May 2023 Southwest Edition

EPA’s Strongest Emissions Standards Ever May Boost EV Sales

By Steven Loveday InsideEVs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan on April 12 announced proposed key gas car regulations that could promote EV adoption and save Americans money.

The new standards aim to be some of the most stringent ever, to further limit tailpipe pollution. These proposed changes are not final, which means there will likely be many modifications over the coming weeks and months before heading to a final approval stage.

Under the new plan, electric cars, trucks and SUVs could comprise some 67% of all new light-duty passenger vehicle sales in the U.S. by 2032. Moreover, sales of medium-duty EVs could climb to an impressive 46% of all vehicles sold by 2032.

The standards would become stricter as time goes on. The end goal is to reach a U.S. fleetwide average of 82 grams per mile of carbon dioxide for light-duty vehicles and 275 grams for mediumduty vehicles by model year 2032.

The current rules aim for a fleetwide goal of 161 grams of carbon dioxide

REGIONAL NEWS

Texas Senate Transportation Committee Kills Vehicle Inspection Bill

The Texas Senate Transportation Committee rejected legislation that would have eliminated Texas’ vehicle safety inspection program.

Senate Bill (SB) 684’s committee substitute failed by a vote of three in favor and five against.

Research clearly demonstrates regular testing of a vehicle’s tires, brakes, windshield wipers, lights and beams, seat belts and airbag systems plays a critical role in preventing many injuries and deaths. ASA appreciates State Sens. Royce West, Carol Alvarado, Sarah Eckhardt, Kelly Hancock and Phil King for taking the time to listen to the policy experts and examine the empirical evidence, and ultimately vote to protect Texas communities.

The Automotive Service Association is a long-time supporter of vehicle safety inspections and opposed this bill, as well as an earlier version that would have changed the state’s inspection requirement from every year to every five years.

“Today, the Texas Senate Transportation Committee did the right thing for the state by defeating this bill,” said Bob Redding, ASA’s Washington, D.C. representative. “Texas has a successful vehicle inspection program that protects the motoring public. This private-public partnership program should not be eliminated. Instead, the legislature should heed its own 2018 study’s recommendations and consider

l CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 REGIONAL NEWS

Maaco Rockwall in TX Wins Excellence in Customer Focus Award

As proposed, the emissions regulations would be phased in from 2027 through 2032. The EPA expects such measures to reduce emissions by a minimum of 40% by 2030 and save car owners $12,000 over the course of ownership, so long as they own a car that complies with the new rules.

per mile by model year 2026, for both light- and medium-duty vehicles.

According to the EPA, the proposed standards could decrease emissions by as much as 56% compared to the existing standards.

It’s important to note the proposed EPA emissions standards do not

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Maaco Rockwall, located in the heart of the Rockwall County community in Texas, has placed an increased focus on customer service year after year. The team, led by owner Shane Hollas, believes in treating every customer like family and ensuring they give each person that walks through their door an incredible experience.

Members of the Rockwall community have embraced this auto body shop because of its dedication to its customers, propelling votes to

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Columnist Mike Anderson: Are You Giving Your Estimators the Time and Training Needed to Succeed?

Columnist Ed Attanasio: AirPro Diagnostics Helps Every Shop Repair All 550 of Today’s Models

Columnist Stacey Phillips: CCC Crash Course Report Shows Macrotrends Having Profound Impact

Columnist John Yoswick: Mike Anderson’s ‘Spartans’ Group Offers Shops

COLUMNISTS

Mike Anderson Are You Giving Your Estimators the Time and Training Needed to Succeed? 31 Abby Andrews CIECAST Discusses How Collision Repairers Can ‘Move Upstream’ to Capture More Customers 40

Index of Advertisers

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, Arity Launch Program Rewarding Safe Drivers

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance on March 30 announced its new insurance program, Drive‘n Save, built in partnership with Arity, a mobility data and analytics company.

The program offers drivers the chance to save 10% on their auto insurance premium just for participating, with deeper discounts available for drivers who demonstrate ongoing safe driving behavior. Policyholders download Texas Farm Bureau Insurance’s mobile telematics app, which collects driving behavior data to provide them with more accurate and fairer pricing based on how and how much they drive, leading the way for the future of insurance.

With Drive‘n Save, Texas Farm Bureau Insurance will also be able to provide feedback on individual driver behavior to potentially reduce auto policy premiums for its customers.

The heart of this new offering is Arity’s distinct scoring model, Drivesight®, which allows insurers like Texas Farm Bureau Insurance to tailor the customer

experience in today’s data-driven environment with insurance premiums that more accurately reflect their actual driving behaviors.

“Promoting safe driving and providing discounts to our members are top of mind for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance,” said Minesh Patel, director of pricing for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. “We are always looking for ways to improve the way we service our members and provide them with the best coverage and solutions. With Arity’s long legacy and proven expertise in insurance telematics and wealth of data insights, there is no better partner to deliver the experience, accuracy, transparency and rewards that our customers deserve—including discounts for driving safely.”

As people continue to face the threat of a recession and individual financial challenges, they are frequently shopping for ways to save on their insurance. Being able to offer the right price—and one that reflects how people actually drive—is a top priority for many insurers.

Arity offers a broad suite of insurance solutions that address these industry headwinds, powered by more than 1 trillion miles of driving data. These solutions provide an improved product experience for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance and its customers, who continues to rank highest in customer satisfaction among auto insurers in Texas according to J.D. Power over the past 11 years in a row.

“As drivers increasingly demand insurance pricing that reflects their individual driving habits, it’s critical for insurance companies to leverage the power of telematics. This is key to empowering drivers to use their data for their own benefit,” said Henry Kowal, director of outbound product management, insurance solutions at Arity. “We are very excited to partner with Texas Farm Bureau Insurance to bring Drive‘n Save to its customers and deliver insights and values that can help make the roads safer and reward safer driving.”

Source: Texas Farm Bureau Insurance

Classic Collision Adds CO, FL Locations

Classic Collision, LLC, announced two new closings March 31—the acquisition of BJ’s Auto Theft & Collision in Commerce City, CO, and Irish Mike’s Collision in Orlando, FL.

For 30 years, BJ’s Auto Theft & Collision has been dedicated to returning customers vehicle to them in the best condition in the shortest time possible, while ensuring each customer has an exceptional experience.

Irish Mike’s Collision has been family owned and operated with a long-standing reputation for great work, affordable prices and trustworthy service.

“Both BJ’s Auto Theft & Collision and Irish Mike’s Collision have been high performers along with customer focused, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Classic family as we continue to expand our footprint across Colorado and Florida,” said Toan Nguyen , CEO of Classic Collision.

Source: Classic Collision, LLC

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CCC Crash Course Report Shows Macrotrends Having Profound Impact on Collision Industry

By Stacey Phillips Autobody News

A shift in consumer driving behaviors since the pandemic, the rise of AI and labor shortages are some macroeconomic trends impacting the collision industry, according to the 28th edition of CCC Intelligent Solutions’ Crash Course Report, “ignite EXPERIENCE.” Meanwhile, there are advancements in vehicle technology, including advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and electric vehicles (EVs), said Jason Verlen, CCC’s vice president, product marketing.

force looks like. These have clear, demonstrable and profound impacts on the claims repair ecosystem. The ramifications are deep, and from my perspective, I don’t think these issues are going anywhere anytime soon. There is generally less congestion on roadways since the pandemic and peak driving volume is occurring on different days and times. In the top 10 U.S. cities, miles traveled are roughly the same. It may even be up a bit, but downtown, it is 27% below the usual. This is due to more of a balance between hybrid work and going to the office, and more people living in rural areas and driving during

to complexity. When you look at a diagram of a front bumper from 10 years ago, it might have three or four obvious pieces. A front bumper today is double or triple that. It begins to add up when you have more parts to assemble and the growing need for diagnostic scans and performing a calibration to ensure everything is repaired correctly.

There are also more supplements. Roughly 60% of claims now have a supplement. If you look at data from 20 years ago, I believe it was 20%. As unbelievable as it sounds, about 5% of claims have four or more supplements. The cost of the supplements has almost doubled over the last five years from $500 to $900.

Another shift is the mechanical labor required. About 40% of claims on new vehicles require more expensive mechanical labor, which is double than five years ago.

With the amount of digital technology in new vehicles, we’re seeing a diagnostic scan included in the initial estimate. We wouldn’t have seen that years ago, but the computer systems in cars today need special tools to identify and diagnose damage.

Insurers and repair facilities are becoming more creative in figuring out how to handle the situation. We are seeing carriers being more flexible in hiring people who are not necessarily in the areas where they have their offices and working remotely. Repair shops, especially MSOs, are becoming more aggressive in setting up training programs to bring people on board.

Additionally, the rise of AI is making the claims process more efficient. The use of photo estimating, for example, has increased since the pandemic. About 27% of repairable vehicles go through the photo estimating process; indeed 150 carriers send CCC photos and approximately 100 apply AI to those photos. Over 14 million claims have used this technology since it was deployed.

One advantage of using AI is the superior process. If a carrier sends photos to a repair facility, it can apply AI to build an initial estimate and repair plan for the repair professional to review. AI also aids employees coming into the industry who have less experience than their predecessors.

“The macrotrends are having effects on how the industry functions,” said Verlen. “The industry is changing quickly.”

Subtitled “The Era of Experience,” Crash Course 2023 includes data from 260 million claims-related transactions, 50 billion miles of driving data, and millions of auto physical damage and auto bodily injury and personal injury protection (PIP)/medical payments (MedPay) casualty claims data and analysis. Verlen shared learnings from the report and the impact to the industry and consumers.

Q:

How are the findings different than prior years?

A: The transition is more profound in terms of what’s happening with repairs and claim times. This is not the usual market change. In addition, it’s what repair facilities and insurers are doing in the face of these shifts that readers will find interesting.

Q:

What are some macrotrends discovered?

A: The macrotrends include where people live, what cars they drive, how they drive and how technology like AI is changing their experience with vehicle ownership, insurance claims and repairs. Another macrotrend is what the labor

non-peak hours.

People are also driving differently. They are driving faster and are more distracted. This can be attributed to texting, as well as cannabis and alcohol use.

This affects Delta-V, which is the change in velocity between pre-collision and post-collision trajectories of a vehicle and indicates accidents are getting more severe.

New vehicles are not just bigger, but heavier and have more horsepower. We found people are driving more trucks with an average of more than 300 horsepower. The average internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle has 1,500 semiconductors, whereas an EV is double that. When they are in accidents, there are definite ramifications.

Q:

What is taking place with repairs?

A: Costs continue to climb. Over the last five years, they have increased from an average of $3,000 per claim to $4,000. This is partly due to new technology. More parts and labor are on the average claim. Typically, parts consist of varying materials and many incorporate digital technology, which makes them more expensive to buy and repair.

The average number of parts on a claim five years ago was nine; in 2022, it was 13. It comes down

There are more situations where parts are replaced that would have

Q:How are these changes impacting consumers?

A:They affect customers because they affect cycle time. We have complicated vehicles that are expensive to repair. They require more steps, diagnostics and calibrations and there is less labor to do it. This impacts customers getting their cars into a repair shop. Many facilities have a waiting list of over a month. There’s no magic to shrinking those backlogs but there are steps shops can take, like getting more labor on board, getting more comfortable repairing these vehicles and transparency with customers.

been repaired previously due to the electronics inside. In some cases, there are more OEM parts with sophisticated electronics. That increases costs and repair time.

Q: How are these changes impacting labor?

A: The labor shortage, both for carriers and shops, is a huge challenge at the wrong time because of the dynamics of the vehicles themselves combined with how people drive.

There’s a big difference between a consumer waiting for a car that’s not functioning correctly and one that’s getting messages about the status of how the repair is progressing.

If a repair isn’t done transparently and there are delays and supplements, that’s frustrating for a customer. If the repair process is transparent, even in a challenging environment, a consumer is more likely to give the repair shop the benefit of the doubt.

To read the report, visit cccis.com/ crash-course.

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ABPA Opposes Texas Bill That Would Restrict Use of Alternative Replacement Parts

On March 27, the Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) submitted opposition to Texas Senate Bill 1083 (2023), which will adversely affect Texas drivers as it would establish a 36-month restriction against the use of alternative parts including aftermarket, recycled, remanufactured and refurbished parts when OEM repair procedures are mandated.

The ABPA is against any repair procedure that encourages monopolistic behavior that would solely benefit the OEM manufacturer, as this would further burden the consumer.

Based on the language of the bill, Texas vehicle owners will be given the false impression that alternative parts are inferior and unsafe compared to car company parts.

In its letter, the ABPA said the bill “would not achieve its goal, as consumers would be adversely affected should they be limited to having their vehicles repaired only with car company branded parts as stated in OEM repair procedures. Consumers will be affected

financially by higher part pricing due to lack of competition and higher insurance costs due to the higher costs of parts. Consumers will also face delays in getting their vehicles repaired and more vehicles will be totaled due to interruptions in the supply chain.

The ABPA pointed out the rate of inflation for auto body repair and auto insurance has been at levels not seen since the late 1970s and early 1980s.

As of January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI data reported the annual inflation rate for vehicle maintenance was 14.2%. Compared to the already elevated general inflation rate of 6.4% for all items in January, the costs to repair a vehicle in the U.S. is far outpacing inflation.

In addition, car insurance rates were up 14.7% in January, which again is more than double the overall rate on inflation.

“The reasons for this is twofold; increases in part prices as well as the increased costs incurred by insurance companies (rental cars) due to supply chain issues,” the ABPA said.

“The car companies and other proponents of these selfserving repair procedures will often cite safety concerns with aftermarket parts,” the ABPA said. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that oversees transportation matters, has concluded that aftermarket parts are cosmetic in nature and do not affect vehicle safety.

“The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) has come to similar conclusions on the safety of aftermarket parts after years of crash testing,” the ABPA continued. “They have also stated that the only major difference between aftermarket parts and car company parts is the high price variance. Meanwhile, the car companies have been under scrutiny over the past few years with the increased amount of safety recalls they have had to administer due to the faultiness of their own parts.”

Source: ABPA

www.autobodynews.com

Caliber Hosts Annual Restoring You™ Food Drive

The Caliber family of brands kicked off its 12th Annual Restoring You™ Food Drive on April 10. The recurring campaign is part of Caliber’s Restoring You platform and focuses on combatting childhood food insecurity across the country.

According to Feeding America, about 22 million children in the U.S. rely on daily free or reduced-price school lunches for their main meal. During the summer, students lose access to that meal. Caliber is working with more than 125 food bank partners nationwide to support their summer feeding programs.

Non-perishable food and monetary donations can be made at any Caliber location by May 26. Monetary donations can also be made online at www.caliber.com/why-caliber/ restoring-you/food-drive

To help stretch donations, the Caliber Foundation will donate an additional 25 cents for every dollar raised.

Source: Caliber

Nearly 1,000 Lucid Motors Employees in Arizona Losing Jobs in May

By Cameron Arcand The Center Square

Electric car company Lucid Motors announced layoffs at its southern Arizona facility.

The company is going to lay off 968 employees at its Casa Grande plant, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Notice.

“Given evolving business needs and productivity improvements, we are reducing the size of our organization by approximately 18%, which will affect Lucid employees and contractors,” CEO Peter Rawlinson said in a statement March 28. “This action is aligned with the cost discipline announcement we made in late February when we reported earnings. We are also taking continued steps to manage our costs by reviewing all non-critical spending at this time.”

Lucid Motors opened the facility in September 2021, according to 12 News. The company planned to have more than 6,000 jobs

created by 2029, and an “economic impact” of $100 million, according to a statement from the Arizona Commerce Authority.

In addition to the large investment from the company, the Arizona state government also played a significant role in supporting the development. In 2016, which is when the deal was first made, the Arizona Republic reported the company could receive upward of $46.5 million in subsidies over time.

The decision to cut employees comes as companies are cutting costs across numerous sectors, especially in the technology industry. The unemployment rate in Arizona is 3.7% as of February 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite these layoffs, companies are still continuing to invest millions into the state, such as LG Energy Solution and Taiwan Semiconductor establishing themselves in exurbs of Phoenix, as The Center Square previously reported.

NHTSA Investigating 50K Tesla Model X After 2 Seat Belt Complaints

By Simon Alvarez Teslarati

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced March 28 it is opening a probe into approximately 50,000 2022-2023 Tesla Model X vehicles, after the safety agency received two complaints about front seat belt failures on the allelectric SUV.

Per the complaints posted on the NHTSA’s website, the Model X’s belts reportedly failed to stay connected to the seat belt anchor pretensioner while the vehicle was in motion. No collisions or accidents related to the issue have been reported so far, the NHTSA said.

Tesla has not provided a comment on the matter as of writing.

One of the complaints was from a Tesla Model X passenger from Larkspur, CA. At the time of the incident, the Tesla was reportedly moving at about 10-15 mph when the vehicle’s

automatic braking system was activated. The passenger was thrown forward, and the seat belt reportedly detached.

“I was a passenger in the vehicle. The car was moving forward at 10-15 mph and the auto braking system was activated appropriately when a large truck parked on the side of the street driver’s door opened unexpectedly and was in the path of our vehicle. With the sudden deceleration, my upper body flung forward, and the force of my weight caused the seat belt anchor on the lower seat to detach completely,” the complaint read.

Following the preliminary evaluation, the NHTSA will determine if the issue will be escalated to an engineering analysis before a recall can be implemented.

While the vast majority of Tesla recalls are addressed through over-the-air software updates, issues related to the vehicle’s hardware might require a visit to a service center.

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Hands-On Training Should Not Be a One-Time Event

By Toby Chess Autobody News

Recently, I got a call from Mike Schaffer, collision manager at Selman Collision Center, a GM aluminum-certified shop in Orange, CA, needing help welding an aluminum body Cadillac CT6. He thought his welder was the problem. I told him I could be there in two days, and he should consider a review course on aluminum welding at the same time.

When I arrived, the first thing he showed me was the front rail section that was removed from the vehicle. It had practice welds on one side, and they were horrible. I asked Schaffer if they had welded on the new part and he said not yet.

aluminum.

Remember, Series 6 aluminum has both magnesium and silicon. You can use Series 4 welding wire (silicon) and Series 5 wire (magnesium) on Series 6 aluminum. Series 4 wire is weaker and needs less amperage to weld, making it easier to weld thinner aluminum, such as a crack in a 1 mm fender.

Series 5 wire will weld Series 5 aluminum, but Series 4 wire will not. There is very little to no penetration of Series 4 wire into Series 5 aluminum.

The article title is advice I also need to take. I have been teaching aluminum welding for I-CAR for nearly two decades. When I first started, my instructor said the test had to be conducted with Series 5 (5356) wire, not Series 4 (4043), because the Series 4 wire will not penetrate Series 5 aluminum. I was also told Series 5 wire would not work on Series 4 cast aluminum. As I previously wrote, my rule of thumb is not entirely correct.

To write this article, I read several articles on aluminum welding. Series 5 wire can be used on Series 4 cast aluminum parts. 5554 wire is stronger than 4043, but tends to produce porosity and cracks when used to weld aluminum castings. 4043 is better for castings because the silicon content makes it a closer match for most aluminum castings. Furthermore, some OEMs recommend Series 4 wire for welding to cast aluminum.

said the new cast rail end is welded to the extruded rail—the only information on the procedure. To learn the correct wire, you have to print out the other two documents, aluminum and the part material and part description.

The rail end cap was cast and the rail end cap was extruded (Series 7) and 5554 wire was called out. I knew Series 7 parts are used on today’s vehicles, such as bumper reinforcement and intrusion beams, but I wasn’t familiar with it being used or welded before reading the info from GM.

Aluminum oxide is a high temperature compound that forms on bare aluminum in presence on water and oxygen. It needs to be removed during and/or prior to welding. If it is not cleaned, the aluminum oxide will sink into the molten metal and form inclusions with weld. This will lead to porosities and/or cracks.

Galvanic corrosion refers to corrosion damage that occurs when electrochemically dissimilar metals (bare steel and bare aluminum) come in contact with each other in the presence of moisture and oxygen. The aluminum will corrode and there is no way to stop it.

cleaner with improved shielding gas coverage and reduced weld bead contamination.

Finally, what is the recommended standoff distance (distance from the nozzle to the work surface) when welding aluminum?

The distance from the nozzle to the work surface is 12 to 13 mm with a gun angle of 80 degrees from perpendicular. There should be no side to side movement when welding aluminum.

Going back to the welding discussion with the four techs and Schaffer—who has participated in every I-CAR class I have conducted at the shop so he would have the knowledge and skills his techs have— we welded the bead on the Series 7 extrusion with 5554 wire. These were the results with no practice.

I checked the welder, and it was set for 5554 wire, 1.2 mm diameter and pulsed. I checked the tension on the rollers and it was right on. I took out a couple of 5 Series coupons and welded a fillet/overlap joint. Their Pro Spot SP5-DP worked great.

I knew what the problem was instantly, but before I explain, let me give you the scenario.

The end cap was cast aluminum (Series 4), the rail was extrusion (Series 7) and the wire was 5554 (Series 5).

The major alloying element in Series 4 is silicon, Series 5 is magnesium, Series 6 is a combination of silicon and magnesium, and Series 7 is alloyed with zinc.

What are the four major welding wire numbers found in most body shops? 4043, 4145, 5554 and 5356.

The rule of thumb is this: your welding wire has to have the same major alloying element(s) as what is in the base metal. Note: Series 5 wire is recommended for Series 7

I want to change my rule of thumb to: “Your welding wire has to have the same major alloying element(s) as what is in the base metal when welding Series 5 and 6 wire. When welding Series 4 and 7, refer to OEM procedures.”

I want to move on to OEM procedures.

I am always stressing first and foremost, print out the repair procedures for the repair task, including the library. Schaffer sent three documents: Aluminum, Structural Identification and Front Rail Replacement (Non-Hybrid). The repair and replacement procedures

The improper use of steel cleaning products, such as steel wool or a steel wire brush on aluminum or magnesium, can force small pieces of steel into the metal being cleaned, causing corrosion. Stainless steel is known for its high resistance to corrosion because of its high chromium content combined with nickel. It also has very low carbon content, whereas mild steel is higher in carbon content, which facilitates galvanic corrosion. After using a stainless steel brush to clean the aluminum, wipe with acetone, 99% isopropyl alcohol or a good wax and grease remover. Do not use lacquer thinner.

Why is “pushing the puddle” the only recommended direction for welding aluminum?

When the aluminum oxide forms on the surface, it also migrates below the surface. The heat from the welding process causes the aluminum oxide below the surface to rise into the welding site. By using the push technique—also known as an arc cleaning action—the 100% argon gas acts as a snow plow to push the oxides out of the way and to the sides of the weld site.

Note: The welding nozzle for aluminum is usually larger than a steel MIG/braze nozzle to accommodate the increased gas flow (25 to 45 CFH depending on the gun and nozzle.) Pushing the puddle, the weld will be

On the other hand, a short bead happened when the first tech forgot to measure the extrusion’s thickness and set the welder for it. Ladies and gentlemen, this is why we need to continue to train on a regular basis.

The front rail section from a Cadillac CT6 with practice welds on one side

The results of welding the a bead on the Series 7 Extrusion with 5554 wire. These were the results with no practice

On the left is cast aluminum; on the right is extruded aluminum. Note the balls of weld beads of Series 5 wire, with no penetration

“I want to change my rule of thumb to: Your welding wire has to have the same major alloying element(s) as what is in the base metal when welding Series 5 and 6 wire. When welding Series 4 and 7, refer to OEM procedures.”

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NABC Celebrates Winners of Lone Star Pars For Cars Golf Fundraiser

The members, partners and colleagues of the National Auto Body Council saddled up for the NABC® Pars for Cars Golf Fundraiser, presented by Enterprise, and a NABC Recycled Rides® presentation—all held April 4 at Lone Star Golf Course in Euless, TX.

Each year, the NABC and its member partners raise funds to support hundreds of NABC Recycled Rides car presentations to those in need, NABC F.R.E.E.™ education programs for first responders, and NABC Drive Out Distraction programs that keeps thousands of drivers safe on the road.

Winners of the NABC® Lone Star Pars for Cars Golf Fundraiser presented by Enterprise were:

First place—Barry Rubin, Mike Christopher, Robbie Gower, Daniel Rodriguez

Second place—Matt Immerfall, Darren Huggins, Charlie Jordan, Brent Russell

Third Place—Tim Bates, Kevin

Klein, Patrick Hickey, Justin Regan

Straightest Drive—Bob James Closest to the Pin—Zach Huggins

Closest to the Pin—Emmanuel Eck

Longest Drive—Matt Immerfall

“Congratulations to our winners who took home the honors today, and to all of our golfers who came out to play today,” said Scott Sampley, chairman of the NABC Board of Directors. “Thank you to all of our sponsors and NABC partners who make it possible for the National Auto Body Council to continue changing and saving lives every day.”

Following the golf tournament, NABC and its partners hosted a NABC Recycled Rides presentation of six vehicles to local families in need.

Source: NABC

www.autobodynews.com

l CONTINUED FROM COVER

Strongest Emissions

have a specific EV requirement, and they don’t ban gas-powered vehicles. Instead, automakers can meet the mandates with whichever vehicles they see fit.

That said, the standards would almost certainly boost EV production and sales since manufacturers would likely need to sell an increasing number of electric cars in order to comply with the standards. Many automakers have already invested heavily in fully electric cars, so it simply makes sense they’ll continue on that path.

The proposed rules, labeled by the organization as Phase 3, also include guidance for heavyduty vehicles, meaning there will be stricter emissions regulations

Inspection Bill

adding additional inspection items to the program.”

The Automotive Service Association thanks its Texan members and allies who contacted

put into place for school buses, delivery trucks, construction-related vehicles, etc. The goal is for 50% of new buses and 25% of new heavy truck sales to be fully electric by 2032.

If all goes as planned, the U.S. could save trillions of dollars on fuel costs and health care, while eliminating around 10 billion tons of emissions. As a result of the new mandates, at least 50% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 should be zero-emission vehicles, though the number stands to be as much as 10% higher. In 2022, only 6% of new U.S. vehicle sales were fully electric cars.

Finally, the EPA is also working to set specific rules about minimum warranties for electric car batteries, as well as making built-in battery health monitors required in new cars.

their state legislators to educate them on this issue and urge them to oppose the bill.

Source: ASA

www.autobodynews.com

Lucid Air Features Unique Design, Repair Considerations

By Stacey Phillips Autobody News

Following the delivery of Lucid Motors’s first customer vehicle model in late 2021—the Lucid Air—the luxury electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer has ramped up production. By yearend 2022, Jake Rodenroth, Lucid’s North American body repair program operations manager, said it was “all hands on deck.” This allowed Rodenroth to work with the service and sales teams, onboard customers and deliver vehicles.

Rodenroth shared information about Lucid Motors’ vehicles during an AkzoNobel North American Performance Group event in February.

Founded in 2007, Lucid is headquartered in Newark, CA. The company’s debut product, the Lucid Air, was named 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year, the first time any vehicle

To achieve Lucid’s range and performance, Lucid’s aerodynamics team worked with its design and engineering counterparts to prioritize aero efficiency.

Rodenroth discussed Lucid’s aerodynamic air-curtain technology, which includes a small air intake (grill), a vortex system, a side air curtain and a small headlight aperture that helps with headlight cooling.

The bottom of the car is flat and designed to have a smooth surface to improve aerodynamics.

“That matters when you’re trying to jack up the car,” said Rodenroth. “When accessing the drive unit, numerous trim pieces will need to be removed.”

Lucid vehicles have a 12v powerup harness behind the passenger rear wheel liner, in the event power to the vehicle is lost. This enables the trunk, “frunk” and doors to be opened with key fobs present.

The vehicle’s advanced technology was engineered and designed in-house. This includes a speed form taillight and intelligent Micro Lens Array headlamps. The bright and precise lighting system has 9,740 lenses per pair of headlights.

Lucid provides over-theair (OTA) software updates offering vehicle owners new features.

it,” he said. “It’s a value-add to your facility.”

During a repair, the Lucid Air body structure doesn’t permit welding; instead, a rivet bonding process is used, requiring the correct tooling, training and adhesive.

Regarding special tooling, Lucid uses 3D printers to print service tooling for its Lucid Certified Body Repair Network shops.

“We try to think about the technician working on this car,” shared Rodenroth.

DreamDrive is Lucid’s advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) with 32 multi-model sensors and 14 cameras. The combination of sensors and mounting locations means shops will have to pay attention to Lucid service resources and capture and perform all necessary calibrations.

“The car triggers a lot of calibrations but is fairly forgiving as far as calibration goes,” noted Rodenroth.

The Snap-on TruPoint System with Lucid diagnostic and specific targets are used for static calibrations and the maximum space requirement is approximately 15 feet wide by 30 feet long.

Vehicle Charging

As repair shops set up charging stations, Rodenroth recommends at least a level 2 charger.

minutes.

Rodenroth said Lucid’s Wunderbox provides the fastest charging in the industry. Fully integrated and compatible with nearly all public charging stations, the battery management system is capable of bidirectional charging.

“In the event of a power outage, a fully-charged Lucid Air can keep your home powered for days due to the bidirectional charging capabilities of the Wunderbox,” he said.

Lucid Body Repair Network

Currently, about 74 body shops are in Lucid’s Body Repair Network program.

“We’re scaling that with production,” said Rodenroth. “As we fill orders, we look where those cars are going and what our coverage looks like.”

With aggressive production goals, Rodenroth said the OEM wants to add additional shops to the network that can be trusted to repair these vehicles properly.

“We are fiercely protective of our certified network,” said Rodenroth. “I hold our shops to a standard; I also protect them.”

His call to action to shops is to look at what they are doing to change their business and inspire employees to take training and be great at what they do.

manufacturer received the award with its inaugural vehicle.

“It was a really big achievement for our first product the first year of launch,” said Rodenroth.

The Air can be reserved and ordered in retail shopping centers and online. The model currently has four trim lines. They include the Air Pure with 480 hp and a 410-mile range starting at $87,400; the Air Touring with 620 hp and a 425-mile range from $107,400; and the Grand Touring with up to 1,050 hp and a 516-mile range from $138,000. The Sapphire and Stealth packages will follow.

The EVs have an eight-year warranty, which includes 100,000 miles on the powertrain and battery.

Lucid’s Gravity SUV is expected to be released in 2024.

Design Features

Fast like a sports car but with a large storage capacity, Rodenroth said the EVs were designed to offer several features using one platform, the Lucid Electric Advanced Platform (Leap). The integrated drive unit comprises an electric motor, inverter and transmission weighing only 163 pounds and capable of 670 hp each.

Repair Considerations

For repairers who have never driven an EV, Rodenroth highly suggests renting one.

“It’s a big learning curve that even some of the legacy OEMs are struggling with because they’re so different than gas cars, in regard to servicing and selling them,” he noted.

Rodenroth said technicians must learn how these vehicles and their charging systems operate to do a proper repair.

“It’s not enough to go through the training to learn how to take the cars apart and put them back together,” he said. “You also need to understand how they work with the owner.”

This includes using the mobile app and the connectivity vehicle owners have with the ability to check their vehicles, even if they aren’t in their possession.

For repairers, Rodenroth said EVs bring additional opportunities for added services to customers. Many have a large, painted frontal area, which means there will likely be more stone chips.

“If you’re not in the paint protection film business, I highly recommend

“Level 1 is a very slow charging process with only 7.2 miles of range per hour of charge,” he explained. “Level 2 is faster and has 43.2 driving miles per hour of charging.”

If a station is installed in a shop’s parking lot, Rodenroth suggests

Training

Earlier this year, the company launched the Lucid Air Structural Certification hands-on course to help shops prepare for the launch of the Air. About 76% of shops are expected to be certified by year-end. “There’s no better way to learn the car than going through this,” said Rodenroth.

adding it to the PlugShare EV charging station mobile app to attract EV owners to their business.

“In that app, people take pictures of themselves charging their cars so you can see the environment,” he said.

Lucid offers an 80-amp charger— the Lucid Connected Home Charging Station—with 86.4 miles per hour of charging. Level 3 charging (DC) has 900 V+ architecture, enabling the Lucid Air to charge 300 miles in 20

Lucid also offers Mechanical, Electrical and Trim Level 2 Certification (MET) courses facilitated by the Lucid service training team. The course provides technicians a look at Lucid Air systems, including ADAS and calibration, closures, subframe and drive units, high-voltage and 12V systems, interior trim, supplemental restraint system and wheels/tires and TPMS system.

Plans are in place for an advanced diagnostic class and an aluminum cosmetic repair course.

For information about Lucid Motors, visit www.lucidmotors.com

To join Lucid’s Certified Body Repair Program, visit techinfo. lucidmotors.com

P265/70R17 P265/70R17 REAR SPARE

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VEHICLE MFD .BY: TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, GVWR 4233LB GAWR FR 2668LB RR 2668LB THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY , BUMPER , AND THEFT PREVENTION STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE . PASS. CAR C⁄ TR : 4Q2 ⁄ LA43 ACV30L--CEPGKA A ⁄TM: --01A ⁄ U241E MADE IN U.S.A. 08270 00000000000000000 KENTUCKY, INC. 02⁄ 04 STK A AA5 To Visit Our Website SCAN HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AUTO DATA LABELS: visit our website at www.AutoDataLabels.com email us at labels@AutoDataLabels.com or call us at (631) 667-2382 4 EASY WAYS TO ORDER LABELS! DON’T RISK LOSING YOUR VEHICLES IDENTITY! ORDER REPLACEMENT VIN LABELS TODAY! Federal Safety Certification (VIN) Label C /TR : 218 ⁄ FA2 0 AXAA54L– ANZMBA A/TM : -01A ⁄U B 80F MADE IN U.S.A. 512 THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFE TY AND THEF T PREVENTION STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE. 11 /18 VEHICLE MFD. BY: TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION GVWR: 2090KG ( 4610LB ) GAWR: FRT. 1150KG ( 2535LB ) WITH 225/65R17 TIRES, 17X7J RIMS RR. 1150KG ( 2535LB ) WITH 225/65R17 TIRES, 17X7J RIMS E Replacement label: Not from Toyota JTMP1RFV1KD000000 MPV Contact Us : Contact your LKQ/Keystone Local Sales Rep Upload your photos to the Website: www.AutoDataLabels.com Email your photos: Labels@AutoDataLabels.com Use the App: Download the ADL App And Upload your Photos VIN labels contain vehicle-specific safety information. This information is critical for safe operation and proper repair procedures. • Tire Pressure • Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) • Paint and Trim Codes • Spare Tire Size

Fix Auto Ogden Opens in Utah

Fix Auto USA announced the opening of Fix Auto Ogden, located at 3261 Midland Drive, Ogden UT 84401.

Efrain Perez, owner of Fix Auto Ogden, began his career in the automotive industry in Colombia, South America, where he supported his father’s body shop. Once his family moved to the U.S., he started a small auto body shop with his family’s support.

Family continues to be a driving force for Perez, who oversees the Fix Auto Ogden location with the help of Rebeca Perez, his wife. Rebeca recently joined the industry, working at the Fix Auto Ogden location for just over a year. While she is new to the industry, her professional background is in the health care field, as she was a nurse for many years. Her natural passion for helping people has seamlessly transitioned into the collision repair industry and she is excited to keep learning and growing.

“What I appreciate most about Fix Auto USA is the family

approach that they embody,” said Efrain Perez. “The support and growth I have received and seen has already shown me that I made the right choice by joining Fix Auto USA. The tools at my disposal are unmatched and I am optimistic about taking this location to the next level.”

The new facility spans 10,500 square feet and is staffed with eight team members. The Fix Auto Ogden team will soon earn their I-CAR Gold certification with goals to pursue additional OEM certifications this year.

“Growth can often be difficult to manage but is always a good thing when it has empowered individuals like the Perez family leading the charge,” said Damien Reyna, COO, U.S. collision, Driven Brands. “I look forward to their continued success.”

For more information, visit FixAutoUSA.com.

Source: Fix Auto USA

ultimately award Maaco Rockwall the Excellence in Customer Focus award from the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes a company whose customer service has transcended the masses and one that has built a reputation for excellent customer focus that has been experienced and publicized by many.

“We are incredibly humbled to receive this recognition from our community,” said Hollas. “We love serving the people of Rockwall County. The best part about waking up every day and coming to work is the people. Seeing the smile on a customer’s face when we return their car to them and getting it back to its former glory makes it all worth it!”

Maaco Rockwall opened in December 2018, quickly making a splash in the Rockwall community. Hollas was determined to have his shop known for high-quality work with excellent customer service. Over the course of the last four years, he has done just this. During this time, he has won the Maaco Rookie of the Year award, Rockwall New Business of the Year award and Rockwall Medium Sized Business of the Year award.

“I couldn’t be prouder of my team and what we have built here at Maaco Rockwall,” said Hollas. “The dedication and passion that our team brings to the table are second to none. I look forward to continuing to grow and thrive to serve our community!”

For more information, visit www. Maaco.com.

Source: Maaco

Tesla Giga Texas Hits Milestone With 4,000 Model Y Production in 1 Week

By Maria Merano Teslarati

Tesla recently posted to Twitter a new milestone for Giga Texas, announcing the facility successfully produced 4,000 Model Y crossovers in a week.

Tesla commemorated Giga Texas’ milestone by posting a short aerial video of the facility’s workers posing and celebrating around a Model Y. “Congrats Giga Texas team on building 4k Model Y this week!” Tesla wrote.

Giga Texas achieved its previous milestone of 3,000 Model Y in a week in December. A few days after that, Tesla’s Germany factory, Giga Berlin, achieved the same milestone.

Since then, Giga Berlin’s Model Y production saw a quick production ramp. In late February, Tesla announced Giga Berlin was producing 4,000 Model Y per week. And in late March, Tesla said the facility was already

producing 5,000 per week. Giga Texas seemed like it was still ramping to its next milestone.

With Giga Texas achieving 4,000 Model Y per week, the facility is now pushing toward a production rate of 5,000 per week. Achieving this production level would be an accomplishment for Giga Texas, as 5,000 vehicles per week tends to be a common target for Tesla’s facilities.

With Tesla establishing one factory after another, there will be times when two facilities will be ramping up at the same time. This creates a friendly competition of sorts, and it incentivizes each new factory to perform its best. This seems to be the case with Giga Texas and Giga Berlin, as the two facilities have shown a tendency to achieve milestones not too far from each other. For now, Giga Berlin has an edge, but it won’t be a surprise if Giga Texas also back swinging for its 5,000 Model Y a week target.

Latest ‘Who Pays’ Survey Shows More Shops Using Materials Invoicing

Significantly more shops now are using an invoicing system to bill for materials—at least some of the time—according to a “Who Pays for What” survey conducted earlier this year.

In 2021, a similar survey found about half of shops relied strictly on the multiplier method (a flat dollar amount per refinish hour) to bill for materials, while about 19% used a materials calculator or invoicing system. The percentage using the invoicing system exclusively remains essentially unchanged, but now more than 40% of shops say they use a mix of both methods. That’s up from about 32% in 2021, and means 3 in 5 shops are now using an invoicing system at least some of the time, 12 percentage points higher than eight years ago.

“I really think the large change we are seeing is due to the multiple increases in paint prices virtually all shops experienced since we last did this survey in January of 2022,” said Mike Anderson of Collision Advice, who conducts the quarterly “Who Pays” surveys in conjunction with CRASH Network. “More

shops are beginning to charge for paint and materials with a detailed invoice that shows exactly what was used on the vehicle.”

The latest “Who Pays for What?” survey, which can be completed in about 15 minutes, is now open through the month of April. It focuses on not-included body labor operations. Shops can take the survey at www.surveymonkey. com/r/PYR3DGW

Survey participants receive a free report with complete survey findings along with analysis and resources to help shops better understand and use the information presented.

Anyone in a shop familiar with the shop’s billing practices and the payment practices of at least some of the largest national insurers can complete the survey. Each shop’s individual responses are held in the strictest confidence; only aggregated data is released.

The results of previous surveys are also available online at www. crashnetwork.com/collisionadvice

Source: CRASH Network

AirPro Diagnostics Helps Every Shop Repair All 550 of Today’s Vehicle Models

By Ed Attanasio Autobody News

I am amazed at all the new features in today’s vehicles, these rolling computer networks with lines of code numbering in the hundreds of millions, and often wonder how successfully shops are servicing these complex systems.

Q: How does AirPro get the right person on the right job?

MQ: First I think we all need to be honest with ourselves—this includes insurers— that shops have their hands full with multiple surfaces, joining methods and refinish challenges, let alone servicing electronics and safety systems. Pooling brand specialists for the benefit of the industry at large is a practical solution.

Only AirPro has skillsbased routing, so when a shop makes a request for service it is automatically routed to a brand specialist. Further, we can have multiple technicians log into the same vehicle and collaborate when the repair may need elevated support.

Q: How does AirPro help shops perform ADAS calibrations in-house?

MQ: We equip, train and coach shops to properly service and calibrate the vehicle brands they work on, whether it be blind spot, front radar or forward-facing camera recalibrations. We walk them through set-up procedures on each and every vehicle model, referencing the OEM service information. We have very cost-effective pricing strategies and pride ourselves on building custom tailored pricing solutions for shops.

rate of 97.7%. Because we stick with the vehicle for even the most difficult issues. We’re there to help the shop, repair the vehicle. We’re not there just to pull a code or claim a calibration was done and then send it on. We make sure to solve the problem quickly and precisely.

Q: It’s not a good idea for shops to purchase equipment to do their ADAS themselves?

I found the answer in the recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) report, which revealed more than half of surveyed owners of ADAS-equipped vehicles reported problems with those features after a repair, more so if it was due to collision damage or a windshield replacement.

I set out to find the cause and possible solutions, leading me to sit down with AirPro Diagnostics founder and CEO Lonnie Margol and President Michael Quinn to get their thoughts on this big problem.

It comes down to two simple words: “brand specialists.” AirPro employs dealer-trained brand specialists, then trains them on collision dynamics and has them focus specifically on the vehicle brands they specialize in.

Margol is no stranger to solving these complex problems; his credits include being awarded the first patent in 2010 for inventing asTech.

Q:

Why are shops struggling with these systems?

LM: We believe it is an unreasonable expectation that shops can safely service these complex networks and safety systems unique to each brand. A scan tool is only as good as the technician using it. Unless shops have the volume and financing to hire specialists to cover 45 brands, the safe solution is having AirPro lend its brand specialists to your shop on-demand.

We have a 97.7% success rate in all services requested. We take pride in staying with the shop and getting the car completed safely. This saves on untold cycle time and higher sublet expense.

Q: How complex are these systems?

LM: Right now, the industry as a whole can’t bridge this huge gap created by rapidly advancing technology, especially with so many of these very sophisticated systems and not enough knowledgeable skilled technicians to know how to perform diagnostics and the calibrations. There are so many nuances in these various different model vehicles, even by brand, that it really needs the attention of technicians who are doing this on a daily basis.

Q: When did you start AirPro Diagnostics?

LM: I started AirPro Diagnostics back in April 2016 and launched a totally different tool approach. The AirPro tool utilizes OEM-licensed software and multi-brand diagnostic applications resident and directly connected to the vehicle. In other words, the software and hardware are all connected at the vehicle, which is very different than the other remote providers.

They use the streaming method, which I invented, but it wasn’t designed for doing these types of sophisticated calibrations and other services back and forth across the internet.

Q: How do shops know AirPro techs are up on the newest technology?

LM: Most of our brand specialists come out of dealerships and have been trained on how to diagnose crash events. This is much different than simply pulling codes. And because AirPro brand specialists are diagnosing and calibrating mostly late model collision-damaged vehicles every day, we believe they possess greater skills than someone doing warranty work or servicing fuel injection systems. They do multiple calibrations every day to where it becomes second nature.

We take 40,000 calls every month and from all of the requests we get, we have been successful in servicing 97.7% of them across all manufacturers. We also have a 10-minute response pledge, and we guard that very closely because we know when the shops need service, they need it right away. We did almost half a million services last year and our on-tool response time was one minute and 32 seconds on average.

LM: We have had hundreds of shops tell us they purchased all the equipment and they don’t have the expertise on a given brand so they engage us. As mentioned earlier we can equip, train and assist shops to cost-effectively perform ADAS calibrations. It doesn’t make sense for shops to have tools and software for makes they don’t repair. We custom-tailor equipment solutions based on the shop’s historical workload.

Q: Do you document every service as well, for purposes of accountability and transparency?

MQ: Yes, we record each and every screen session during the service, whether it’s a scan, diagnostics or calibrations. We store all this in the cloud, if anyone ever questions what was performed, what version of the OE software was used, it’s available to our shops.

Q: Have you been able to trim cycle time for your customers?

MQ: Absolutely. If you’ve been following industry reports, national average cycle time has almost doubled to almost 20 days. There are certainly some supply chain issues, but the acceleration of technology and the limited skills of shop technicians is contributing to cycle in a significant way. We have techs with 25-30 years’ experience on one brand. These types of specialists are not growing on trees. Shops can go it alone or utilize our remote services. AirPro shops enjoy on average two days less cycle time when pre-/post-scanning every vehicle.

MQ:

I’ll reiterate, in case we do run into an anomaly with a particular vehicle, we can bring other technicians in to assist in and actually figure it out as a team, another reason for our high success

The question is, do you have the ability to serve 45 brands and 550 models, which we are able to do? And when technology advances---which it does every year---how do you get the training? And then what do you do if you have a guy who is highly skilled and he quits, goes on vacation or is out sick? What do you do? Your whole operation can grind to a halt.

AirPro Diagnostics founder and CEO Lonnie Margol, left, and President Michael Quinn, right.

“We take 40,000 calls every month and from all of the requests we get, we have been successful in servicing 97.7% of them across all manufacturers.”

LONNIE MARGOL FOUNDER AND CEO, AIRPRO DIAGNOSTICS

Tesla Employees Shared Invasive Videos from Customers’ Cars: Report

By Dan Mihalascu InsideEVs

Groups of Tesla employees reportedly shared videos and images recorded by customers’ car cameras between 2019 and 2022, according to interviews by Reuters with nine former employees.

The unnamed sources said some of the recordings were highly invasive, with one exemployee describing a video of a man approaching a Tesla vehicle completely naked. Among the videos shared by employees at Tesla’s San Mateo, CA, office via private one-on-one chats were also crashes and road-rage incidents.

According to another exemployee, a crash video from 2021 showed a Tesla driving at high speed in a residential area hitting a child riding a bike. Footage showed the child flying in one direction and the bike in another. The former Tesla employee said the video spread around the office in San Mateo “like wildfire” via the internal messaging system.

Other recordings were more benign, such as photos of dogs and

funny road signs that employees turned into memes before posting them in private group chats. According to several ex-employees, some postings were only shared between two employees, but others could be seen by many of them.

Perhaps more worryingly, the computer program employees used at work could show the location of recordings, potentially revealing where a Tesla owner lived, seven former employees told Reuters. That goes against Tesla’s privacy policy, which states “camera recordings remain anonymous and are not linked to you or your vehicle.”

Another potential problem raised by one ex-employee is some videos appeared to have been recorded when cars were parked and turned off. That wouldn’t have been an issue several years ago, when Tesla would receive video recordings from its vehicles even when they were off, provided owners gave consent.

However, Tesla says on its website it stopped doing so for 2018 and newer model year vehicles. These vehicles—with software version 2020.48.5 or newer—store recordings taken in Sentry Mode to

onboard memory.  “We could see inside people’s garages and their private properties. Let’s say that a Tesla customer had something in their garage that was distinctive, you know, people would post those kinds of things,” said another former employee. It appears that even CEO Elon Musk fell victim to Tesla cameras’ prying lenses. About three years ago, some employees found and shared a video of a unique submersible vehicle parked inside a garage, according to two people who saw the footage.

That sub was apparently “Wet Nellie,” the white Lotus Esprit that starred in the 1977 James Bond film, “The Spy Who Loved Me.” The vehicle had been bought by Musk for about $968,000 at an auction in 2013. Whether Musk was aware of the video or that it had been shared, it’s not clear.

Of course, Tesla may argue its employees may occasionally need to check out some of the videos coming from customer cars to solve Autopilot issues or simply for data labeling purposes, but the line between that and breaching privacy appears to be very thin.

Car-O-Liner Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Car-O-Liner is celebrating its 50th anniversary. A special commemorative logo will mark the milestone.

“Since 1973, Car-O-Liner has been known for excellence, innovation and passion, offering customers a full line of state-of-theart collision repair solutions,” said Tim Garner, market development manager for Car-O-Liner. “From alignment and measuring equipment to state-of-the-art ADAS calibration, Car-O-Liner continues to lead the industry as we enter our next 50 years. We thank employees past and present and our loyal customers for being part of Car-OLiner’s successful journey.”

Today, Car-O-Liner provides a complete line of collision repair solutions, including alignment and straightening systems, joining and heating equipment, measuring systems, workshop solutions and testing and calibration systems. In addition, Car-O-Liner provides its customers continual sales support and offers some of the finest training options in the industry.

Source: Car-O-Liner

Financing a new vehicle purchase continues to grow increasingly out of reach for many consumers, according to the car shopping experts at Edmunds.

New data from Edmunds revealed:

The average annual percentage rate (APR) on new financed vehicles in Q1 2023 climbed to 7%, compared to 4.4% in Q1 2022, the highest level Edmunds has on record since Q1 2008. However, Edmunds analysts note March marked the first time after 14 consecutive months of increases that the average new-vehicle APR stayed flat (at 7%), which they attribute to a moderate increase in subsidized financing by automakers.

The average monthly payment for new vehicles hit a record high of $730 in Q1 2023, compared to $656 in Q1 2022.

16.8% of consumers who financed a new vehicle in Q1 2023 committed to a monthly payment of $1,000 or more—a new all-time high according to Edmunds—compared to 10.3% in

Q1 2022 and 6.2% in Q1 2021.

The average down payment for a new vehicle climbed to a record high of $6,956 in Q1 2023, compared to $6,083 in Q1 2022.

“Since inventory levels are improving, interest rates are now topping the list of the greatest obstacles that automakers will be facing in 2023 to move metal,” said Jessica Caldwell , Edmunds’ executive director of insights. “But with major challenges come great opportunities: Since interest rates are at the forefront of consumers’ minds, any automaker or dealer that can advertise incentives related specifically to interest rates will likely get more attention. This could be a powerful marketing tool that would enable sellers to tap into the significant pent-up demand that has been building over the past few years and convert that demand into actual sales.”

Edmunds analysts took a closer look at financed new vehicle purchases in Q1 2023 and calculated the average monthly payment, amount financed, APR, down payment and total interest

paid—in each case based on loan term lengths.

Edmunds experts note these figures highlight the stark contrast between the consumers who are able to take advantage of lower APR offers and those who

12.3% of consumers opted for 36- or 48-month loan terms in Q1, the highest Edmunds has on record since Q4 2009, while a majority of consumers are extending loan terms out as much as possible in order to increase affordability.

can’t. Although quarterly figures appear to reflect the average loan term has remained static at around 70 months, Edmunds analysts say term lengths don’t tell the full story—which is that more car shoppers are being pushed to the extreme ends of the finance terms spectrum.

“It takes money to save money in today’s market. Although more automakers are offering to subsidize auto loans with lower interest rates, the catch is that most of these offers require that consumers agree to shorter 36- or 48-month loan terms— which might put people off at first glance,” said Ivan Drury, Edmunds’ director of insights. “If you’re a qualified buyer and have the means to put more money down, whether in cash or via your trade-in, know that you have a serious advantage— you’ll be committing to a much larger amount toward the down or monthly payment, but you will save up to tens of thousands of dollars over the course of your auto loan.”

S ource: Edmunds

“Since inventory levels are improving, interest rates are now topping the list of the greatest obstacles that automakers will be facing in 2023 to move metal,”

JESSICA CALDWELL EDMUNDS’ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF INSIGHTS

Please contact these dealers for your Honda or Acura Genuine parts needs.

COLORADO NEW MEXICO TEXAS

Mike Maroone Honda

Colorado Springs

888-431-0294

719-785-5045

Dept� Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 7-5 rick williams@mikemarooneauto com

Mile High Honda Denver

800-548-4730

303-369-7800

Dept Hours: M-F 7-6 crehburg@autotree net

Honda of Harvey Harvey

800-943-4227

504-368-5687

Dept Hours: M-F 7-5:30; Sat 7:30-12 tmaywalt@millsautogroup com

Walker Honda Alexandria

318-448-8255

318-445-6677

Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30 hondaparts@walkerautomotive com

Garcia Honda Albuquerque

800-677-6632

505-260-5003

Dept� Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8:30-5 Parts206959@garciacars com

AutoNation Honda Lewisville

800-344-8611

972-219-0021

Dept Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5

Honda Cars of McKinney McKinney

972-569-4276

972-569-4222

Dept� Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 Gene chenault@hendrickauto com

Honda of Frisco Frisco

866-442-2711

972-731-3176

Dept Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7:30-5:30 cedgar@mcdavid com

Honda of San Marcos San Marcos

866-392-1313

512-392-1313

Dept� Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 9-5 csmith@hondasanmarcos com

McDavid Honda Irving Irving

800-492-4464

972-790-6003

Dept Hours: M-F 8-6 srichardson@mcdavid com

Northside Honda San Antonio

800-727-8705

210-340-0831

Dept Hours: M-F 8-5; Sat 8-5 hondaparts@mynshonda com

Rusty Wallis Honda Dallas

877-466-3272

214-328-3891

Dept� Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 darryldotsy@rustywallis com

COLORADO LOUISIANA

Mile High Acura Denver

800-548-4730

303-369-7800

Dept Hours: M-F 7-6 crehburg@autotree net

Pikes Peak Acura

Colorado Springs

800-456-9568

719-955-1715

Dept Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-4 joe_benson@pikespeakacura com

LOUISIANA

Acura of Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge

866-733-2861

225-756-6166

Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 dlavigne@acurabr com

Walker Acura

Metairie

800-359-8555

504-465-8555

Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-2 parts@walkeracura com

Autonation Acura League City

800-749-6227

713-371-4700

Dept Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 CarranzaB1@autonation com

David McDavid Acura

Austin

800-575-3553

512-401-5976

Dept Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 8-5 mkratky@mcdavid com

Hiley Acura

Fort Worth

888-454-0947

817-809-7762

Dept Hours: M-F 7-6; Sat 8-5 parts@hileyacura com

Sterling McCall Acura Houston

713-596-2337

713-596-2338

Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-7; Sat 7:30-4 jlambert@sterlingmccallacura com

Team Gillman Acura Houston

833-738-3637

281-209-4200

Dept Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-5 anoptsdpt@teamgillman com

Jody Wilkinson Acura

Salt Lake City

800-234-0875

801-323-0492

Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 8-5 rick@jodywilkinson com

Mike Hale Acura Murray

800-292-4595

801-263-0202

Dept Hours: M-F 7:30-6; Sat 7:30-5 pgoold@mikehale com

TEXAS

Hyundai, Kia Offer Old-Tech Solution To Hi-Tech TikTok Car Theft Epidemic

By Chris Chilton CarScoops

Sometimes the oldest and simplest solutions are the best. And sometimes they’re the only ones that work.

Which is why Hyundai Motor Co. is giving away 1980s-style steering wheel locks in a desperate attempt to tackle a car theft epidemic fueled by viral TikTok videos.

The TikTok videos showing how easy it is to steal many Hyundais and Kias because they aren’t fitted with electronic engine immobilizers have to led hundreds, if not thousands of people, including those with no previous history of car crime, to have a go themselves at boosting Korean cars, and the fallout is colossal.

Some insurance companies are refusing to cover certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles built before November 2021, when engine immobilizers became standard, and one police department claimed 80% of

the vehicles stolen in its district last year were either Kias or Hyundais, Bloomberg reported.

Hyundai Motor said it has already rolled out a theftprevention software upgrade to 1 million drivers and will extend the offer to another 3 million in

CARSTAR Among FastestGrowing Franchises

states have written to Kia and Hyundai accusing them of moving too slowly to remedy the situation, and both Seattle and St. Louis are suing the automakers for their role in the chaos.

There’s a perverse irony in a company that has been such a trailblazer for tech in relatively affordable cars, one that brought 400-volt charging and camera-based door mirrors to regular drivers, having to resort to such a basic, old-fashioned and very mechanical solution.

CARSTAR has been ranked again among the fastest growing franchises in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2023 Fastest Growing Franchises List, coming in at 124th.

The 2023 ranking highlights the companies that saw the greatest franchise unit growth in the U.S. and Canada from July 2021 to July 2022.

the coming weeks. But that’s still several weeks of worrying about whether your car is going to be there when you leave the house in the morning, so Hyundai is offering free steering locks and will reimburse anyone who has already purchased one.

That’s not going to be enough to calm the outrage from innocent parties resulting from the thefts. The attorneys general from 23

The steering wheel locks aren’t infallible, one of the reasons we all stopped using them, along with them being a pain to fit, remove and store. The locks themselves might be tough, but the steering wheels aren’t. I knew a few car thieves back in the early 1990s when this kind of security system was normal and a quick snip through the steering wheel rim with a set of bolt cutters was all it took to get rid of the lock. But shhh, don’t let the TikTok crowd know.

The Fastest-Growing Franchises ranking is based on information submitted to Entrepreneur for its annual Franchise 500® and is part of the brand’s continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace. The ranking appears in the March/April 2023 issue of Entrepreneur.

Recognized by entrepreneurs and franchisors as a top competitive tool of measurement, the Franchise 500 places CARSTAR 193rd on the list and first among collision repair companies.

Source: CARSTAR

Number of U.S. Traffic Deaths in 2021 Hit 16-Year High

There were 42,939 people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes on U.S. roadways during 2021—the largest number of fatalities since 2005 and a 10% increase from 2020, according to a report released April 3 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Among the report’s key findings:

• Fatalities and people injured increased in most categories.

• Speeding-related fatalities increased by 7.9%, alcoholimpaired-driving fatalities increased by 14% and seat belt non-use fatalities increased by 8.1%.

• Urban fatalities increased by 14%; rural fatalities increased by 4.7%.

• Female fatalities increased by 12%, and male fatalities increased by 9.2%.

• Nighttime (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) fatalities increased by 11%; daytime (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.) traffic fatalities increased by 9.7%.

• Forty-three states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico had increases in the number of

fatalities.

The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 2.2% from 1.34 in 2020 to 1.37 in 2021.

The estimated number of people injured on U.S. roadways increased in 2021 to 2.5 million, rising from 2.28 million in 2020, an increase of 9.%. The injury rate per 100 million VMT increased by 1.3% from 79 in 2020 to 80 in 2021.

The estimated number of police-reported traffic crashes increased from 5.25 million in 2020 to 6.10 million in 2021, a 16% increase.

Total VMT increased by 8.1% from 2,904 billion in 2020 to 3,140 billion in 2021. Overall, the monthly VMT for 2019 and 2021 are similar in pattern; the monthly VMTs for 2020 were different with vehicular travel declines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proportion of people killed “outside the vehicle” (motorcyclists, pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other nonoccupants) has increased

from a low of 20% in 1996 to a high of 34% in 2021. Correspondingly, the proportion of people killed “inside the vehicle” (occupants of passenger cars, light trucks, large trucks, buses and other vehicles) has declined from a high of 80% in 1996 to 66% in 2021.

The number of pedestrian fatalities has been outpacing the number of motorcyclist fatalities since 2013. Both pedestrian and motorcyclist fatalities have been rapidly rising in recent years. In 2021, the number of motorcyclists killed—5,932—was the highest since the data began being tracked in 1975, and a 7.7% increase from 2020. The number of pedestrians killed in 2021— 7,388—was a 13% increase from 2020.

Based on the data, NHTSA’s three major behavioral focus areas are speeding, alcoholimpaired driving and seat belt non-use. These factors explain some traffic fatality increases from 2020 to 2021, although the NHTSA cannot say they were the only ones contributing to the rise.

Source: NHTSA

The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) on April 12 announced professional automotive recycler Sean Krause of Speedway Auto, Ltd. in Joliet, IL, has been nominated to join the ARA Executive Committee as secretary for 20232024.

Krause is the CEO of Speedway Auto, Ltd., alongside his father, Paul Krause, who established the business in 1969 with his wife, Indra. In 1991, Krause joined the family business after attending St. Norbert College, where he studied business and finance. During his first weekend out of college, Krause attended an ARA Annual Convention in Chicago at the request of his father, and never imagined how interesting used auto parts were and the many possibilities of recycling automotive parts.

Krause will be formally confirmed by the ARA Board of Directors and Membership during the ARA’s 80th Annual Convention and Exposition, Oct. 12-14 in Kansas City, MO.

To learn more, visit ARA’s home page at www.a-r-a.org or call (571) 208-0428.

Source: ARA

‘Top 10 Influences’ on the Collision Repair Industry Among the Discussion At CIC

By John Yoswick Autobody News

Frank Terlep kicked off his first Collision Industry Conference as chairman this year by sharing what he sees as the “Top 10 influences” most likely “to affect our industry.” They include continued employee shortages, parts challenges and economic uncertainties. Consolidation also won’t slow down any time soon, he said.

“I predict you’re going to see a couple of the ‘mid-market’ consolidators come together,” Terlep said at the meeting held in Palm Springs, CA.

He said independent collision repairers will “continue to become part of something bigger,” whether that’s a franchise, network or 20 Group, or growing from one store to two or more.

designed for ADAS calibrations and services.”

In terms of parts-related challenges, Terlep said, “I think it’s going to get a little easier, but I don’t think it’s going to go away. I think we’re still going to have parts challenges through 2023.”

He said he sees OEM certifications becoming increasingly important this year.

Tools, and a variety of hand tools, including screwdriver and socket sets, vise grips, combination wrench set and a 24-inch pry bar, donated by Toby Chess. Other individuals contributing were Jordan Hendler, Barry Dorn, Jeff Hendler and Dale Matsumoto

“The major consolidators will continue to move more toward a greenfield model than a brownfield model,” he said. And the “ton” of continued consolidation among newcar dealers “is also going to drive bigger, larger dealer-based collision repair groups.”

Terlep called ADAS calibration work “the biggest business opportunity this industry has seen in the last 20 years,” but said it’s also “the biggest opportunity to fail.”

“Because ADAS and calibrations affect steering, braking, acceleration. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and not do this work right,” Terlep said. “It’s critical, and it’s the biggest opportunity in years.”

Terlep predicts more and more smaller multi-shop operators will open up their own ADAS and calibration centers.

“You’re also going to continue to see the big consolidators buy local and regional ADAS and calibration companies,” he said. “You’re going to see, in my opinion, a couple regional or national players get into the business of ADAS calibrations. And you’re going to see some new software in the market specifically

“Whether we like it or not, I think we’re going to hear more parts restrictions occurring by manufacturers,” he said. “And I also think from an OEM certification perspective, the OEM networks are going to want more data about what’s going on with cars. They want to know if the cars are being repaired correctly.”

Terlep said he foresees vehicle build data having increased importance for repairs and claims. “Because build data is such a critical piece to understand what’s on the vehicle, I think you’ll see a lot more of that being integrated in the thirdparty applications,” he said.

Lastly, watch for new ways to validate proper restoration of vehicles’ safety systems, “because if you’re doing ADAS repairs or calibrations, you must document this stuff as if you’re going to court tomorrow.”

Terlep’s presentation slides are available on the CIC website at ciclink. com/meeting-presentations/

Students Receive Tool Donations

Also during CIC in Palm Springs, three auto body and paint students from the Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) in Salem, OR, received tool boxes and tools courtesy of the March Taylor Memorial Fund.

Daniel Mendoza, Eddie Ceja and Jullian Moran each received Dewalt 20-volt drills donated by Kent Automotive, plastic dent repair kits donated by DentFix Equipment, Keco Tabs donated by that company, a 6-inch DA sander donated by Astro

Oregon shop owner Ron Reichen, who participates on the CTEC industry advisory board even though his shops are more than 40 miles away from the school, paid for airline tickets for the three students and their instructor, Alex Crays, to attend the CIC meeting for a presentation of the donations. The March Taylor Memorial Fund was established to benefit collision repair technicians. March Taylor was a shop owner in Hawaii who lived and worked in the trade; his life embodied the work done on the collision facility floor. The fund in his memory was established after his death in 2007.

companies are moving away from drug policies they previously had, sometimes citing widespread use of marijuana as making it too difficult to maintain the workforce they need. But King said that may or may not be true for shops, and urged them to discuss with their legal counsel the level of risk they are willing to accept.

“You’ve had me come here for 23 years to give you ways to protect your shops, whether you’re a single shop or a multi-shop owner, whatever you are,” he said. “You have, for the most part, your own personal interests, your retirement, tied up in your company. A different set of rules may apply to you. I can’t give you a blanket policy anymore. But there are things we can do to protect you…[but they will be] specific to you.”

FRANK

Time to Review Company Drug Policies

Employment law attorney Cory King, who has regularly offered presentations for employers at CIC, said changes in the legalization of marijuana in many states makes it prudent for shops to review their company’s drug policy and employment screening practices. A blanket policy valid in all jurisdictions is no longer possible, he said at the most recent CIC.

“I still want you to be prepared to drug test in a way your state will allow to happen. I still want you to do pre-employment screening, but we’re going to have to look at your state and your jurisdiction to make sure you’re doing it in a legal manner,” King said.

He acknowledged some large

Analog In, Digital Out

During another CIC panel discussion, Marty Ellingsworth of J.D. Power’s property and casualty insurance intelligence group said one auto insurance company’s experience with digital interaction with its customers could be of interest to the industry. While vehicle telematics will eventually help change first notice of loss and other aspects of the claims process for drivers of vehicles equipped with such technology, Ellingsworth said, that doesn’t mean other drivers don’t also want a shift to more digital interaction.

“There’s one [insurance] company in particular that serves a nonstandard insurance population and [insures] many older cars, [yet] was a top performer in digital improvement,” Ellingsworth said. “I called them to ask what they did. They said: ‘When we clear our voicemail at night, we text people the answer.’ So analog in, digital out, with a text. The people were so much happier just getting an update digitally, and having another channel to communicate. It’s a blinding flash of the obvious, but it’s a nontraditional way to innovate.”

Oregon shop owner Ron Reichen, far right, flew Career Technical Education Center instructor Alex Crays, far left, and three of his students to CIC to receive tool donations from the March Taylor Memorial fund. Pictured second through fourth from left are Daniel Mendoza, Eddie Ceja and Jullian Moran.

Frank Terlep kicked off his first meeting as CIC chairman by summarizing what he sees as the “Top 10 influences” on the industry.

Marty Ellingsworth of J.D. Power said one insurer improved its digital engagement with customers by texting responses to questions left on voicemail during off-hours.

“Because ADAS and calibrations affect steering, braking, acceleration. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and not do this work right.”

TERLEP CIC CHAIRMAN

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Hunter Engineering, Tekion Partner

Hunter Engineering is pleased to announce a new integration between Hunter’s unmanned inspection equipment and Tekion’s end-to-end cloud-native platform, Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC).

With this new partnership, automotive dealerships across North America will have greater opportunity to drive more alignment and tire sales through instant, automated access to inspection data.

As a vehicle passes through Hunter’s unmanned inspection equipment, alignment angles and tire tread depth are instantly measured with laser precision, requiring no labor or stopping. The vehicle inspection data populates in real time in the Tekion platform. The integration is now available for Hunter unmanned inspection customers and carries no monthly equipment fees.

For more information, visit www.hunter.com/connectedequipment/integration-partners

Source: Hunter Engineering

CAR Coalition Applauds Attorneys General For Supporting

SMART and REPAIR Acts

The CAR (Consumer Access to Repair) Coalition, a growing group of independent automotive parts and repair companies, associations and insurers committed to preserving consumer choice and affordable vehicle repair, is commending a bipartisan letter from 28 state attorneys general urging lawmakers to approve bipartisan legislation protecting consumer rights in the post-collision auto repair market.

Specifically, the attorneys general are urging key members of Congress to advance the SMART and REPAIR Acts, which have recently been reintroduced in the 118th Congress.

“We applaud the bipartisan group of attorneys general for urging Congress to pass commonsense right to repair legislation, like the recently reintroduced SMART and REPAIR Acts,” CAR Coalition Executive Director Justin Rzepka said. “These attorneys general, as chief consumer protection and antitrust enforcers, are well aware of the pressure of rising prices on the people in their states. Swift federal

legislation is critical to protecting consumers’ right to repair the products they purchase—restoring choice to the repair process, increasing competition and lowering costs.”

The letter states in part: “The Right to Repair is a bipartisan issue that impacts every consumer, household and farm in a time of increasing inflation. It is about ensuring that consumers have choices as to who, where, when and at what cost their vehicles can be repaired. It is about ensuring small automobile businesses and ‘mom-and-pop’ auto shops can remain competitive against a closed system favored by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).” The letter can be read in full at carcoalition.com/wp-content/ uploads/2020/07/Right-to-RepairLtr.-to-Congress-FINAL.pdf

The Save Money on Auto Repair Transportation SMART Act (H.R. 1707) will put an end to automakers’ unfair use of patents by reducing from 15 years to 2.5 years the time that automakers can enforce design

patents against alternative parts manufacturers on collision repair parts, including common parts like side mirrors, quarter panels and bumpers. The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act (H.R. 906) will ensure consumers have access to their car’s data and the repair tools needed to maintain modern cars.

The introduction of the SMART and REPAIR Acts builds on growing momentum for the consumer protections in the post-collision repair market, including endorsements from the White House and Federal Trade Commission, along with an unprecedented show of support from federal lawmakers in the FY2023 government funding package and spotlights at two congressional hearings.

According to recent research from the CAR Coalition and DePaul University College of Law, anti-competitive practices from automakers cost American consumers more than $1.5 billion per year in higher auto repairs.

Source: CAR Coalition

Are You Giving Your Estimators the Time and Training Needed to Succeed?

We at Collision Advice recently reviewed some data on the average collision repair severity in each state, and not surprisingly, it has continued to rise. On a national basis, it’s now over $4,700, but in many states, the average is over $5,000, and there’s one state where the average is over $6,000.

has risen by about $1,000 since 2019 in some states, and by as much as $2,000 in others. But more interestingly, the actual number of labor hours per job hasn’t risen that much.

In some states, the average total number of labor hours is up by only about 1.2 hours over that four-year period. The biggest increase we saw in the average number of labor hours per job in any state was four hours.

In some cases, when the labor hours were broken down by type— body, refinish, frame and mechanical— we actually saw some small decreases in the averages in some state.

Insurance companies are really just hammering shops and trying to control severity.

While that may be true to an extent, I believe that a majority of shops—and I’m not trying to offend anybody here—use the insurance companies as an excuse for their own

we’re not giving them the time to write a proper damage analysis.

In some cases, we have people who are not educated themselves teaching someone else. It’s kind of like that game of telephone we all played in school, where one person tells another person something, and that person is supposed to tell another person the exact same thing, and so on, but by the time the message gets to the last person, it’s very different than the original.

But we wanted to drill down further to look not only at how average severity has changed over the past five years, but also how average number of labor hours per job have changed over that time.

Again, looking at the data on a state-by-state basis, average severity

So at the end of the day, severity has gone up, but it’s not because of a significant increase in the labor hours per job. The increase is more based on increased scans and calibrations, and because of the use of more—and more expensive—parts per job.

As I looked at this data, I started to ask myself why. If you asked me this three or four years ago, I would have said maybe it’s insurance pressure.

lack of knowledge and training. I really believe we have people in shops writing estimates or repair plans who have not been properly trained.

Part of the reason: We’re having to hire a lot of new people in our industry, and I think too often we’re not setting them up for success. We’re not giving them the time to train, we’re not finding the right training, and then

Now my company offers estimating training, but there’s a lot of others sources of estimate training as well. You have Dave Dunn at Masters School. You have Kristen Felder and Larry Montanez with Collision Hub. You have Roger Cada from Accountable Estimating.

So I’m not saying you need to get training from us. I’m just saying you need to find somebody that can help get your team properly trained. I think it’s only going to become even more important as we start working on more and more electric vehicles.

Mike

“So at the end of the day, severity has gone up, but it’s not because of a significant increase in the labor hours per job.”

— MIKE ANDERSON COLLISION ADVICE

By John Yoswick Autobody News

Mike Anderson of Collision Advice is well-known in the collision repair industry as a speaker and trainer, but for 25 years, he’s also led multiple groups of about of about 20 auto body shops, each from a different market—more than 400 businesses in all—who come together quarterly to compare financial and performance benchmarks, look for solutions for challenges facing their businesses or the industry, and help one another improve.

Starting last year, Anderson launched a new 20 Group, called the Spartans. Autobody News asked him about what spurred the change, and how a collision repair business can become—and benefit from—being a Spartan.

Q:What led to the formation of the Spartans?

A:I had the honor and privilege of doing 20 Groups for Axalta Coatings for over 25 years. When COVID hit and I wasn’t traveling 300 days a year for the first time, I had time to reflect on some things.

If you’ve ever watched that movie “Jerry Maguire,” Tom Cruise’s character has a sort of epiphany in the middle of the night, and he writes a letter about what he believes and what he’s going to do. I had my own type of Jerry Maguire moment during the early days of COVID.

As my business had changed, I’d been working with more automakers. I realized there were a lot of shops that were OEM-certified and really trying to do the right thing. But they likely at times felt like they were alone on an island. I know I felt that way a lot when I had my shops. So I wanted to focus on helping those OEM-certified shops, those trying to do the right thing, regardless of the paint line they use. We needed the groups to be paint-neutral.

Q:So OEM certifications are required to participate?

they have the intent to do the right thing, they have committed to that, and with that, my team and I can then coach them and help them improve.

I emailed some shops to tell them about my vision for the Spartans, and asked if they would be interested in attending a meeting to talk about it. We had 28 or 30 people at that first meeting.

Q: And it’s grown from there?

A: We are already up to four Spartan groups, with 77 members that combined have almost 160 locations. That’s after about six months since we launched. We’re very selective on who we take. You have to be nominated by a member or go through an approval process.

Each group is made up of shops that tend to specialize in a certain type of vehicle, such as one group that specializes mostly in high-end European vehicles. Not to say they

So we have a dashboard that we built with CCI. It pulls information about closed repair orders from each shop’s management system. It allows us to compare information on each shop, and can even segment it down by make and model of vehicle, by estimator, by what insurer was involved.

I can see, for example, that this shop repaired three BMW 328is, and this is all the data for those jobs: body labor hours, paint labor hours, mechanical, frame, CSI scores, cycle time, etc. I don’t know anyone in the industry who has built what we’ve built.

We also have reports so that as a coach, I can get on the phone with them and say, for example: “Your receivables are way out of whack. You need to get on that and collect your money.” Or I can tell this shop they are averaging—and I’m making these number up here—10 refinish labor hours per job, while that company’s two other shops are averaging 12, and the Spartan group as a whole is averaging 11. So we do a lot of data analysis, and we’re helping people to compare.

Q:How else do you see being a Spartan as helpful for a collision repair business?

A:The Spartans want to be a resource for one another. A Spartan in Florida couldn’t locate a part the shop needed locally; Frank Rinaudo, a Spartan in Louisiana, found the part there, and personally drove it six hours to the Florida shop, just to help them out.

We had another Spartan member who lost a painter and was really backed up. One of the other Spartans flew his painter there for a weekend to help the shop catch up.

Q:Is there anything else you would like to add? What if an OEMcertified collision repair shop wants to find out more about becoming a Spartan?

A:They can visit the Collision Advice website (collisionadvice. com) for more information and ways to contact us. I think it is important that people understand we are not a banner group or franchise model—I have a great working relationship with some of those—and we are also not anti-insurance. We are a coaching and training company that is collaborating with shops and all industry stakeholders to identify areas of opportunity or improvement or solutions for the industry.

don’t fix other vehicles, but it’s what they specialize in. Because we see performance benchmarks can vary based on what types of vehicles a shop frequently fixes. The goal is to help a Toyota-certified shop, for example, compare themselves against other Toyota-certified shops.

We have independent and dealership shops, some with a single location, others with as many as 12 or 16 locations.

Q: So what’s involved for a shop that’s a Spartan?

A:

Yes, you need to have at least one OEM certification, and be committed to safe and proper repairs. You have to agree that you will pre- and post-repair scan every vehicle with an OEM scan tool or an OEM-approved device, for example, and that you will set-up and perform destructive test welds on every vehicle requiring welding.

I feel I should say: I am not naïve enough to believe that everybody in my group is doing the exact right thing every single time. But at least

A: We meet in person once a quarter. Our goal is help drive positive conversations about solutions. We also do monthly webinars, featuring an automaker, an insurer or an industry vendor. We recently just mystery-called all our shops, for example, and recorded how they answered the phone. We played that for them, and then also helped them build scripts to improve that process.

We now have 13 team members who also do weekly coaching calls with each shop, where we go over data to help them with their business. I knew we would need some software to track data and performance.

“So I felt like we needed to focus on helping those OEMcertified shops, those who are trying to do the right thing, no matter what paint line they use.”

Chevy To End Camaro Production, Announces Final Collector’s Edition

After nine strong model years in the market, with hundreds of thousands sold, the sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro will retire at the conclusion of model year 2024.

The final sixth generation Camaros will come off the assembly line at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan in January 2024.

CCC Named Winner in AI Excellence

ultimate street-legal track Camaro, the 650-horsepower ZL1 1LE, produced the fastest time for any Camaro around GM’s Milford Road Course at the company’s Milford Proving Ground in Michigan.

Whether it is picking up awards for on-road performance, or race wins and championships at tracks across the world, Camaro has demonstrated Chevrolet’s ability to win in the most demanding environments.

Edition pays homage to Camaro, resurfacing ties that date back to the development of the first generation Camaro in the 1960s, most notably the program’s initial code name: Panther.

More information on the 2024 Camaro line and Collector’s Edition package will be available closer to the start of orders this summer.

Motorsports

CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc. has been recognized by Business Intelligence with two Artificial Intelligence (AI) Excellence Awards.

The 2023 AI Excellence Awards recognize organizations, products and people applying AI to solve real business challenges.

Available in coupe and softtop convertible variants, this latest generation Camaro is known for supreme athleticism and composure. Magnetic Ride Control became available on the Camaro SS in the sixth generation and track-focused 1LE packages proliferated through all levels of the lineup for the first time. The

“As we prepare to say goodbye to the current generation Camaro, it is difficult to overstate our gratitude to every Camaro customer, Camaro assembly line employee and race fan,” said Scott Bell, vice president, Global Chevrolet. “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story.”

Chevrolet will celebrate this storied nameplate with the addition of the Collector’s Edition package on the 2024 Camaro RS and SS, and on a limited number of ZL1 equipped vehicles available in North America. The Collector’s

Chevrolet campaigns the sixth generation Camaro in a variety of series, including NASCAR, IMSA, SRO, NHRA and the Supercars Championship. Camaro will continue to compete on track, working with motorsports sanctioning bodies to ensure Chevrolet’s presence in racing moving forward.

“Chevrolet’s products and our relationship with our customers benefit from motorsports,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president, Performance and Motorsports. “Our plan is to continue to compete and win at the highest levels of auto racing.”

Source: Chevrolet

CCC’s estimating solution CCC® Estimate-STP was recognized as a top innovation in the product category for 2023. CCC Estimate-STP uses advanced AI and insurer-driven rules to automatically initiate and populate detailed and actionable estimates for qualified repairable estimates in seconds without the need for human intervention.

In the organization category, CCC’s NXT Lab innovation hub was recognized as a center of excellence for its work across internal teams, including data science, R&D, engineering, support and design, to develop and test next-generation AI solutions for the industry.

Source: CCC Intelligent Solutions, Inc.

VW Recalls 143K Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Advises Not To Sit in Passenger Seat

By Chris Bruce Motor1.com

Volkswagen is recalling 143,053 examples of the 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport because the front passenger airbag might not deploy in a collision. The automaker advises owners not to ride with anyone in the passenger seat until the repair is complete.

The problem is a potential fault in the wiring for the occupant detection system for the front passenger seat. It might not sense that a person is sitting there, and if that happens, the airbag wouldn’t deploy.

VW doesn’t yet have a repair for this issue, but the company is developing one. The automaker will notify affected owners when the fix is ready.

VW began investigating this issue in August 2019 after receiving reports about the potential problem. It analyzed the situation with suppliers through May 2020. More investigation into the root

cause and possible fixes occurred until January 2021. In February 2021, the Volkswagen Product Safety Committee found the failure of the occupant detection system was “highly sporadic,” according to the automaker’s chronology of the issue.

GM Celebrates Top Suppliers

year. The updated exterior styling includes larger headlights and a light bar stretching across the nose. Similarly, there’s another illuminated strip on the rear for all but the base trim.

Inside, they feature a 12inch infotainment screen and a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.

Leatherette covers the dashboard and center console.

General Motors celebrated its top global suppliers during its annual Supplier of the Year event held in San Antonio, TX.

In total, 121 suppliers were recognized at the event, with 105 suppliers receiving a Supplier of the Year award, 14 suppliers receiving an Overdrive award and two suppliers receiving both Supplier of the Year and Overdrive awards. Collectively, the awarded suppliers represented 17 countries.

The product safety committee released a technical bulletin about this problem in June 2021. The company kept investigating the problem. On March 22, the automaker decided to recall the affected vehicles.

VW introduced refreshed versions of the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport for the 2024 model

The Atlas is now only available with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. It makes 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic routes the power either to the front wheels or the optional all-wheeldrive system.

The IQ.Drive safety tech suite is now standard. It includes lane centering, lane-keep assist and automatic braking. Adaptive cruise control is an optional upgrade.

The honorees for 2022 include six certified diverse suppliers recognized as a Supplier of the Year. GM was the first automotive OEM to establish a supplier diversity program in 1968. Over the past five years, GM has spent more than $18 billion and contributed to many community initiatives in collaboration with diverse suppliers. GM strives to achieve equitable and sustainable supply chain inclusion goals to help establish long-term viability for the company’s diverse supply base.

Source: GM

Ed

Attanasio — Day Job/Night Job

Body Tech and Family Start Holistic Homestead in Central Minnesota

When technician Justin Brockner isn’t fixing cars, he and his wife, Candice, run a 17-acre farm that has quickly become an attraction for people in Brook Park, MN, and the surrounding area. They call it Holistic Homestead and six years ago, this couple added farming to the growing list of amazing things they do—including parenting three boys with a girl on the way, homeschooling, physique competitions, Candice’s line of healthy products and Justin working at local body shops to pay the bills.

Justin’s career in collision repair goes back more than two decades.

“I have been working on cars pretty much my entire life,” Justin said. “My dad was a self-employed mechanic who did a lot of restorations and had his own car collections. I kind of grew up around cars and in the automotive repair industry.

supplies, games and an entire room dedicated to children and babies.

The Brockners have always had big plans for their farm and boutique.

animals; we wanted to get into dairy goats. We wanted the land and we wanted to use the barn for animals, but we also had this house sitting there

Now the homestead holds events for the community during the year.

“We do a Summer Solstice Festival in June and then we did another festival in August, like an end of summer festival,” Candice said. “And then all through October, we are open every weekend. We created a lot of little activities for families and we invite people to hang out here, with picnic tables set up all over the property.”

The couple is into competitive-level fitness in addition to running their farm and boutique, Justin said.

“We entered physique competitions there for a little while, and we did other coaching,” he said. “I have a health and wellness coaching certificate; Candice is a certified holistic nutritionist and we try to motivate people to pursue their goals and dreams, and coaching them is a big part of it.”

“I worked in a service station in high school, doing oil changes and wheel alignments,” Justin continued. “I went to body school for a two-year degree and I have been working in collision repair since then. I did my first restoration when I was probably 12 or 13, and I took it to the state fair. It was a 1948 International pickup.”

The family’s farm began in 2017 with flowers, and now the family raises chickens, rabbits, goats and ducks, and grows a wide range of organic produce and bulk herbs.

“We would always just plant flowers to pollinate our gardens,” Candice said. “Then it turned into selling those flowers and into selling extra vegetables and eggs, as well as raising pastured poultry for our family and community.”

In October 2021, the couple opened the Holistic Homestead Farm Boutique, an “occasional boutique” open most weekends, offering a variety of unique items, including a line of handcrafted herbal remedies, kitchenware, pantry staples, home decor, many gift options, apparel, books, seeds, gardening

“The business has evolved naturally,” Candice said. “Everything we make and grow is first for our family and then the rest is for the community. At the beginning, we just wanted to have a space where people could gather and where we could share what we have here. Families love this place because it’s a beautiful spot and they can come here and unwind.”

The farm is in their DNA, Candice said.

“Well, I suppose it was kind of our way of living and being self-sufficient,” she said. “We’ve been gardening since our early 20s, canning food for our family. But it was about, I would say, six years ago when we launched the business initially with our herbal remedies. It all kind of just started as a way of life. You know, things that we use, and make ourselves and wanted to share them with other people. Over the years, that just evolved into wanting to have a space to offer to the community, for just a space for people to gather.”

When opportunity knocked to expand the farm, the Brockners answered the call, Justin said.

“The farm next to our homestead is about 710 acres and it went up for sale in the summer of 2021,” he said. “We were always talking to a neighbor about wanting to get some of that land from him. So, when it went up for sale, we thought this is our chance to expand. There’s a very nice barn on the property which would enable us to have more

and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to offer our products to the community through this outlet.”

It all ties into what the Brockners are doing at Holistic Homestead—pursuing their passion and teaching people a new and healthier way of living along the way.

Visit their website at www. holistichomesteadmn.com.

The Brockner family runs Holistic Homestead Farms in Brook Park, MN. Candice handles the day-to-day business while Justin works as a body tech at a local shop.

“Everything we make or grow is first for our family and then the rest is for the community. At the beginning, we just wanted to have a space where people could gather and where we could share what we have here.”

CANDICE BROCKNER  HOLISTIC HOMESTEAD

After Nearly 2 Years, New-Vehicle Prices Fall Below Sticker Price in March

A nearly two-year trend was broken in March when the average price Americans paid for a new vehicle fell below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the first time in 20 months, according to data released April 11 by Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive company.

The average transaction price (ATP) of a new vehicle in the U.S. declined in March to $48,008, a month-over-month decrease of 1.1% ($550) from a downwardly revised February reading of $48,558. March transaction prices remained up 3.8% ($1,784) compared to year-ago levels.

Meanwhile, auto manufacturers’ incentive spend rose to the highest level in 11 months at 3.3% of the ATP in March, averaging $1,516.

According to Kelley Blue Book calculations, new-vehicle ATPs have been above the average MSRP--also known as the sticker price--for 20 months, but March brought long-awaited good news for buyers as that trend finally changed. In March, transaction prices continued to trend downward and the average price consumers paid fell to $171 below the average sticker. For comparison, a year ago in March

2022, the average ATP was nearly $1,000 over MSRP.

Sales volumes were up month over month by 20% and up 8% year over year in March, thanks partly to improved supply, a better mix of lower-priced models and strong fleet sales.

luxury and non-luxury prices were down month over month. We’ve been anticipating transaction price declines, as inventory has been steadily improving and choice has expanded. More vehicles on dealer lots---and on their competitors’ lots---means dealers simply don’t

was $44,182, a decline of $505 compared to February. Most nonluxury brands---including Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan and Volkswagen---saw ATP declines between 0.2% to 3.8% month over month in March. This correlates with higher incentives helping to push prices down.

Honda and Kia showed the most price strength in the non-luxury market, transacting between 3% and 6% over sticker price in March.

Luxury Share Stays High While Average Prices Fall Slightly in March

Strong luxury vehicle sales have been a primary reason for overall elevated new-vehicle prices. This trend continued in March when luxury vehicle share hit 18.2% of total sales, down slightly from a high of 19.5% in February.

“The latest transaction data from March reveals new-vehicle prices continued a downward trend through the first quarter of 2023,” said Rebecca Rydzewski, research manager of economic and industry insights for Cox Automotive. “Both

have the pricing power they did six months ago.”

Average Prices for Non-Luxury Cars Decline

The average price paid for a new non-luxury vehicle in March

The high share of luxury sales continues to push overall industry ATP higher, even though the luxury ATP has declined month over month. For comparison, in March 2018, the luxury share was 14.0% of the market.

Two luxury brands now have average transaction prices over $100,000---Land Rover and

Porsche. (Note: Kelley Blue Book data presented here does not include exotic brands such as Ferrari and Rolls Royce.)

Buyers continue to pay over MSRP for new luxury vehicles. In March, the average luxury buyer paid $65,202 for a new vehicle, down just $9 from February. Luxury vehicle ATPs were a mixed bag in March, with entry-level luxury cars, high-end luxury cars, luxury compact SUVs, luxury mid-size SUVs and luxury subcompact SUVs all showing price declines between 0.5% and 1.4%. Luxury cars and luxury full-size SUVs saw price increases between 0.8% and 1.6%.

EV Prices Increased Slightly in March, Bucking the Downward Trend

The average price paid for a new EV increased by $313 (up 0.5%) in March compared to February. The average new EV sold for $58,940 in March, according to Kelley Blue Book estimates, which still is well above the industry average. New EV pricing peaked in 2022, coming down steadily since Q3 of last year. Still, March’s upward movement of EV ATP was a bit of a surprise,  since Tesla, the automaker with the largest share of EV sales,

months. However, EV sales from Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, Lucid and other brands have increased at the same time, offsetting lower-priced Tesla products.

Auto Incentives Offered by Manufacturers Remain at Historically Low Levels but are Trending Upward

Incentives averaged $1,516, increasing to 3.2% of the average transaction price compared to 3.0% in February. However, incentive spend remains at a historically low level.

For comparison, two years ago in March 2021, Kelley Blue Book estimated incentives averaged 8.4% of ATP. Luxury cars had the highest incentives in March 2023 at 6.7% of ATP. Meanwhile, vans had the lowest incentives at less than 1% of ATP.

“Incentives and inventory tend to move in tandem—when one moves up, so does the other,” said Rydzewski. “Right now, in-market consumers are finding more inventory, more choice and dealers more willing to deal, at least with some brands. Yet, even as deals improve, unfortunately auto loan rates remain very high, ultimately making new-vehicle affordability an issue for many households.”

31% of Americans Still Won’t Consider EVs: Poll

By Simon Alvarez Teslarati

A new poll revealed 31% of Americans still would not consider electric vehicles when purchasing their next car, while just over one-third would consider it.

The U.S. is currently in a serious EV push, as President Joe Biden wants 50% of all new vehicles sold in 2030 to be either batteryelectric or plug-in hybrid cars.

A recent seven-day poll from Reuters/Ipsos, which concluded March 20, revealed 34% of respondents were open to the idea of purchasing an electric car, while 31% responded they were not considering it. The survey also indicated Democrats were more inclined towards EVs, with 50% considering the idea. This number was only 26% among Republicans and 27% among independents.

The poll further revealed

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56% of respondents were not willing to pay more than $49,999 for an EV, a price point that’s already been met by some popular electric cars, such as the base Tesla Model 3, which starts at $42,990.

Around 35% of the poll’s respondents also wanted an EV with 500 miles or more per charge, a metric only met currently by the Lucid Air. However, 37% of the poll’s respondents said they wanted a minimum range of 300 miles per charge, which has been achieved by several EVs on the road today, such as the Tesla Model Y and the Ford Mustang Mach-E, as well as premium EVs from younger companies like Rivian and Lucid.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online. It involved 4,410 participants across the U.S., and its credibility interval is approximately 2 to 3 percentage points in either direction.

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CIECAST Discusses How Collision Repairers Can ‘Move Upstream’ To Capture

More Customers

By Abby Andrews Autobody News

CIECA hosted its latest CIECAST webinar March 30, “How to Adapt to the Speed of Change in the Collision Industry… Without Getting Crushed,” presented by Ryan Taylor, founder of the CRM software BodyShop Booster and president of The AMP Bureau.

Taylor shared three concepts he said are helping some of the great leaders around the world adapt to the speed of change---and are also applicable to anyone in the collision repair space.

The full presentation is available on CIECA’s website at www.cieca.com/ MEETINGS-EVENTS/ciecast-webinars

Upstream Positioning

Taylor said it is important to understand there are different classifications of purchases.

The first is an impulse buy. These come with a high degree of purchase motivation because they are something people really want---like a car or new smartphone—so customers tend to do a lot of research before buying them.

The second, which includes collision repair, is a distress purchase. These have no degree of purchase motivation because people don’t really want it, but need it.

“It’s a very different buying frame of mind,” Taylor said. “You can’t make people research what to do after they’ve had an accident. You can’t create interest in the product by offering discounts if they get in an accident. You can’t build demand by causing accidents.”

In any given market, about 57% of vehicle owners do not have damage and therefore do not need collision repair, Taylor said.

For the other 43%, their buying behavior depends on how much damage their vehicle has. If it’s small, many people will put off getting it fixed for a long time, even years. For those with medium damage, they tend to put it off for a few months. But those with large damage will make the decision to purchase collision repair services within a matter of hours.

“Only about 2% of people are looking for collision repair,” Taylor said. “It fluctuates with conditions [like extreme weather events] but that’s the average.”

Those in the collision repair space need to think about how to “move upstream” in a potential customer’s journey.

“Everyone has a ‘lake,’” Taylor said.

“If you’re a body shop, the lake is the surrounding community; if you’re a supplier, it’s a larger area.”

As customers in the “lake” decide to purchase collision repair services, they “move downstream towards ‘islands

are no longer void when the car is sold, which creates a higher resale value. Shops can show owners how the AMP warranty will increase their car’s Kelley Blue Book value, and owners can show the AMP warranty when selling it.

Taylor said new technology being applied to vehicles can be scary, but the industry should embrace and try to keep up with it.

As an example, he said the U.S. military dedicates 20% of its annual budget to research and development of new technology.

How to Surf the Technology Wave

In 1995, Taylor said, there were only four marketing channels---the radio, Yellow Pages, TV and newspaper. Today there are 7,400 different marketing channels.

“Don’t chase the latest marketing craze,” Taylor said. “Focus on the customer.”

Today, people are constantly looking at their phones, but in 1940, in a photo he showed, they were all looking at newspapers.

“The delivery method has changed but human behavior hasn’t, so focus on that,” he said.

Taylor drew a parallel to surfing.

of influence’” that affect their decisions on which shop to use---like insurance companies, OEMs and family and friends, Taylor said.

Beyond that is a second chain of “islands,” like a body shop’s website and social media presence, and the results of a Google search of local shops. These secondary influencers are nowhere near as powerful as the primary ones, Taylor said.

“The average customer looks at three body shops,” Taylor said. “Then they finally make a buying decision.”

Now that customer is in the “repair tube,” in which they book the repair, drop off the vehicle, pick up their rental vehicle, get repair updates, take delivery and get a warranty, at which point they are “pumped back” into the “lake” as part of the 57% of repaired vehicles that don’t need services.

“Think about how you move upstream in that cycle,” Taylor said.

As an example, Taylor said, he went to dealerships after hail storms to offer dent repair services, but a lot of other repairers were doing the same thing, so he had to “move upstream.”

To do that, he identified dealerships in hail-prone areas, and spoke to the principles at those dealerships about setting up a disaster response plan--before any storm hit, so he was the only one in the room. That way, when a storm did hit, the dealership called him directly to get the response started immediately.

Another example is the AMP Bureau, which helps shops provide nationwide warranties across the U.S. and Canada. This means warranties

“What can you do to start upstream thinking?” Taylor said.

Moving Away from Fear and Toward Freedom

“Inexperienced surfers chase the wave,” Taylor said. “Experienced surfers choose their spot and wait. It looks like they’re not doing much but they are positioned to catch the wave when it comes.”

This screenshot from the presentation shows the customer journey of leaving the marketplace “lake” to travel through the pipeline of getting their vehicle repaired.

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TechForce Receives $1M Donation from Ford Fund, Dealers

Ford Motor Company Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, is joining Ford dealers across four U.S. regions—Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix—to provide a million dollars in scholarship funding to help students pursue careers as automotive technicians.

The auto industry has long faced a shortage of technicians due to fewer students entering and graduating from postsecondary programs, according to TechForce Foundation. Despite annual demand for 258,000 new technicians, there are only 48,000 graduates from technician programs each year nationwide.

The gap is likely to widen over the next decade without new graduates as there are projected growth rates of 14% in Arizona, 10% in Texas, 7% in Georgia and 3% in Illinois for this career field respectively.

“As we move toward an electrified future, these career opportunities are exciting and require skilled technicians who are proficient in STEM-related study,” said Elena Ford, chief customer experience officer. “Working

Hunter Brake Lathe Features Portal Connectivity

Hunter Engineering’s popular ACE on-car brake lathe with tablet now also connects with the HunterNet® 2 platform.

HunterNet ® 2 is a free customer portal developed for undercar service operators with single or multiple rooftops, allowing operators to access actionable performance data for all their Hunter-connected equipment.

With the new connectivity and the optional DigiCal feature, shop owners and managers will be able to view before and after cut results for rotors online, before and after runout, plus monitor lathe usage counts and track equipment ROI. They’ll also be able to order consumables 24/7 and access the online user manual.

The easily accessible beforeand-after data will provide valuable documentation for warranty purposes, as well as transparency for customers.

For more information, visit www.hunter.com/brake-lathes/ autocomp-elite

Source: Hunter Engineering

together with the Ford Fund and our dealers to offer this scholarship program means we will welcome a new generation of diverse students to the industry, and hopefully into our Ford family, to help us better serve our customers.”

student’s school tuition account and may be used for all cost of attendance, including tuition, tools, living expenses and transportation.

“These scholarships will go a long way in engaging students, particularly those from underresourced communities, to consider careers in automotive technology and service,” said Jennifer Maher, CEO, TechForce Foundation. “We’re excited about working with the Ford Fund and Ford dealer partners to help create a path to careers students may not have considered before.”

and expertise of the essential skills required to build a diverse pipeline of auto technicians.

This program supports Ford’s greater mission to prepare, empower and grow the future workforce needed to service vehicles and customers to prepare for an electrified future including:

A focus on STEM-based curriculum in combination with hands-on learning

Reaching students early and reinforcing the opportunities available for upward professional and economic advancement

Collaboration with dealers through their involvement in participating schools, career fairs, shadowing days, mentoring and internships

The Ford Auto Tech Scholarship is open to current and future students who are enrolled in postsecondary auto or auto and diesel technician training programs in the Greater Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix areas. This needbased scholarship is applied to a

Scholarships will be administered by TechForce Foundation, a national nonprofit supporting students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. Ford is proud to partner with TechForce given their deep understanding

For more information and to apply for the Ford Auto Tech Scholarship opportunity, students can visit www.TechForce.org/ FordFund.

Applications are due by June 30, and applicants will be notified of the results on a rolling basis throughout the spring and summer.

Source: TechForce Foundation

Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 Takes Home 3 Awards At 2023 World Car of the Year The RIGHT

By Can Emir Interesting Engineering

The automotive industry’s most important and prestigious awards ceremony, the World Car of the Year Awards Powered by Brembo, was held at the New York International Auto Show.

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Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 electric sedan was the show’s star, taking home three of the six categories, including the World Electric Vehicle of the Year and the overall Car of the Year.

Hyundai’s sister company, Kia, also won the World Performance Car of the Year award with the EV6 GT. The Lucid Air won the World Luxury Car, and the Citroën C3 was named the World Urban Car.

Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 has certainly caught the automotive world’s attention with its impressive range, power and design. The electric sedan’s accolades at the World Car of the Year Awards add to its impressive resume.

Kia’s EV6 GT was also a

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formidable competitor, earning the World Performance Car of the Year award. With these two models leading the way, it’s clear the future of the automotive industry is electric, and Hyundai Motor Corporation is leading the charge.

Order

The Ioniq 6 is the second vehicle from the Hyundai Motor Corporation to win three categories at the World Car of the Year awards. The electric sedan costs $41,600 in the U.S. and comes standard with an impressive technology suite, including twin 12.3-inch screens. Its longest-range trim can travel up to 361 miles per charge, while the highest-power, twin-motor specification delivers up to 320 hp.

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M-F 7:30am-6pm Sat 8am-3pm

sstallcup@audifortworth.com

oreyna@audifortworth.com www.audifortworth.com

Audi Grapevine

Dallas/Fort Worth

877.424.AUDI (2834)

817.553.2252/2258

M-F 7am-6pm Sat 8am-5pm

sstallcup@audigrapevine.com

cmartinez@audigrapevine.com www.audigrapevine.com

Audi Plano

Dallas/Fort Worth

214.452.3830

214.452.3855 Fax

M-F 7am-7pm Sat 8am-5pm

gualotunao@autonation.com www.audiplano.com

Renowned speaker and bestselling author Eric Chester will be the keynote speaker at the 2023 ASE Instructor Training Conference scheduled for July 17-20 in Concord, NC.

Chester’s speech, “Building Rockets That Fly: Ensuring the Success of our Graduates,” will focus on helping to make sure graduates of automotive educational programs succeed in their careers.

Hosted by the ASE Education Foundation, the premier national training event will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Concord, just outside of Charlotte, and will be attended by hundreds of high school and college instructors from auto, truck and collision repair programs nationwide.

The cost for instructors from ASE-accredited programs is $600 per person while the cost for instructors from nonaccredited programs is $700 each.

Source: ASE Education Foundation

INSIST ON GM GENUINE PARTS

Arizona

Courtesy Chevrolet PHOENIX

602-248-7710

601-604-3025 Fax

M-F 7 am - 6 pm Sat 8 am - 3 pm

Parts@CourtesyAuto.com

Colorado

Emich Chevrolet LAKEWOOD

800-274-1127

303-986-2245

303-989-3490 Fax

M-F 7am - 6pm; Sat 8am - 4pm gmcollision@emichauto.com www.emichchevrolet.com

John Elway Chevrolet ENGLEWOOD

800-525-5096

303-761-5161

303-789-6737 Fax

M-F 7am - 6pm; Sat 8am - 4pm wholesaleparts@elwaydealers.net

New Mexico

Garcia Cadillac GM Parts ALBUQUERQUE

800-432-6944

505-884-9054

505-889-2950 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 2pm parts288126@garciacars.com

Quality Buick GMC ALBUQUERQUE

505-348-1234

505-247-7490 Fax

M-F 7am - 5:30pm Parts@qualitydeal.com

Oklahoma

Bob Howard Parts OKLAHOMA CTY

800-888-3827

800-946-7278 Fax

M-F 8am - 5:30pm sales@bhpdc.com www.bhpdc.com

Marc Miller Buick GMC TULSA

800-456-4700

918-828-7070 Parts Direct

918-828-7094 24 Hr. Fax

M-F 8am - 5:30pm

jerad@marcmillertulsa.com

www.marcmillerbuickgmc.com

Texas

Atzenhoffer Chevrolet VICTORIA

800-627-3501

361-575-0171

361-578-8082 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 6pm rick@atzenhoffer.com

Lawrence Hall Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac ABILENE

325-692-3590

325-698-7310 Fax

M-F 7:30am - 6pm dgarner@lawrencehall.com

Northside Chevrolet SAN ANTONIO

833-691-1440

210-308-8683 Fax

M-F 8am - 6pm Sat 7am - 4pm emartin@mynschevy.com www.mynschevy.com

Utah

Ken Garff Buick GMC RIVERDALE

800-821-8797

801-627-6762

800-390-1317 Fax

M-F 8am - 6pm

Publisher Jeremy Hayhurst

General Manager

Barbara Davies

Editor Abby Andrews

Contributing Writers

Mike Anderson, Ed Attanasio, Stacey Phillips, Cole Strandberg, John Yoswick

Advertising Sales

Joe Momber, Norman Morano

Office Manager

Kelly Cashman

Digital Marketing Manager

Bryan Malinski

Art Director

Rodolfo Garcia

Senior Designer

Vicki Sitarz

TRUST FORD PARTS

CERTIFIED PARTS WHOLESALING DEALERS

The only parts that perform as great as they look. Give your customers the power to drive a vehicle you’re both proud of. These trusted Ford dealers below have the OEM parts you need. Place your order today.

Earnhardt

CHANDLER

480-763-6233

480-783-4655 Fax www.earnhardtford.com

MESA

480-530-9720

480-530-9708 Fax

Hours: M-F 7-7; Sat 7-4 butch.lemen@lhmauto.com

Lakewood

LAKEWOOD

800-332-3722

720-481-2460

303-991-4134 Fax

Hours: M-F 7-8; Sat 8-4 steven.albertson@lhmauto.com

Schomp Ford

DENVER

800-876-0977

303-343-1396

303-361-9278 Fax

Hours: M-F 7:30-5:30; Sat 7:30-3 fordparts@schomp.com

Bob Howard Parts OKLAHOMA CITY

800-888-3827

800-946-7278 Fax

Hours: M-F 8am - 5:30pm sales@bhpdc.com www.bhpdc.com

United

TULSA

WHOLESALE DIRECT

800-800-9001

800-676-8509 Fax adodson@penskeautomotive.com www.fordparts.com/unitedford www.unitedford.com

Five Star Ford

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS WHOLESALE DIRECT

800-895-7827

817-577-2781

817-577-0558 Fax www.5starford.com

Helfman Ford STAFFORD

281-240-7628

800-634-8008

281-240-0642 Fax parts@helfmanford.com www.fordparts.com/helfman

Mac Haik Ford, Lincoln

GEORGETOWN/AUSTIN

877-969-3055

512-930-6260

281-598-4370 Fax parts@machaikfl.com

Tommie Vaughn Motors

HOUSTON

800-944-4415

713-869-4755

713-293-4309 Fax www.tommievaughnford.com

Town East Ford

MESQUITE

972-798-4529

972-682-1290 24 Hr Fax

Hours: M-Sat 7-5

jhalcomb@vtaig.com www.towneastford.com

Ford

Larry H. Miller Ford Mesa

Larry H. Miller Ford

Ford PDC

ARIZONA TEXAS

OKLAHOMA COLORADO

COLORADO

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