Tata Group chairman  Ratan Tata, former Atomic Energy  Commission chairman and now principal scientific advisor, R Chidambaram, and Fritz Henderson, president and COO, General Motors, America, will deliver keynote addresses at the SIAM annual convention next week in New Delhi Next week.

The theme of the 2008 annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers that commeneces from 4 September in New Delhi, "''India's Automotive Industry: Challenges for Leadership - 2016 and Beyond.'' will see leading auto makers and experts from the global automotive industry gather in India to explore future business opportunities arising from the auto boom in India.

The event coincides with the 60th anniversary of the automobile industry in India.

The convention will feature global leaders and a panel of distinguished speakers presenting their perspectives on globalisation, customer and market trends, value chain optimisation for meeting the challenge of increasing costs, the economic outlook and challenges of finance, innovation and trends that may impact the global automotive industry.

There would be two global leaders' panels that would deliberate on ''What would it take for India to become an innovation leader in automotive industry?'' and ''Will the small car segment bring new dynamics in the auto industry?''

Next month an automotive technology exposition will showcase new developments in vehicle engineering for better safety and emission control on 3 September and 4 September.

The convention will also be attended by ministers and senior government officials

SIAM conventions mainly focus on issues influencing the Indian automotive industry's competitiveness and its integration with the global economy.

Speakers from different industry sectors including the automotive industry and other thought leaders share their thoughts on various issues. The convention has more than 1,000 delegates, mostly CEO from auto and auto ancillary manufacturers. This event has emerged as India's most important annual automotive convention.

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is the apex industry body representing  leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India. SIAM is an important channel of communication for the auto industry with the government, vational and international organisations.

The society works closely withy all the concerned stake holders and actively participates in formulation of rules, regulations and policies related to the automobile industry.