Dassault Systèmes CATIA and Abaqus Prove Instrumental to Challenge X Winner

Mississippi State University Successfully Re-designs “Green” SUV

PARIS – November 7, 2007 - Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Nasdaq: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, congratulates the Mississippi State University (MSU) team on their first place finish in the 2007 Challenge X, an engineering competition to design an environmentally-friendly SUV.

MSU relied heavily on Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA and Abaqus software to re-engineer a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. Sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy, and organized by Argonne National Laboratory, Challenge X asks teams to re-design the SUV to minimize energy consumption, emissions and greenhouse gases while maintaining or exceeding the vehicle’s utility and performance.

During the nine-day competition held in Milford, Mich., MSU edged out 16 other universities with its diesel-electric, parallel hybrid vehicle featuring a 1.9L GM direct injection turbo diesel engine fueled by B20 biodiesel running the front wheels and an electric motor running the rear wheels. The vehicle increased its fuel economy by 48 percent compared to the original design, reduced its well-to-wheels petroleum consumption by 50 percent, and reduced its well-to-wheels greenhouse gases by 60 percent.

“Dassault Systèmes software is what helped separate our team from the other schools,” said Neil Littell, PLM Coordinator for the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) at MSU. “CATIA was instrumental in redesigning the components to fit our needs while Abaqus simulated the stresses on the components. Additionally, the CATIA virtual machining solution was used to generate code to drive our CNC machines to manufacture the parts.”

The Challenge X project has developed over four years. During the first year, computational modeling played a key role in component design, optimization and packaging. For example, the 1.9L Fiat Diesel engine and transmission were positioned in the Equinox’s engine bay and engine mounts were both modelled and machined with the help of CATIA. The Abaqus solution from DS’s SIMULIA brand was used to perform multiple finite element analysis studies to optimize the performance of the Equinox’s rear suspension cradle. The predictions made in year one were then validated in year two, in which the hybrid modifications were implemented. Mississippi State spent year three of the Challenge X competition refining its hybrid system and modifying the vehicle for consumer acceptability. Phase four, which began in June 2007, will include further refinement to the vehicle and more emphasis on consumer acceptability, as well as including outreach and marketing of the vehicle, including trips across North America to showcase the vehicle.

“Programs like this offer students the opportunity to work with real-world processes and tools, better preparing them for success in the automotive industry,” said Xavier Fouger, head of Dassault Systèmes Learning. “We are proud our tools could play a part in helping the Mississippi State team and hope they achieve the same success during the next phase.”

About CAVS
The Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems was established at Mississippi State in 2001 with the support of the State of Mississippi in order to enhance the interaction of the state with the automotive manufacturing community. Its mission is to research and develop design and manufacturing means and methods for producing superior quality vehicles with advanced features and functions at reduced costs and shorter product development times, and exploiting the underlying technologies for broader industrial use. The mission also includes engineering extension, education and workforce training outreach for industry. For more information about the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems and what it can do for you, please visit www.cavs.msstate.edu.

About Dassault Systèmes
As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 90,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance. The Dassault Systèmes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual product - SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design - DELMIA for virtual production - SIMULIA for virtual testing and ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, including ENOVIA VPLM, ENOVIA MatrixOne and ENOVIA SmarTeam. Dassault Systèmes is listed on the Nasdaq (DASTY) and Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges. For more information, visit: http://www.3ds.com

CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA and SolidWorks are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries.

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