Automotive Repair News Today

Braxton Critcher [00:00:05]:
Thanks for listening to automotive repair news today. Hi, my name is Braxton Kricher. The hope of this podcast is to keep you informed on what's happening around the automotive industry, especially the automotive repair industry. So whether you're an owner, a technician, service advisor, or somebody in the automotive repair industry, appreciate you listening. And hey, when you're done, give us a follow on social media on whatever platform of your choice. Auto Theft is on the rise Governor Gretchen Whittamer of Michigan signed legislation that introduces stricter penalties for even possessing burglary tools or devices that break into vehicles. This new law classifies owning one of these devices as a five year felony or a ten year felony if part of a criminal enterprise. Michigan has seen some very serious car thefts recently.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:02]:
In May, a total of six arrests occurred, accounting for more than 400 stolen vehicles, worth nearly $6 million total. So Governor Whittemore is signing this legislation to help with this most thieves targeted vehicle storage lots, dealerships, parking lots, and even residences while using pro pads and other burglary tools. Previously in Michigan, stealing a vehicle worth $1,000 or more, but less than $20,000, carried penalties of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Stealing a vehicle worth more than $20,000 would extend prison time to up to ten years. Now, simply owning equipment to steal a car could land someone in prison. The Collision Repair Education foundation raised some serious cash recently. Their 22nd annual golf fundraiser saw 126 golfers and nearly three dozen sponsors raise over $110,000 to support collision repair programs, schools, and students nationwide. Big thanks to the collision Repair foundation for what they do to grow repair industry.

Braxton Critcher [00:02:21]:
Light vehicle sales. Well, they're growing. S and p global mobility projects new light vehicle sales in July to reach 1.3 million units. That's a 1% increase year over year, and it's the highest since May of 2021. Some automakers say that they're beginning to see an inventory saturation, which could affect the some short term production for those automakers. But the long term forecast shows continued growth in battery electric vehicle sales. And those battery electric vehicles, well, their share is now up to 8%, and its growth mainly comes from models like the Chevrolet Equinox EV, the Honda prologue, the Jeep Wagner S, and the Volkswagen id buzz in the spirit of the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics, ASE accredited students from around the country recently participated in the Skills USA competition in Atlanta, Georgia. AJ Peters from Manatee Tech College won a silver medal in the high school automotive Maintenance and light repair category.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:32]:
William Johnson from Warren Occupational Tech center got gold in the high school automotive service technology category and in the college level automotive service technology category. Jacob McEachin, from Maycomb Community College won a gold medal, and Isaac Broadstreet from Salt Lake community college won bronze, according to the New York Times. Us senators Ed Markey and Ron Wyden have urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate how automakers collect and use vehicle data. Their letter references a previous report showing automakers collecting and sharing data on driving behaviors such as sudden braking or speeding with insurance companies. This letter is the latest in a series from Congress to the FTC about vehicle data usage. General Motors, Hyundai and Honda are the main focus as they sold data to Varisk, which then provided it to insurers. Honda earned twenty six cents per vehicle over four years. Hyundai earned sixty one cents per vehicle over six years and GM did not disclose its earnings despite ending their arrangement with Varisk.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:45]:
In March, GM admitted to sharing anonymous location data with another company, with the only opt out available to car owners was to disable the vehicle's Internet connection. We'll keep you posted on this. Chris Messer is joining the board of the Automotive Communications Council. Chris has been a previous guest on this podcast and does great work as VP Group publisher of Endeavor Business Media's vehicle repair Group, which publicizes Ratchet and wrench, along with several other automotive titles, too. Chris Feist, senior marketing specialist at Denso, will be joining as a board member as well. Layla Saad, ZF's brand activation manager, will be taking the role of vice president. Former vice president Patrick Cronon, a marketing manager at TNT Bearing Corporation of America, will become president, with extend group founder Shawn Collins continuing to provide guidance as immediate past president. The National Highway Traffic Safety administration is looking into reports over faulty new vehicles, a number totaling 150,000 Stellantis vehicles, including 2022 Ram pickups and Jeep Wagoneer SUv's due to complaints of power loss, shifting into park and engaging the emergency brake.

Braxton Critcher [00:06:02]:
These vehicles feature the 5.7 liter hemi etorque mild hybrid system. 80 complaints have surfaced from owners about engine shutdowns, often at low speeds that sometimes prevent the vehicle from restarting. Stellantis recalled about 131,000 of these vehicles last April. The NHTSA's investigation hopes to find all affected models and determine the cause, and it may lead to another recall from Stellantis. Heads up there. The bad news for Stellantis doesn't stop, though. The company has announced a new round of voluntary buyouts for their us salaried workers. This comes as part of CEO Carlos Tavares cost cutting measures Plantain Stellantis laid off 400 us salaried workers in March and offered buyouts to thousands of workers twice last year.

Braxton Critcher [00:06:57]:
Tavares has expressed concerns over Stellantis inventory backlog and weakened margins in the us market in recent talks with analysts. We have a new technician of the year. Avery Brennemann, owner of Avery's Auto care in Blackfoot, Idaho, won this year's award. The award comes from auto value and bumper to bumper and was announced a few weeks ago. 16 top technicians from the US and Canada competed in the event. So how did Avery win? He won a competition that included a custom automotive service excellence exam and a hands on skills test by garage gurus. Congrats to Avery for winning technician of the year. If you have a news story that needs to be shared about the automotive repair industry or the automotive industry as a whole, please email me so I can get it on this podcast@braxtonautomotiverepairnews.com.

Braxton Critcher [00:07:54]:
that's braxtontomotiverepairnews.com. thanks for listening. Hey, if you're still here, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Automotive Repair News today. If you enjoyed the show, please take a moment. Like share subscribe to the podcast. It'll help us out a big deal and help grow the show. And you know what? While you're at it, slap on a review too. If you feel like this content is helpful for the industry.

Braxton Critcher [00:08:22]:
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