Electric Car Manufacturer Charges up Product Development Processes with Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA PLM Express

Tesla Motors Partners with TechniGraphics on Implementation of CATIA and a Broader ENOVIA SmarTeam Engineering Solution

Auburn Hills, Mich., November 13, 2007 — Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Nasdaq: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors has selected CATIA PLM Express as its product development solution.  In addition, Tesla has expanded the data management capabilities found in CATIA PLM Express and will deploy ENOVIA SmarTeam’s multi-site data replication solution between its engineering facilities in San Carlos, California and Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Tesla Motors is an electric vehicle manufacturer headquartered in San Carlos with more than 250 employees and a new vehicle design facility in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Known for producing the Tesla Roadster, a high-performance electric sports car, it gained numerous accolades for best car and design. For the development of its next generation electric vehicle, a 4-door performance sedan, Tesla is rolling out Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA PLM Express.

“As a growing company, we saw the need for a comprehensive solution that supports the entire vehicle engineering process and is scalable to accommodate our needs now as well as in the future,” said Tesla Motors’ Paul Lomangino. “Additionally, we needed a product data management tool that takes advantage of the native depth and richness of the engineering data, while enabling effective collaboration between locations and with our suppliers. CATIA PLM Express, which includes ENOVIA SmarTeam and digital mockup capabilities, provides us cutting edge technology and capability in an unbeatable package.”

Implementation and training for Tesla is provided by DS channel partner TechniGraphics.  Phase one implementation, consisting of 30 seats, was completed at the end of 2006.  An additional 15 seats were added in early 2007 with another 20-seat expansion expected by the end of this year. In the next phase Tesla will expand the scope of its implementation to cover a multi-site design-to-manufacture scenario, incorporating engineering data integration with Tesla’s ERP system.

“We are proud to be working with such an exciting company as Tesla Motors,” said Jacques Leveille-Nizerolle, CATIA brand CEO, Dassault Systèmes.  “While Tesla is focused on building a premium performance car brand by offering consumers zero emissions electric vehicles, our solutions are focused on providing Tesla improved design performance, quality and efficiency.  Our commitment to capturing company knowledge for reuse and sharing a common set of data is also about resource maximization, which matches Tesla’s own business focus.”

“TechniGraphics is excited to support innovation in the automotive industry,” said Dee Vaidya, president and CEO of TechniGraphics.  “Even as a startup company, Tesla understands the need to design its PLM system correctly from the beginning.  We are confident TechniGraphics' collaboration will help Tesla's team members gain the advantage of our many years of experience in implementing PLM solutions. We will provide them with the long term benefits they are seeking from the Dassault Systèmes suite of solutions.”