September 2012 From the Secretary-General Hello again! Welcome to the 2012 RCAR Annual Conference in Of Special Interest: Dresden, Germany! From the Secretary-General 1 The RCAR Network 23 Our co-hosts for this year are AZT and KTI, whose host representatives Christoph Lauterwasser and Important Notice to 23 Frank Leimbach and their conference teams have Members been working very hard over the past few months to ensure that all goes well. Part of that hard work has involved putting together this special edition of the Newsletter, which contains everything you need to know to make the most of your Inside this issue: stay in Dresden. Germany 2 Once again, we have specially-designed Social and Partner Programs that are Saxony 3 guaranteed to enrich your Dresden experience, whether your interests be in Dresden 6 history, culture, or even shopping! Schloss Eckberg 9 The Technical Program is shown on pages 18 to 22 of the Newsletter. As usual, KTI 11 particular attention has been paid to ensure that the Program adequately reflects AZT 13 our interest in vehicle design, material damage, personal injury, and vehicle safety. People 16 As well, the Program will feature Working Group reports on progress in the various Helpful Contacts 17 areas over the past year. RCAR Technical Program 18 Based on what I have seen so far, I am confident that we will once again have an interesting and informative Conference. This is our opportunity to network with fellow delegates whom we may not have seen for some time, as well as to meet new delegates attending for the very first time. For those of you falling into that category, welcome! If you need to contact me for any reason, please use one of the following e-mail addresses: [email protected], or wilf [email protected]. In closing, I hope you enjoy Dresden, and the Conference, and I look forward to seeing you! Wilf Bedard Page 2 Germany! Officially, the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of 16 states, with Berlin as its capital and largest city. Germany covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) in west-central Europe. The largest south-to-north distance is 890 km, and the largest width is about 640 km. German Flag Germany Embedded in Europe Germany is located mostly at latitudes north of the United States-Canadian border – the southernmost city Munich (48° N) is virtually on the same latitude as Vancouver (49° N) - and thus closer to the Arctic Circle than to the equator. Germany's climate is moderate, and is generally without sustained periods of cold or heat. Northwestern and coastal Germany have a maritime climate caused by warm westerly winds from the North Sea; the climate is characterized by warm summers and mild cloudy winters. Farther inland, the climate is continental, marked by greater diurnal and seasonal variations in temperature, with warmer summers and colder winters. Germany was a founding member of the European Community in 1957, which became the EU in 1993. It is part of the Schengen Area and, since 1999, a member of the euro area. Germany holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011–2012 term. With 81.3 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields. It has the world's fourth largest economy by nominal GDP and the fifth largest by purchasing power parity. With very few natural resources Germany’s economy was always depending on processing imported goods. Thus Germany is the second largest exporter and third largest importer of goods. The country has developed a very high standard of living and a comprehensive system of social security. Germany has been the home of many influential philosophers, music composers, scientists and inventors, and is known for its cultural and political history. Page 3 However, for most of its history, Germany consisted of several small states and princedoms. A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in 1871 in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire, which was Prussian-dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned by the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. This latter period was marked by Fascism, with all its negative consequences, and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by the Allied Occupation forces, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990, the country was reunified when the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany). The latter consisted of 10 states, and it was decided that the acceding territory should be structured into an additional 6 states, including Berlin. The new states, which had been abolished by the East German government in 1952, were re-established as Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The state of Berlin is the result of a merger between East and West Berlin. Saxony The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen) is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic, and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in size, with an area of 18,413 square kilometres (7,109 sq mi), and the sixth most populous of Germany's sixteen states, with a population of 4.3 million. The capital city of Saxony is Dresden. Page 4 Saxony’s Flag Saxony’s Situation in Germany Located in the middle of an erstwhile German-speaking part of Europe, the history of the state of Saxony spans more than a millennium. It has been a medieval duchy, an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, a kingdom, and, from 1918 to 1952 and again from 1990, a republic. Saxony has, after Saxony Anhalt, the most vibrant economy among the federal states of the former East Germany (GDR). Microchip makers near Dresden have given the region the nickname "Silicon Saxony". The publishing and porcelain industries of the region are well-known, even though their contributions to the regional economy are not that significant. The Leipzig area, which until recently was among the regions with the highest unemployment rate, could benefit greatly from the investments of Porsche and BMW. With the VW Phaeton factory in Dresden, and many part suppliers, the automobile industry has again become one of the pillars of Saxon industry, as it was in the early 20th century. Zwickau is another major Volkswagen location. Freiberg, the former mining city, has emerged as a leading location for solar technology. Dresden and some other regions play a leading role in various areas of international biotechnology, such as electronic bioengineering. While these high-technology sectors do not yet offer a large number of jobs, they have stopped or even reversed the brain drain that was occurring up to the early 2000s in many parts of Saxony. Regional universities have strengthened their positions by partnering with local industries. Unlike smaller towns, Dresden and Leipzig now have significant population growth. Page 5 The state government is attempting to develop tourism, notably in the lake district of Lausitz, where we also find the EuroSpeedway Lausitz. This is a race track located near Klettwitz, having been opened for motor racing in the year 2000. Among other series, the DTM (German Touring Car Championship) and the Superbike World Championship are held there annually. Panorama shot of the speedway from the grandstands (Source: Wikipedia) The EuroSpeedway has a feature which is unique in continental Europe: a high-speed oval race track, as used in the United States by NASCAR and Indycar. Parts of it can also be used for Formula 1 races. The DEKRA Automobil Test Center is also established in Klettwitz, and will be one of the destinations of RCAR’s 2012 Annual Conference. The Racetrack’s Design The DEKRA Automobile Test Center (Source: Wikipedia) Page 6 Dresden The city of Dresden is situated in a valley on the River Elbe about 200 km south of Berlin, near the Czech border. The city has about 530.000 inhabitants, and its center is 113 m above sea level. Dresden has a long history, since the area had been settled in the Neolithic era by Linear Pottery culture tribes ca. 7500 BC and was first mentioned as a city in 1216. Dresden's founding and early growth is associated with mining in the nearby Ore Mountains, and the establishment of the Margraviate of Meissen. Its name etymologically derives from the Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest. The city was known as the Jewel Box, because of its baroque and rococo city centre. An Allied aerial bombing towards the end of World War II destroyed the entire city centre.