S O U THWESTEDITION
AUTOBODY AZ / AR / CO / LA / NM / OK / TX / UT
Auto Body Shops Asked to Submit Experiences with SRS Inspections by John Yoswick
I-CAR is seeking help from collision repairers as it reviews OEM safety inspections related to secondary restraint systems (SRS). Scott VanHulle, manager of I-CAR’s Repairability Technical Support and OEM Technical Relations, said the project grew out of a virtual summit the training organization held in March with 150 shops, insurers and automakers. The discussion centered around whether the industry had adequate information about what inspections
were required and when, what the inspections should “look like” and the “why” behind the inspections. The OEMs may not be aware of shortcomings in their procedures related to this, VanHulle said, because traditionally much of the feedback they receive is from dealership service departments that aren’t dealing with collision-damaged vehicles. I-CAR hopes to develop industry-vetted best practices related to the inspections, provide feedback to the automakers about any potential repair information improvements See SRS Inspections, Page 12
Service King Donates Car to Centennial Resident Through NABC Recycled Rides Program Service King Collision recently repaired and donated a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe to Roy Edwand Manville Jr., a local Centennial, CO, resident, through the National Auto Body Council’s (NABC) Recycled Rides program. Recycled Rides is a unique community action initiative through which members of the NABC and others in the auto body repair industry unite with local nonprofit organizations to provide deserving individuals and families with the gift of a fully restored vehicle. Service King has consistently
donated vehicles through the Recycled Rides program for more than 10 years. For this donation, Travelers Auto Insurance provided the car that Service King repaired.
Manville, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was nominated by Colorado See Service King, Page 16
39 YEARS
AUTOBODYNEWS.COM Vol. 39 / Issue 7 / July 2021
Toyota Says It’s Still Too Soon to Focus on Electric Cars by Steven Loveday, Inside EVs
Toyota continues to assert its vehicle lineup will offer a variety of options over the next 30 years, a stance it reiterated at the company’s annual shareholders meeting.
Toyota has been pushing hybrids and hydrogen for years, and it still insists it’s not time to focus on
electric cars. An investor asked during the meeting why Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, has a different view from that of Honda. The competing Japanese brand has set a goal to have a fully electric lineup by 2040. Toyota Director Shigeki Terashi, who joined the call from Toyota’s Aichi headquarters, reportedly replied, “It’s too early to concentrate on one option.” Terashi added between now and 2050, the brand needs to offer mulSee Focus on Electric Cars, Page 12
CarParts.com to Expand Grand Prairie, TX, Distribution Center, Add 125 New Jobs CarParts.com, Inc. on June 16 announced its Grand Prairie, TX, distribution center is nearly doubling in size with a 156,000-square foot expansion, bringing the facility to a total of 366,000 square feet. The expanded warehouse footprint will increase CarParts.com’s total distribution center network to more than 1 million square feet and allow the company to add 125 full-time positions to its Grand Prairie location when fully operational in early 2022. “The Grand Prairie distribution center has played a key role in getting us closer to our customers and increasing our inventory footprint. Now, from the talented workforce to its prime location, the expansion of our Grand Prairie facility is a natural next step in growing the business and getting products to customers even faster,” said CarParts. com’s COO and CFO David Meniane. “We’re also excited to open a dedicated will call service center at the location, offering a convenient pick-up option for both online and commercial customers in the area.” Since making a home in Grand
Prairie in 2020, CarParts.com has become a part of the community, creating more than 200 jobs to date and donating $100,000 to Feeding Texas’ relief efforts during the winter storms in early 2021. “I’m thrilled that CarParts.com is expanding its operation here in Grand Prairie,” said Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen. “We love seeing new opportunities for our community and CarParts.com continues to be a great partner of our city and Texas as a whole.” The Grand Prairie distribution center currently stocks a variety of collision, repair, maintenance, tools and accessory products from wellknown domestic and European brands including Moog, Raybestos, Monroe, TRW, Beck/Arnley, Bestop, Curt and more. This expansion will not only increase inventory for brand partners, but also create more space for CarParts.com’s own premium brands like TrueDrive, DriveWire, DriveMotive, JC Whitney and the recently launched SureStop brake product line. Source: CarParts.com
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