Save the date…
ARC360 – Back to the Future – sees a welcome return to physical events on Thursday 25 November at the British Motor Museum, Warwickshire.
Offering an event experience to remember – including plenty of exciting ARC360 initiatives – the day will focus on just what the past means for the future of the industry and asks is it a completely new world the incident repair sector is operating in or does the past still provide some meaning for the future?
Adrian Furness appointed CEO of Covéa
Adrian Furness has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Covéa Insurance. Adrian succeeds James Reader, who is leaving the business and has no plans to take on another executive role.
Adrian has held the role of Chief Operating Officer at ILC Insurer Partner Covéa Insurance since December 2019, having previously been Claims Director of the company and its predecessor Provident Insurance since 2008.
Thatcham Research unveils EV Ready programme
Thatcham Research has unveiled its new ‘EV Ready’ Training Programme to support the industry’s need to learn how to handle electric vehicles safely and effectively.
The ‘EV Ready’ Training Programme caters for the future success of vehicle repairers, insurance companies and claims management organisations, as well as businesses operating in the fleet, salvage, recovery and vehicle auction sectors.
AD Williams receives multi-million pound investment
Multi-site repair business, AD Williams has received a multi-million-pound investment from BGF.
The funding will be used for the partial realisation of shareholder value and to facilitate the long-term growth of the group.
As part of the deal, Laurence Vaughan, has been appointed as non-executive chair at AD Williams. Vaughan helped build the Sytner Group – the largest car retailer in the UK – from one to over 140 sites.
DLG set to partner with Motability
Direct Line Insurance Group plc (DLG) is to enter into a new partnership with Motability Operations Ltd to provide insurance to the Motability Scheme, supporting its more than 600,000 customers.
This partnership is expected to grow DLG’s Motor customer base by approximately 15% to over 4.5 million, adding further scale to DLG’s claims management service. The Scheme’s Gross Written Premium is approximately £500m per annum and, similar to Motability Operations’ current structure, Direct Line Group will reinsure 80% of the risk back to Motability Operations via Motability Operations’ reinsurance captive.
The new arrangements are expected to take effect in approximately 18 months and be for 10 year period.
Fix Auto adds to inner M25 coverage
Fix Auto UK’s position within London has been further strengthened with the appointment of its 12th repair centre that will serve motorists inside the M25.
Formerly known as MTS Vehicle Services, the repairer will now operate as Fix Auto Croxley Green and joins the network following a fast-tracked programme of development over the last 12 months by owner Matthew Jedrzejczyk.
Meanwhile, Fix Auto UK’s presence on Trustpilot has stepped up yet another a gear – with the network recording its 2,500th customer review.
XL Motors’ Fynn takes on ultra challenge
Matthew Fynn, Production Manager at XL Motors is running 145 miles, non-stop from London to Bristol along the Kennet and Avon canals to raise funds for Children with Cancer UK.
Matthew, who is hoping to raise as much money possible for the charity, has already completed three ultra-marathons this year as part of his fundraising efforts.
To support Matt’s incredible efforts visit his Just Giving page.
Major brands back autonomous ride hailing plans
Argo AI, Lyft and Ford Motor Company are working together to commercialise autonomous ride hailing at scale.
Argo AI and Ford will deploy Ford self-driving cars, with safety drivers, on the Lyft network, as part of a network access agreement, with passenger rides beginning in Miami later this year and in Austin starting in 2022. As vehicles are deployed, Lyft users within the defined service areas will be able to select a Ford self-driving vehicle to hail a ride.
The aim is to deploy at least 1,000 autonomous vehicles on the Lyft network, across multiple markets, over the next five years.
Ageas predicts rise in ‘Crash 4 Cash’
Ageas Insurance is predicting a rise in induced road collisions, also known as ‘Crash 4 Cash’ scams, over the coming months as the UK leaves lockdown.
The insurer says it saw cases rise by 150% when the first national lockdown was lifted in 2020 and that it’s expecting another rise when the latest lockdown restrictions are lifted in July.
Robin Challand, Claims Director at Ageas Insurance, said, “Lockdowns made it harder for Crash 4 Cash scammers to operate. But as restrictions are lifted and road-use returns to more normal levels, that’s when we see these criminals start to re-emerge and put innocent motorists at risk by causing accidents.”
Meanwhile, a fraudster who pocketed nearly £18,000 for selling fake car insurance has been sentenced, following an investigation led by City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), supported by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB).
asTech gains US diagnostics patent
Repairify Inc, trading as asTech, has been awarded a patent for remote automotive diagnostics by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The patent is directed to aspects of Repairify’s industry-disrupting technology, including systems and methods that allow ASE technicians to use a mobile device to read a vehicle’s identification number (VIN), transmit the VIN to a diagnostic database, and assist in determining whether an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) diagnostic tool — or aftermarket tool — is required for proper diagnosis and/or repair of the vehicle.
UK vehicle manufacturing labelled world’s most diverse
The UK’s low volume and specialist vehicle manufacturing sector is the most diverse anywhere in the world according to a new report launched today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
SMMT’s Low Volume and Specialist Vehicle Manufacturers Report outlines how Britain is a world leader in producing low volume, high value vehicles, everything from 250mph hypercars to campervans, limousines to electric taxis, motorhomes, wheelchair accessible vehicles, hearses and an unrivalled range of high performance, sports and luxury models.
Record price growth in used sector
According to the latest data from Auto Trader, the exceptionally strong levels of consumer demand in the market is continuing to fuel record price growth.
Based on the circa 400,000 used vehicles currently advertised on its marketplace, the average price of a used car increased a massive 12.6% year-on-year (YoY) on a like-for-like basis last week (as of 12 July 2021). It not only marks 63 weeks of consecutive price growth, but a huge acceleration on what is now a comparatively conservative 5.7% increase recorded during the week of 12th April.
Illustrating just how high the level of demand currently is, there were over 14.7 million cross platform visits last week to Auto Trader, which was a 24% increase on the same week in 2019.
US: Boyd Group acquires 35 sites
The Boyd Group Inc has agreed the acquisition of Collision Works of Oklahoma LLC, a multi-store operation consisting of 35 collision repair centres located in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Collision Works was founded in 1996 by Jacob Nossaman. The company has consistently grown its presence with 22 shops in Oklahoma; 12 shops in Kansas; and one shop in Missouri.
Kevin Burnett, COO of Gerber Collision & Glass – which is owned by The Boyd Group – said, “We believe that adding these repair centers is a step in the right direction to meet our growth vision and will expand our ability to reach new customers and further assist our insurance clients.”
Axalta renews AutoRaise support
AutoRaise Gold Partner, Axalta, has renewed its partnership with the industry charity for the fourth consecutive year.
“We are thrilled that Axalta has decided again to continue their support in the work that AutoRaise is undertaking on behalf of the vehicle repair industry. This is another extremely positive step forward for the charity and will go a long way in helping us continue our efforts and success stories,” said Steve Thompson, AutoRaise Vice-Chair.
Last chance to have your say…
This is your final chance to have your say in the Great British Motor Claims Survey.
The Great British Motor Claims Survey – supported by Trend Tracker – will provide a snapshot of sentiment from across the UK claims sector and what this might mean for the future.
The survey closes tonight (23 July 2021).
