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AutoInc. Online Selected AS ’Key Resource” Site
AutoInc. magazine has been selected as a “key resource” online publication by Links2Go (http://www.links2go.com).
AutoInc. was rated among the top 35 automobile magazines on the Internet.
According to Links2Go, being selected means that AutoInc. is one of the most relevant automotive publications on the Web today. The company analyzes millions of Web pages a month to select the “key resource” sites. “Fewer than one in 1,000 Web sites will be selected for inclusion,” a company representative said.
ASA Names Benefit Provider of Year
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) Membership Department has selected Mitchell Repair as its Member Benefit Provider of the Year for 2000. Mitchell Repair has partnered with ASA since 1998 to provide services to ASA members.Mitchell Repair Information Company, which has been a provider of industry information for more than 80 years, provides a discount that can save ASA members as much as $150 yearly.
Popularity of Car-Like SUVs Takes Off
With sales of small sport utility vehicles (SUVs) on the rise, automakers are preparing a new generation of SUVs that are more car-like and as fuel efficient as the cars they are replacing in family garages, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). New, smaller or mid-size SUVS soon to hit the market include offerings from Pontiac, Mazda, Ford and Hyundai.The fastest-growing sales of SUVs is in the mid-sized category (Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Explorer, Lexus RX300 and Nissan Xtera) with highway gas mileage ratings of 20 or more miles per gallon. Higher fuel prices are not currently hampering sales of these relatively economical SUVs. The next fastest growing segment is smaller SUVs (Chevrolet Tracker, Suzuki Vitara) with highway mileage ratings of 27 miles per gallon.
Only modest, single-digit sales growth has been seen by the largest SUVs (Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, etc) with highway fuel economy ratings of approximately 16 to 18 miles per gallon.
1999 Aftermarket Totals $147.2 Billion
Aftermarket product and service volume in the United States reached $147.2 billion in current dollars at user-price, reports James A. Lang, president of Lang Marketing Resources in New Jersey. “Product sales reached $107.8 billion during 1999, with purchased service totaling $39.4 billion,” noted Lang. Product volume includes all products used in the repair, maintenance, and modification of cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, as well as other types of engines, boats, off-road equipment, machinery, industrial use, and related consumption.
Purchased service includes all labor costs paid by end-users but does not encompass the cost of work performed by fleets and other operations in their service facilities or work for which no charge is made, such as Do-It-Yourself repair.
New I-CAR Programs Available
The Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) has announced the availability of some new Enhanced Delivery training programs, including some concentrating on worker protection, brakes, damage analysis, electrical and electronics, fundamentals of collision repair, restraints, and welding and cutting steel.
For more information, including class schedules, visit the I-CAR Web site at http://www.i-car.com or call (800) ICAR-USA.
Mobile Sources/Clean Air Conference Planned
The 16th Annual Mobile Sources/Clean Air Conference will be held Sept. 19-22 in Steamboat Springs, Colo. For more information, send e-mail to ncvecs@cahs.colostate.edu or call (970) 491-7240.Sherwin-Williams Expands Presence in Greater Boston Area
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes Corp. has opened two new branch locations in the Greater Boston area due to increased growth and development in that area. The new branch locations are in Randolph and Worcester, Mass.
AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol.XLVIII, August 2000
E-mail: asainfo@asashop.org, Web Site: http://www.asashop.org
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