Auto body shop owners and managers across the U.S. are struggling to attract, motivate and retain skilled technicians in their facilities. Many say this has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) announced the final details of the 2021 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, taking place Nov. 4 during the 2021 SEMA Show.

Nissan on Oct. 8 unveiled a production line at its Tochigi Plant featuring the Nissan Intelligent Factory initiative.

Mike Anderson of Collision Advice and Danny Gredinberg of DEG, in partnership with the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), present Quick Tips for those in the collision industry.

When drivers in Orange, VA, have an accident, they rely on the community’s first responders to be there to help them to safety. And when they are driving a late-model vehicle with numerous airbags, advanced technology or electric/hybrid engines, the rescue can be more challenging.

The pandemic has altered the trajectory and long-term plans for many companies across the U.S.

For Mazda dealerships in need of qualified technicians for their service drive or reconditioning center, help appears to be on the way.

Imagine if your "normally quiet neighborhood" suddenly had a fleet of self-driving cars entering it on a regular basis. That might not be too much of an issue if you didn't live on a dead-end street.

Overall customer satisfaction with North American airport-based rental car companies declined significantly this year as a global shortage of new vehicles caused prices to increase 58% during the last nine months of the study.

General Motors plans to prioritize fixing the 140,000 Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs under recall before it restarts production of new Bolts at its Orion Assembly plant.

Toyota Motor Corp. on Oct. 15 cut its planned global output for November by as much as 15% due to ongoing chip shortages, but indicated it would ramp up production from December by sticking to its latest full-year production target.

The National Auto Body Council^® (NABC) announced Oct. 15 it will shift the annual luncheon it hosts for NABC members during SEMA Week to an industry reception held Jan. 11, 2022, as part of NABC Day in Palm Springs during the 2022 Collision Industry Week.

Since being elected to Congress in November 2020, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has proven himself to be a strong ally and defender of motorsports.

President Joe Biden announced the Port of Los Angeles will begin operating around the clock as part of an effort to help speed up shipping delays arising from global supply-chain backlogs.

The BAR Advisory Group (BAG) was established to increase the level of communication between the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), the automotive repair and smog check industry and stakeholders.

On Sept. 29, 1Collision locations throughout Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin sponsored Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota’s (AASP-MN) 19th Annual Race for Automotive Education event at ProKART Indoor Racing in Burnsville, MN.

As part of the U.S. recognizing October as National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Auto Care Association on Oct. 14 announced the launch of its Spanish language feature on the autocare.org website.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on Oct. 13 announced it has installed 4,827 Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports at customer sites across Northern and Central California since 2018.

The Los Angeles Auto Show^® announced Oct. 14 VinFast---Vietnam's first global automaker---will launch its brand and products at AutoMobility LA^®.

There is no longer a Ford Motor Company representative on Rivian’s board of directors, but Ford still seems to have a strong partnership with the company. 

Volkswagen Auto Group CEO Herbert Diess met with a company supervisory board in September with a stern warning: a slow shift to electric vehicles from combustion engines could cost 30,000 company employees their jobs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has asked Tesla to explain why it rolled out a safety enhancement for its Autopilot driver-assist system without issuing a safety-related recall.

Dave Luehr’s Elite Body Shop Solutions announced the next installment in its popular free Elite Webinar Series: “Developing the Technicians for Tomorrow."

Former Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck has been sentenced to federal prison following his conviction for stealing more than $2.5 million from the Georgia Underwriting Association (GUA).

Check out this old school magic.

One person suffered critical injuries Oct. 6 in a two-alarm fire at a Rosedale, MD, auto body shop.

One day in August, Paul Schechter went to move his Toyota Tacoma for alternate-side parking in Madison. When he started the ignition, it sounded like a jet engine roaring.

The Boyd Group Inc. announced the acquisition of a collision repair center in Brighton, MI.

Mercury Insurance is reporting a dramatic increase in vehicle vandalism and auto theft in California with comprehensive auto insurance claims up 40% since pre-pandemic levels.

Designers for BASF’s Coatings division have delved into new color spaces for the 2021-2022 Automotive Color Trends collection.

Lucid Group announced Oct. 12 the details of DreamDrive™, which it says is the most technically sophisticated advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS).

Thanks to their all-electric design, Teslas have garnered a reputation for protecting their occupants even in serious accidents.

Subaru of America, Inc. on Oct. 13 announced Tau Jeppesen, senior master service technician at Larry H. Miller Subaru in Boise, ID, is the winner of the 2021 American National Technician Competition (ANTC).

While electric vehicles have been proven to have considerably lower ownership costs compared to their ICE counterparts, battery longevity remains an equivocal subject.

Tesla Gigafactory Nevada is building a Semi Megacharger site on its grounds, suggesting the pre-production of Tesla’s Class-8 truck may be underway in the coming months.

The glass industry isn’t the only one to deal with insurance short pays. Chiropractors do too.

New-vehicle prices hit another all-time high in September, marking the sixth straight record-setting month and surpassing $45,000 for the first time, according to a new report from Kelley Blue Book.

Sedgwick, a global provider of technology-enabled risk, benefits and integrated business solutions, and CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc. (CCC), a SaaS platform for the property and casualty insurance economy, announced a multiyear agreement whereby CCC’s mobile and artificial intelligence (AI) claims capabilities will power Sedgwick’s auto appraisal offering and related workflows. 

Maaco has moved up 21 places in this year’s Franchise Times magazine’s Top 400, the most comprehensive ranking of franchise systems in the U.S., to 143rd, up from the 164th position in 2020.

Honda on Oct. 13 announced plans to apply the next generation of its advanced suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies---Honda Sensing 360---to all new Honda and Acura models in the U.S. by 2030.

The University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF) is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2022-2023 school year on its Automotive Aftermarket Scholarship Central website.

Jay Leno will kick off the 2021 SEMA Show as the featured guest of the New Products Breakfast on Nov. 2.

The city of Spokane, WA, has issued a building permit for remodel work valued at $750,000 for a new auto body shop in a building at 6430 N. Lidgerwood, east of the Lowes Cos. home improvement store on Spokane’s North Side.

The Geneva Motor Show for 2022 has been cancelled, organizers blaming the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) is excited to announce the return of its high school and college transportation (collision, auto service) career fair events for the upcoming spring 2022 semester.

The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid has won the inaugural Motor1.com Star Award for Best Value.

Toyota announced the 2021 Toyota Mirai has officially set the Guinness World Record title for the longest distance by a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle without refueling.

Tesla’s in-house insurance program was set to officially go live the week of Oct. 11, CEO Elon Musk revealed during the 2021 Shareholder’s Meeting held Oct. 7 at Gigafactory Texas.

General Motors has started shipping to dealers replacement battery modules for recalled Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles after delays caused by shutdowns at multiple manufacturing plants as a result of the widespread shortage of semiconductors.

General Motors Co. announced Oct. 12 it has reached an agreement under which LG Electronics Inc. will reimburse GM for costs and expenses associated with the recall of Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs due to manufacturing defects in battery modules supplied by LG.