News Briefs
PPG Opens Business Development Center Near Detroit
PPG Automotive Refinish opened a high-tech training facility in Wixom, Mich. -- about 30 miles northwest of Detroit. The center, featuring a computerized classroom and complete paint shop, hopes to have more than 1,000 students in its first year of operation. There are 20 other PPG national training centers in North America.Consumer Reports Releases Results Of 1996 Auto Survey
The 1996 Annual Questionnaire by Consumer Reports was based on information about more than 600,000 vehicles from model years 1989 through 1996. Results included: Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura and Nissan/Infiniti as the most likely to be trouble-free; 1989 Lincoln Continental as the car with the most problems; and Lexus LS400 as the car with the least problems. Pickups and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) continued to be more troublesome than sedans and minivans. The Toyota RAV4 was the best of the 1996 trucks, minivans or SUVs, according to the survey.Driving Costs Increase
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) annual "Your Driving Costs" survey, the cost per mile of owning and operating a car increased 2.2 cents this year to 44.8 cents per mile. This is the largest increase in the past six years. In 1997 motorists will spend an average of $6,723 if they drive 16,000 miles. AAA said the increase is partially related to higher gasoline prices - 14 cents per gallon higher than last year. Single copies of the survey results can be obtained at most AAA Affiliated clubs.MEMA Study Finds Auto Parts Industry Marketing Trends
A 1996 Motor and Equipment Manufacturing Association (MEMA) study found that automotive parts suppliers are moving their marketing services departments away from the corporate headquarters and closer to field operations.R-134a Sales Will Remain Unrestricted Through Summer
Automotive Parts and Accessories Association (APAA) recently met with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and learned that sales of R-134a will remain unrestricted to consumers for at least one more summer.SEMA Efforts To Defeat Arizona Scrappage Bill Rewarded
Arizona H.B. 2438, a taxpayer-subsidized vehicle retirement program, failed to pass under the direction of Appropriation's Chairman Bob Burns. Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and Arizona hobbyists argued against the scrappage bill, stating that it couldn't achieve what supporters promised, and was therefore a waste of taxpayer dollars.NHTSA Allows Less Powerful Air Bags
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) amended its crash protection standard to give manufacturers more leeway to produce less powerful air bags. Under the new rule, NHTSA will permit air bags to be depowered by 20 percent to 35 percent.The agency estimates that from 1986 to Feb. 15, 1997, air bags saved more than 1,750 drivers and passengers. However, air bag deployment resulted in fatal injuries in 62 of these crashes, including 38 children. NHTSA believes lower powered air bags may have avoided many of the fatal injuries to these individuals, most of whom were unbelted or improperly belted.
NHTSA expects vehicles to be available with depowered systems late in model year 1997 or beginning in model year 1998.
CARS Dates Announced
ASA's annual Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) will be held Sept. 24-27 at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Mich. The program will include business management seminars offered by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI), technical classes and a keynote address. Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour the assembly plants of automotive manufacturers.Snap-on Ad Campaign Continues
In the third phase of Snap-on Tools Company's Tribute Advertising Campaign, ads will feature technicians and shop owners telling their own stories, with ads appearing in Sports Illustrated, Good Housekeeping and Reader's Digest. Snap-on, hoping to improve the image of the industry, recently opened a new training and retail center in Albuquerque, N.M.Clarification: Snap-on has acquired a 50 percent interest in the Mitchell Repair Information Division of The Thomson Corp. The headline in the March issue, "Snap-on acquires 50 percent of Mitchell," should have read, "Snap-on acquires 50 percent of Mitchell Repair."
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AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLV No. 5, May 1997