ThinkTank Archives
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
- Proposed Nevada law (AB-297) seeks to block insurers
from owning auto body shops – Las Vegas Sun
- Connecticut auto body shop shows off new green facility – Ridgefield Press
- Paint-and-parts-mapping system part of “lean” and “green”
systems initiated by shop – The Observer
- Auto body shop goes the extra mile – mydesert.com
- Buying insurance through an independent agent – Market Watch
- Customer retention becomes critical for auto insurance carriers – glassBYTEs.com
- Prison guard arrested on insurance fraud charges – Central Valley Business Times
- Three arrested for auto insurance fraud in connection with
auto bodywork – South Florida Business Journal
- Small cars are dangerous cars – Wall Street Journal
- Auto parts chain stores see stocks rising – Smartmoney.com
- Steel parts builder for big three files bankruptcy, seeks buyer – The Detroit Free Press
- Auto body shop scam thwarted – The Detroit Free Press
- A.M. Best affirms ratings of Farmer’s Insurance Group – Press Release
- A.M. Best comments on Zurich and Farmers regarding AIG auto
insurance acquisition – Press Release
- PPG issues first corporate sustainability report – Press Release
- By-the-mile auto insurance “greening” Texas on Earth Day. – MileMeter Press Release
- No Easy Road for U.S. Auto Industry – Associated Press
- New York Auto Show - Fiddling While Detroit Burns – Washington Post
- Europe's Car Scrapping Schemes Likely to Backfire – The New York Times
- Asia Stocks Rise, Auto Stocks Upgraded – Reuters
- Car Insurance and the Economy – Marketwire Press Release
- Drive is on for "Insurance-by-the-Mile." – ABRN
- More Auto and Car Insurance Fraud in Bad Economy – The Capital Times
- Repair Shops "Fixing" ICBC Bills, says MLA – Boston Globe
- Auto Body Shop Goes Green – CBCnews
- Canada offers further help for auto industry – Associated Press
- Ford in uphill challenge despite cutting debt $9.9 billion – Washington Post
- Obama’s top auto industry troubleshooter – The New York Times
- Author Graeme Maxton: Car industry recovery to take more than a decade – Reuters
- Car banged up? New Yorkers can go on Web to get it fixed fast – Marketwire Press Release
- Collision shops encouraged to embrace lean principles – ABRN
- Geico to Sell Auto in Insurance in Massachusetts – Boston Globe
- SGI seeks 4.2 percent rate hike in auto insurance – CBCnews
- Car Arsons for Cash on the Rise – CBS News, Las Vegas, NV
- New Auto Repair Aims to Give Customers TLC – Sandypost, Portland, OR
- Richland Church Provides Auto Repair – The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA
- Women Say Sexism Rife at Repair Shops; Worse Service than men – Canada.com
- Auto Recycler and Mechanic Doing Well in Tough Economy – Fox News 2, Honolulu, HI
- Ankeny Auto Body Goes Green – Des Moines Register, IA
- Allstate Launches Strategy to Open New Offices in Texas – San Antonio Business Journal, TX
- Geico to Sell Auto in Insurance in Massachusetts – Forbes
- State Minimum Auto Coverage Could Rise – CBS News 10, Columbus, OH
- City Decides to Leave 78-year-old Mechanic Alone – Marie, Ontario, Canada
- Where the Jobs Are: Mechanics – ABC News 7, Los Angeles, CA
- Former Marine Brings Passion of Cars to Community – The Camp Pendleton Scout, CA
- Problems Remain in Mass. Auto Insurance Market – New England Cable News, Boston, MA
March 2009
- Aid to suppliers signals support of auto industry. – The Detroit News
- GM’s Waggoner says collapse forced ‘re-invention’ of automaker. – Bloomberg
- Police vehicles sporting new – and free – paint job. – Tri-County Times
- Car for sale: $1; Read on for strings attached. – Grand Junction Free Press
- UFV to turn heads with auto collision repair program. – agassizharrisonobserver.com
- 1969 Pontiac GTO – don’t judge me. – highperformancepontiac.com
- Canadian trade ministry officials support U.S. aid for auto suppliers. – MSNBC
- What can Tata’s Nano teach Detroit? – Businessweek
- Fixing the Car Industry by Fixing Cars – Time
- Automotive Loyalty Suffers with Model Termination, According to Polk – R.L Polk & Company
- Germany’s Auto-Woes Fix: Scrap That Clunker! – Time
- Hybrid Pickup Trucks Pack a Powerful Punch – General Motors on MediaSeed.tv
- Ford Builds on Electric Power Steering Technology to Enhance Drive Quality, Enable More Features – BusinessWeek
- Jones: General Motors Has a Plan: Intentionally Killing Auto Dealerships – TheAutoChannel.com
- Safer Vehicles Contribute to Lower Traffic Fatalities in 2008 – National Safety Council
- Vehicle Repairs Cost an Average 34% More at New Car Dealerships Than Independent Repair Shops – Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
- Ford Celebrates Green Milestone as 100,000th Hybrid SUV Rolls Off Line at Kansas City Plant – CNET Reviews
- Cars.com Survey Shows More Car Shoppers Switching From New- to Used-Car Purchases – Cars.com
- New National Survey Drives Home Need for Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act –
Right to Repair Coalition
- PPG Announces Restructuring Plan to Save Additional $140 Million Annually – BusinessWeek
- As Economy Tanks, Auto-Repair Industry Thrives – The Boston Herald
- Auto Shops Hit with Bill for Decades Old Oil Spill – The Ellsworth American, Ellsworth, Maine
- Arizona House Committee Considers Mandatory Auto Insurance Amendment –
Insurance Journal
- Michigan Denies Auto Insurance Rate Hikes Because of Credit Scoring – Insurance Journal
- Americans Believe They're Savvy About Insurance, But NAIC Insurance IQ Tells Different Story – Dallas Business Journal, Dallas, Texas
- NY No-Fault Insurance Fraud Jumps 52% – North Country Gazette, New York
- GM Gets Defensive On Blog over Viability Doubts – cnn.com
- GM Stock Drop Raises More Bankruptcy Fears – cnn.com
- Shell Launches All-New Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines – Motor Trend
- Of Mice and Mechanics: West Springfield’s Walts Brothers Have Some Novel Ideas
(…environmentally friendly aspects of their shop, built more than a decade before ‘green’ business became a buzzword.) – BusinessWest – Massachusetts
- 12 Auto Insurers Freeze State Rates: Pledge is to apply to the next year – Detroit Free Press
- Insure.com Debunks the Top Car Insurance Myths. – Insure.com
- Tesla Begins Selling Cars in Canada – CNBC
- Uninsured car accidents on the rise? – ABC 7, Los Angeles
- Car sales down, but aftermarket up – ABC 12, Mid0Michigan
- Fighting Rising Insurance Fraud with Business Intelligence – Business Week
- California Insurers Association Warns Against Out-Of-Towner Accident Tax –
Insurance Journal
- Insurer Offers Bluetooth Headset in Client Referral Offer – Insurance Journal
- Ford Paint and Body Technology center aims to
reduce repair costs for consumers. - Motor Trend
- The Information Superhighway (This is not a metaphor.) – Wired.com
- Auto insurance rates here collide with the facts. - Mlive.com
- Half Million recent new car shoppers steered to used cars,
Edmunds.com reports. - Edmunds.com
- Fitch cuts TRW Automotive on industry turmoil. - MSNBC
- Don’t let supplier sector crumble. - Detroit Free Press
February 2009
- Passion for hot rods still running hot, despite economy - The Dallas Morning News
- Getting your windshield replaced: one editor's story – glassBYTEs
- Nitrogen a worthy alternative for tires – The Times-Herald Record - NY
- Let's explore what defines the American car - USA Today
- Task force starts on GM, Chrysler aid requests – Bloomberg
- Saving your car from potholes – NBC News 10 – Mid-Michigan
- Where do your gas tax dollars go? Tri-City Herald, Washington
- Online communities and auto claims – Claims Magazine
- Web sites calculate car repair costs – CBS News 11, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
- To repair or replace? That is the question – CBS News 8, Knoxville, TN
- Four out of five Americans to keep current cars longer - Forbes
- Kelley Blue Book reports wholesale market up – Kelley Blue Book
- Are Chinese car parts safe? – Smart Money
- ABRA-Eau Claire Named #1 Repair Center. Earth Times. U.S.
- NASCAR Technology Makes Passenger Cars Safer. Fox News. U.S.
- Canadians cut spending on vehicle repairs in ’08. Toronto Star
- New car tech: Not just crash protection, but prevention. Boston Herald
- Ford returns with legendary SHO Taurus 365 h.p. twin-turbo V-6. canada.com
- Recycled Rides Program helps Chicago woman in need. Chicago Tribune
- AIG Could Sell Auto Insurance Unit: Reports. thestreet.com. U.S.
- 5 Michigan Auto insurers Pledge to Freeze Rates. Insurance Journal. U.S.
- Senate Passes "Clunker-Free" Stimulus Bill. msnbc.com.
- I-CAR names board of directors, executive committee. I-CAR.com
- Ford builds $10,000 balloon car to test safety systems. Motor Authority. U.S.
- Eco-Friendly Cash Guzzlers? Study Details Higher Repair Costs
of Hybrid Vehicles. Motor Trend. U.S.
- Woman thrives in man's auto collision world. Herald News, Massachusetts
- Online search for collision repair show reviews. Daily Business News, New York
- Insurance group critical of Michigan governor's call for rate freeze. Insurance Journal, U.S.
- I-CAR to provide training at ASA 17th annual high-tech training camp AutoServiceWorld, U.S.
- Audatex launches online Lean Six Sigma training course. bodyshopbiz.com, Canada
January 2009
- National Automobile Dealers Association Convention starts January 24 in New Orleans
- Green vehicle stimulus bill unveiled, The Detroit News
- GM cuts 2009 U.S. sales forecast for industry, USA Today
- Subdued Detroit auto show still offers plenty of new models, mlive.com
- Insurance experts concerned about motorists dropping auto coverage, TheINDYChannel
- Winter bad for motorists, good for auto body shops, MontanasNewsStation.com
- Don't drive to extremes, Boston Herald
- Repair shops profiting from auto sales slump, Southeast Missourian
- Carmakers plan for disruptions in parts supply, The Washington Post
- NY insurers did not steer customers to certain body shops. Insurance Journal
- Study: More uninsured drivers on the road. National Public Radio
- The best little body shop in Anchorage. The Examiner
- Porter Auto Body in Illinois goes green with new paint. Journal Gazette
- Auto Tech: Fuel Efficiency. CanadianDriver
- French carmakers to get six billion Euros in rescue plan. AFP
- Car repair business booming in Ohio and Texas abclocal.go.com and keyetv.com
- Allstate upping effort to keep customers. Chicago Tribune
- New database allows shoppers to check used-car histories. Sun-Sentinel
- New car tech: Not just protection, but prevention. physorg.com
- Credit Crunch claims dealership. blog.intheregister.com
- Tools for success. Students learn auto collision trade. sunjournal.com
- Car history service can't catch all dings. cbs5.com
- PCI Aftermarket Parts Report Highlights Monopoly Risks. pciaa.net
- Auto body slowdown. kidk.com
- Auto industry suppliers under pressure. al.com
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