Washington — Thought leaders from across the vehicle finance industry will share their expertise at the American Financial Services Association (AFSA)’s 18th Annual Vehicle Finance Conference and Exposition, scheduled for Jan. 22-24, 2014, at the Sheraton in New Orleans. This year’s theme is “Navigating the New Normal.”

The conference will kick off with a macro-level examination of industry trends by John Gray, president, of Experian Automotive, Michael Buckingham, senior director of automotive finance for J.D. Power & Associates and Sarah Watt House, economist for Wells Fargo Securities LLC. Experts from research, strategy and vehicle finance firms will also delve into technology innovations, how to connect with younger generations, relationship management and risk management.

Bob Lutz, retired vice chairman of General Motors, will be at the conference to share key lessons he learned over his 47-year career. He will also identify best practices during his keynote address.

The conference will feature Patrice Ficklin, assistant director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)’s Office of Fair Lending. She will discuss the bureau’s approach to regulation and compliance based on the fair lending bulletin it issued in March 2013.

The conference will also feature a candid panel discussion among vehicle finance CEOs. Feature participants will include Daniel Berce, president and CEO of GM Financial, Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of Chase Auto Finance and Mike Groff, president and CEO of Toyota Financial Services. In addition, four leaders from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) will share the dealer perspective in the “Top Issues for Dealers in 2014” session.

The conference will close with a look forward from Sheryl Connelly, Global Consumer Trends and Futuring Manager for Ford Motor Co. She will discuss probable shifts in consumer values, attitudes and behaviors.