Bodyshop Briefs
- MG Cannon Dorchester has retained Mazda approval after its latest compliance standards audit.
- Crash care centre Hitchin Ltd has passed its BS10125 audit.
- Newbridge Accident Repair Centre (London) Ltd has successfully transitioned to BS 10125:2022.
- FMG Repair Services will open its 67th site in Dundee in the autumn.
- XL Motors is now an official Nissan Approved Bodyshop.
- Milton Keynes-based Perfect Paint MK has celebrated its 23rd anniversary.
- The top repair centres in the Stellantis approved network have been announced. The Northern Region Winners were Camerons Motor Group, Burrows ARC Doncaster, and Drive Darlington. The Central Region winners were Fylde Coast ARC, M&M Vehicle Repairs Stoke-on-Trent, and Mustoes Specialist Vehicle Body Repairs, while the Southern Region Winners were Barretts of Canterbury, Cougar ARC, and Liam Kenny Motor Body Repairs.
Industry News
The new dynamics in insurance claims
Co-operation with the supply chain was the fundamental message of a session entitled, ‘The new dynamics in insurance claims’, which took place at ARC360’s Future Vehicle Technology themed conference recently. Read more
ClaimsTech: Notification of loss in motor
The use of digital technology to handle first notification of loss has been compared in both scale and transformative impact to the switch to telephony 30 years ago. Read more
Repair costs outstrip inflation
Repair costs rose faster than inflation between July 2023 and 2024, according to Trend Tracker’s latest monthly report on the status of the UK vehicle incident repair market. Read more
NWVA extends West Ham United partnership
NWVA has extended its partnership with West Ham United as the club’s Official Vehicle Recovery Partner. Read more
NWVA to kick off Bob Linwood Trophy charity match
Nationwide Vehicle Assistance (NWVA) has announced it will play a charity football match against Morelli Masters to raise funds for the charity, DEBRA UK. Read more
Audatex UK Data Updated
In their latest data release D4.78 they’ve added 29 new and updated 92 model sheets to their industry leading vehicle database. Read more
Generation gap in ‘car confidence’ amongst UK drivers revealed
With the arrival of the new ‘74’ vehicle registration just around the corner, aCensuswide poll of 1,000 UK drivers commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman has revealed generational differences in consumer ‘Car Confidence’ when it comes to buying and owning a vehicle. Read more
Manufacturers increasingly refusing longer-term claims on older vehicles
A growing number of older vehicles within fleets means manufacturers are increasingly refusing longer-term, out-of-warranty claims, according to the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP). Read more
Tracker helps uncover 37 illegal chop shops
During the first six months of 2024, joint operations between stolen vehicle recovery expert Tracker Network and UK police forces have uncovered 37 illegal ‘chop shops’ nationwide that were being used to strip and dismantle stolen cars. Read more
Morelli Group joins NBRA
Morelli Group has joined the NBRA as a Gold Supplier Member. Read more
GT Motive Launches New Service to Drive Sustainable Vehicle Repairs
GT Motive, a leading provider of claims management and estimation solutions, is proud to announce the launch of an innovative consultancy service designed to analyze and manage CO2 emissions associated with vehicle repairs. Read more
Copart announces Andover expansion
Online vehicle remarketing and recycling company Copart UK is set to significantly boost vehicle storage capacity in the Southwest with a new Andover Operation Centre. Read more
SYNETIQ raises more than £6k for charity
SYNETIQ, an IAA company and one of the UK’s leading integrated vehicle salvage, dismantling and recycling companies, has completed the Tough Mudder challenge, raising over £6,162 for ANDYSMANCLUB. Read more
Phase two of the IMI’s ‘There’s More to Motor’ campaign sees exceptional performance
Two months into the second phase of the IMI There’s More to Motor digital campaign, considerable success is being achieved to tackle the automotive sector’s significant skills gap. Highly focused targeting in key UK regions where automotive vacancies are highest has resulted in conversions already reaching close to 6,000. Read more
Concern about the dire state of the nation’s local roads reaches record levels
Drivers’ despair with the woeful state of Britain’s local roads – those which make up 98% of all roads – has reached the highest level ever, scathing new figures from the RAC show. Read more
Fraudulent tractor theft claim uncovered
A man has been sentenced after he unsuccessfully made a ‘wheely’ big claim on insurance for a stolen tractor, when it had actually been repossessed by a finance company. Read more
Chessington, Stockport join GSF’s branches lineup
GSF Car Parts is continuing its network expansion with the opening of an additional two branches — in Chessington and Stockport. Read more
IMI stars set for WorldSkills finals
The IMI has announced that IMI Skills Competition finalists David and Miguel have made it through to WorldSkills Lyon 2024. David is an autobody repair specialist and Miguel is a paint technician. Read more
VM News
Toyota Open Labs advances mobility with first cohort of start-ups
Toyota Open Labs has announced the first start-up companies selected for its new open innovation platform: Andyamo, Okeenea, Genny Mobility, hlpy, Hive Power and Shippeo. Read more
Nissan trialing cool paint technology
Nissan has been trialing an innovative automotive paint aimed at helping lower a vehicle’s ambient cabin temperature in summer and reduce the energy usage of the air-conditioning system. Read more
Zeekr passes milestone of 300,000 all-electric vehicle deliveries
Global electric mobility technology brand Zeekr has delivered more than 300,000 EVs worldwide. This milestone, reached on August 1, has been achieved only 33 months since the brand delivered its first vehicle. Read more
People
- Unipart Group has appointed Dr Bryan Jackson CBE to the role of Non-Executive Chair, meanwhile the business has announced that its Executive Chairman John Neill will retire after 50 years’ service.
- Automotive industry charity Ben has promoted Rachel Clift from Health & Wellbeing Director to CEO.
- Gavin Ruddick, COO of Steer Automotive Group, has joined the Automotive 30% Club as a silver member.
- National Sales Director for Morelli Group Mark Moring has agreed to become an ambassador for charity DEBRA UK.
