Mitchell International, Inc. has released the first quarter 2009 edition of its Industry Trends Report (ITR), the company’s quarterly publication highlighting industry-related trends, news items and statistics.
This edition’s Quarterly Feature, “The Time has Come for the Mitchell Information Center,” by Mitchell’s Vice President of Industry Relations, Greg Horn, discusses the challenge faced by repairers in an environment where vehicle construction, equipment and repairs grow more complex with each model year.
“The growing number of hybrids on the road today is just one example of how the collision repair environment is constantly changing and at the same time creating corresponding pressure for repairers who need to keep pace with the demands of the increasing technology found on today’s vehicles,” Horn said.
He added, “Many leading hybrid automakers now use advanced safety technologies, and since this special equipment is present in more of today’s vehicles, it is increasingly appearing in collision repair shops. As part of our efforts to support the collision repair community with the latest in estimating and repair technologies, we developed Mitchell Information Center, which is the solution that helps bridge the data gap for repairers by giving them a single, easily accessed source for critical repair information.”
Mitchell says the Mitchell Information Center can help shops reduce cycle time by avoiding the need to search multiple repair and parts sources. In addition, the Mitchell Information Center provides access to up-to-date year/make/model specific information to assist repairers in performing repairs in a safe manner and to the customer’s satisfaction.
For more information, visit www.mitchellinformationcenter.com.
Other points of interest in the current ITR include:
• In Q4-2008, the average initial gross appraisal value for comprehensive losses processed through Mitchell servers was $2,423, an increase of $56. Applying the prescribed 3 percent development factor yields an anticipated final comprehensive severity figure of $2,497.
• The initial average appraisal value, as calculated by combining data from all first- and third- party repairable vehicle appraisals uploaded through Mitchell systems in Q4-2008 was $2,556 – $10 less than the previous year’s Q4-2007 appraisal average of $2,566. Applying the prescribed development factor of 2.3 percent produces an anticipated average appraisal value of $2,615.
To download a PDF copy of the ITR, visit www.mitchell.com.
