conversations about challenges, trade‑offs and implementation strategies among OEMs and key suppliers.
Real Cars. Real Structures. Real Challenges.
Architecture choices, joining strategies, lightweight concepts and production realities; the event promises two days of engineering‑oriented, technical presentations by leading OEM engineers
More detailed program information will be released soon.
Participants
The conference is aimed at
- Body construction engineers from international automotive manufacturers with project responsibilities in (pre)development, planning and production,
- as well as relevant system suppliers, within the whole process chain “painted car body”.
Insights from Participants
Prof. Dr. Mark White (Alumobility)
Robert Chaney (General Motors)
International OEM Advisory board
The Automotive Circle and OEM Advisory Board of the Car Body Xperience, consisting of experts from the following brands and companies:
Aaron Elowsky
Stellantis
Christopher Michaels
General Motors Company, US
Eric Boettcher
Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, LLC
Jonathan Rich
General Motors Company
Matthew Wolfe
Rivian
Michael Kozak
Ford Motor Company, US
Shawn Morgans
Scout Motors
Become a sponsor or exhibitor
EXHIBITORS ON SITE
Take advantage of the high coverage of the Automotive Circle and profit from the sponsoring options before and during the events. Show your competence and services, matching the conference subjects, to the numerous car body engineers of international OEM. Thus, you are strengthening your brand awareness in the automotive industry!
Come on board as an exhibitor or sponsor and benefit from this excellent platform to strongly promote your company’s capabilities as a reliable supplier!
Check out the various exhibition and sponsoring options:
Review
*all prices net
Detailed information available under Prices, Terms & Conditions.
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