Major insurers back ARC360 2025
More than 15 major insurance brands have already confirmed their support of ARC360’s 2025 conference, which takes place on Thursday 22 May at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon. The leading insurers already confirmed to attend include Ageas, Allianz, Arch, Aviva, Collingwood, Covea, esure, First Central, Hastings Direct, Inshur, LV=, NFU Mutual, Sabre, Tesco Underwriting and Zurich Insurance. Full story
Repairer News
Steer Automotive Group has acquired Accident Repair Centre Group, a trusted collision repair network operating across the South West of England. With well-placed locations across the region, ARC Group provides an excellent foundation for expanding Steer’s service capacity and enhancing customer accessibility. Full story
Following nearly two years of design, planning, and manufacturing, the doors to Parkway Prestige’s new 32,000sqft centre are set to open.
The M&M Group (Fix Auto Stoke on Trent) is now an official Tesla-approved bodyshop.
IM Accident Repair Group has achieved BSI Kitemark approval, as well as aluminium structural repair approval. The business is now planning to secure more manufacturers approvals.
HB Accident Repair Network in Speke has successfully passed its BSI Kitemark audit within 40 days of opening its doors.
ADAS Solutions has become one of the first ADAS calibration and diagnostics companies in the UK to have a positive recommendation from BSI for BS10125 certification.
VM News
Government announces 2030 consultation
The UK government has commenced a consultation on phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. The consultation is an opportunity to consider stakeholders’ preferences on technology choices and the types of vehicles permitted between 2030 and 2035 alongside ZEVs. Full story
Stellantis partners with dSPACE to accelerate cloud-based development of vehicles
Stellantis and dSPACE have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at accelerating the cloud-based development of Stellantis vehicles. The collaboration will enable faster, scalable development of customer-focused features. Full story
Volkswagen Group stands firm as UK’s leading automotive group
Volkswagen Group UK has confirmed its position as the UK’s leading automotive group, recording total annual sales in 2024 of 472,056, a figure which sees it increase sales by over 9,800 compared with the previous year. Together, the Group’s five car brands accounted for a 22.25% of new car registrations in the UK. Meanwhile, Volkswagen delivered around 4.8 million vehicles to customers worldwide last year, down 1.4% on the previous year. Full story
Hyundai Motor Group partners with NVIDIA to accelerate development of AI solutions
Hyundai Motor Group has announced a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to accelerate the development of advanced AI technologies to drive the future of mobility. The Group aims to further enhance the application of intelligence to its core mobility products, such as software-defined vehicles and robotics, and across its business operations. Full story
Honda presents world premiere of Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV Prototypes at CES 2025
Honda has unveiled its new AI-enhanced 0 Series. Models will be equipped with a system that enables the expansion of Level 3 automated driving capabilities, starting with eyes-off technology available in traffic congestion on highways. Meanwhile, Sony Honda Mobility has unveiled the first model to be sold under the AFEELA brand, which pursues an interactive relationship between people and vehicles. Full story
EV batteries at close to 90% capacity, even after 200,000 km
EV batteries lose around five per cent capacity in the first 30,000km, but the trend line remains largely flat from there on in: even beyond 200,000 km, the average battery still maintains around 87% capacity, according to a new study. Full story
Industry News
Direct Line Group launches industry-leading program to boost vehicle repair standards
Direct Line Group (DLG) has unveiled an innovative Vehicle Damage Assessor (VDA) accreditation programme. Recognised by the esteemed Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), this initiative underscores DLG’s commitment to advancing vehicle repair standards and ensuring customer safety. Full story
Embracing the future: How ADAS technology is transforming workshops and driving the automotive industry forward
The automotive industry is undergoing a rapid transformation, with ADAS leading the charge. Today, nearly all new vehicle launches and registrations feature ADAS as standard, underscoring its growing prominence. In light of this shift, Phil Peace, Repairify’s International Managing Director, highlights key trends that workshops of all sizes should embrace to remain competitive and future-ready. Full story
Motor premiums see record reductions while home insurance stabilises
The latest General Insurance Price Index from Pearson Ham Group for the fourth quarter of 2024 highlights a sharp decline in motor insurance premiums. Prices have dropped consistently every month since April, culminating in a year-on-year reduction of 16% by December 2024 compared to the end of 2023. Full story
Date set for Ageas/NBRA Equipment EXPO
More than 40 automotive suppliers will showcase their latest innovations at the Ageas/NBRA Equipment EXPO, which takes place at the GTG Training Centre on 19 February. Suppliers will reveal their latest developments in diagnostics, parts, distribution, dry goods, recycling, jigs, welding equipment, paint, plastic welding, glue pulling, spraybooths, sprayguns and other bodyshop equipment. Full story
Five possible challenges facing insurers and MGAs
As insurers and Managing General Agents (MGAs) look ahead to 2025, they must contend with a variety of evolving challenges, from navigating more complex regulations to adjusting to shifting customer behaviours. To help navigate these challenges as much as possible, S&G Response is exploring five key call outs. Full story
Legal – defendant
Claims inflation, fraud and growing regulatory pressures were the key topics addressed during a presentation by Emma Fuller, Partner and Head of Motor & Casualty Market Strategy at DAC Beachcroft LLP, at ILC’s Exclusive Motor Claims Conference. Full story
Every young person in England will have access to an apprenticeship
The Get Britain Working White Paper is just the start of sweeping reforms that could reshape apprenticeships and workforce development across the UK throughout 2025 and beyond. Apprenticeship Central will publish a full report next week looking into how these reforms could create real, lasting impact and new opportunities for growth. Full story
Silverlake joins NBRA as Gold Supplier Member
Silverlake Automotive Recycling has become a member of the National Body Repair Association [NBRA]. The move comes as the business continues to collaborate with the industry to meet the growing demand for its green, reclaimed parts. Full story
Martyn Rowley to tackle a charity challenge of a lifetime
Executive Director of the NBRA and VBRA Martyn Rowley is taking on the Great Sahara Desert Trek to raise funds for automotive charity Ben. Alongside Karen Jakes of Thatcham Research, he plans to cover 100km in four days in support of Ben. Full story
New Year message from Ben Blackledge
Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive WorldSkills UK, said, “As we look ahead to 2025, I’m excited about the impact we will have on teachers and young people across the UK. By using what we have learned from our partners around the world I believe that we will continue to provide innovations and insights that give educators the tools to develop high quality skills for the workforce of the future.” Full story
People
Martin Willis has been appointed Head of Business Development at Fix Auto UK.
Europcar Mobility Group UK and Ireland has appointed Mark Newberry as Transformation and Strategy Director and Paul McNeice as Head of Country for Ireland.
Alun Thomas has been promoted to Financial Controller at Komoo.
