The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers International (SPE, Troy, Mich.) has announced that the date for its 38th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries, will be Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, at Burton Manor in Livonia, Mich.

This year's theme is "Plastics: Vision 20/20," in recognition of the new corporate-average fuel-economy (CAFE) standards that automakers selling into the U.S. market will need to meet by 2020.

The event will include special displays sponsored by the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), an R&D group setup by automakers Chrysler, Ford and GM and the U.S. Department of Energy.

For more information about the Awards Competition and Gala or to download nomination forms and rules, contact the SPE, Tel.: (248) 244-8993 or visit the SPE Automotive Division's Web site: www.speautomotive.com/inno.htm.