The atrium of Beamish-Munro Hall was filled on Nov. 11, as students from across campus came to learn more about the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the automotive industry from Steve Carlisle, General Motors Canada President and Managing Director. Mr. Carlisle’s lecture, titled Automotive Innovation: It’s Not Your Parents’ Auto Industry Anymore, gave students an inside look at how disruptive technology is creating both new challenges and opportunities for the next generation of auto engineers.

The speech, part of the Principal’s Forum lecture series, touched on four main areas that automakers are being driven to innovate – the development of electric vehicles, increased connectivity between vehicles and mobile devices, the arrival of autonomous driving vehicles, and the rise of the sharing economy.

In each of these areas, he outlined not only what GM and other manufacturers are doing at the present, but the opportunities and challenges for the next generation of automotive engineers.