Selling Maintenance, Repair During Tough Economic Times
from AutoInc.
 You've seen all of the headlines in the news recently regarding mortgage meltdowns, stock market struggles, and layoffs continuing to rise - not to mention the wild swings in the price of gasoline. Clearly, many people are legitimately concerned about the stability of their financial future. Although you and I know American consumers can best control their vehicle expense by taking good care of their vehicles, the reality is this: When times are tough, the first place people cut back is on what they perceive to be nonessential expenses. More 
Democrats' Cash for Clunkers Plans Are Bad for Business
from U.S. News & World Report
Thanks to the law of unintended consequences, the market for those old, boxy, fuel-inefficient cars that almost no one who doesn't have to buy one wants may soon grow red hot. An amendment authored by Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow is likely to be attached to the tobacco bill now before the U.S. Senate that would provide a cash incentive of up to $4,500 to anyone who trades in a vehicle getting an average of less than 18 miles per gallon for one that gets at least 22 miles per gallon. More
Battered Auto Sales Show Improvement
from CNN Money
Despite unprecedented turmoil in the auto industry General Motors, Chrysler LLC and Ford Motors all reported auto sales that, while still anemic, were much better than expected. Overall industry sales tumbled 34 percent during the month, according to sales tracker Autodata. That's better than the 36.1 percent decline predicted by Edmunds.com, and it matches the 34 percent year-over-year drop in April. More
Related story: Inside GM's Bankruptcy Filing (Fortune Magazine via CNN Money)
Pyle Appears on Automotive Radio Program
from Automotive Service Association
 Ron Pyle, president and chief staff executive of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), was a guest May 30 on "The Car Doctor," an automotive radio show hosted by Ron Ananian. Pyle was interviewed regarding ASA's position on the so-called 'Right to Repair' legislation. "The Car Doctor" airs Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on WOR Radio 710 AM. Click here to hear the entire show. Or, click here to hear Pyle's interview.
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Chrysler June 5 Sale Put on Hold by Appeals Court
from Bloomberg
Chrysler LLC’s plan to sell its best assets to a new entity on June 5 was put on hold by a federal appeals court that will hear arguments that day by creditors challenging terms of the deal. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez in New York had said the sale to a group led by Fiat SpA could be completed at noon June 5. He moved the date up from June 15, noting in an order that Chrysler is losing $100 million a day as it awaits a sale designed to make it a viable company in world markets. More
'Cash for Clunkers' Headed for Senate Floor
from Automotive Service Association
The U.S. Senate may consider a "Cash for Clunkers" proposal on the floor of the Senate as early as this week. ASA is urging automotive repair professionals to write their senators in support of a vehicle repair option for consumers in the legislation. To learn more and send a pre-written letter to your senators, click here. More
Related story: Fleet Bill Would Encourage Higher MPG Cars (The Detroit News )
Wireless Connectivity to Be Main Focus for Vehicle Manufacturers by 2012
from ABRN
The continued rise of connected consumer devices, such as smartphones and mobile Internet devices, will increase consumer expectations for always-on data availability throughout their work and home, and when being mobile — including when driving. The automotive industry's ability to differentiate mass-market vehicles based on performance and handling will be limited from this point on, because of environmental and economic concerns, as well as the rise of electric vehicles and other alternative powertrain offerings. More
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Fools in Love, with Cars
from Today's News-Herald
An auto repair shop opened in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., recently to the delight of one of the shop’s owners who has a lifelong love of cars and fixing them up. Bob’s My Shop, owned by Bob and Debbie Casaburi, opened on April Fools’ Day this year, a tradition and hallmark that has proven to be an important day in Bob Casaburi’s life. Casaburi opened his first shop, on April 1, 1981 in Glendale, Calif. In the end, the shop closed its doors 23 years later, by chance, on April 1, 2004. More
Two Key Issues Await Participants in ASA Capitol Hill Fly-In
McCarran-Ferguson Act, Insurance Reform on Agenda
for ASA Members Using AutoNetTV
An opportunity to voice their opinions on two important issues await Automotive Service Association Collision Division members who participate in ASA's Capitol Hill Fly-In July 28-29 in Washington, D.C. Attendees will receive a briefing Tuesday evening, July 28, and then spend a full day on Capitol Hill Wednesday, July 29. They will meet with policymakers to voice their support for repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act and federal regulation of property and casualty insurance. More
Hummer's Chinese Buyer a Newcomer to Auto Industry
from the Associated Press
Hummer owners are an unusual breed, but a little-known Chinese company's surprise purchase of the American maker of gas-guzzling, military-style SUVs is audacious even by their standards. Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co., which said it was buying the General Motors Corp. unit, is four years old and has just 4,300 employees. It makes vehicles, but they are cement mixers and tow trucks, not passenger cars. More
NACE, CARS Expand Conference to Deliver Timely Education for Industry Professionals
As the industry’s educational leaders, the International Automotive Congress and Exposition (NACE) and the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) have developed an expanded 2009 conference program delivering a total of 84 sessions (or 138 hours) of compelling and relevant education focused on today’s industry professionals – all for the same cost as 2008. The NACE and CARS conferences delve into topics that are dealt with by both the mechanical and collision industry professionals on a daily, weekly and annual basis. Sessions will be offered in both 90-minute and 3-hour timeslots. Tracks include management, vehicle repair (collision), technical (mechanical), women’s professional development, train the trainer, estimating, jobber, auto glass, and the all-new tracks for lean and heavy duty truck (due to the overwhelming request from post-show attendee surveys). Both NACE and CARS are sponsored by Automotive Service Association (ASA) and co-located at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nov. 4-7, during the second annual Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW).
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House Judiciary Reviews Automaker Bankruptcy Impact
from Automotive Service Association
The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hastily called a hearing to review "Ramifications of Auto Industry Bankruptcies" just prior to the Memorial Day recess. Witnesses focused on the impact of the Chrysler and possible General Motors Corp. bankruptcies on new car dealerships, employees and consumers. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, raised concerns about the high number of dealership closures. Conyers said, "First, we have thousands of dealers - many of whom are small, family-run businesses that have been passed from one generation to the next - being summarily terminated by Chrysler and GM." More
More Parts Firms to File for Chapter 11
from The Detroit Free Press
More automotive parts suppliers will file for bankruptcy in the weeks ahead, analysts said, a consequence of a cash drought brought on by falling production that could intensify after General Motors Corp.'s filing for Chapter 11. Across the country, suppliers whose revenues have plunged below their costs are struggling to find the money they need to keep operating. More
EPA: Mississippi Companies Sold Illegal Chinese Engines
from Quality News Today
Three Mississippi companies are accused in a federal lawsuit of illegally importing and selling more than 78,000 small engines made in China. The engines did not meet federal air pollution standards, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice said in a joint news release. The lawsuit marks the government’s first court action in an effort to enforce emissions standards for portable generators, water pumps and other small engines, the EPA said. More
Keep Your Eyes Peeled: Deer-Vehicle Collisions Spike in June
from La Crosse Tribune
A deer-damaged car recently pulled into J&H Auto Body Shop in La Crosse, Wis., some seven hours into what experts describe as the worst month for vehicle-deer crashes. The La Crosse business each June repairs about 15 to 20 vehicles with $2,000 to $4,000 worth of front-end deer collision damage, said assistant manager Bob Friet. More
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