The Florida Auto Body Association will take a single session on labor costs, compensation and technician retention to three Florida markets in late August, with Bob Kennedy of Wesco Group as the featured speaker. The events run Aug. 25 in Jacksonville, Aug. 26 in Winter Haven and Aug. 27 in Clearwater, each built around the […]
Allstate Names Christian Lown Chief Financial Officer
The Allstate Corporation on July 14 announced Christian (Chris) Lown as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Aug. 3. Lown will report to Tom Wilson, chair, president and CEO of The Allstate Corporation. The appointment fills the finance post at one of the nation’s largest personal auto insurers that has been held on […]
SEMA Urges Swift Senate Confirmation of Labor Secretary Nominee Keith Sonderling
The Specialty Equipment Market Association has submitted a letter to the leadership of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee supporting the nomination of Keith Sonderling as secretary of labor and urging his swift confirmation. The association announced the July 16 letter the same day Sonderling testified before the committee at his confirmation hearing. […]
Progressive Reports Personal Auto Policies in Force Up 8.8% in June Compared to 2025
Total policies in force top 40 million for the first time as June net income falls 31% on investment losses and a higher combined ratio. The Progressive Corporation (NYSE: PGR) reported its total personal auto insurance policies in force were 27,932,000 in June 2026, an increase of 2,264,000 or 8.8% from 25,668,000 in June 2025. […]
Auto Care Association Writes EPA on Freedom to Fix Emissions Repair Guidance
Urges Congress to Pass REPAIR Act The Auto Care Association urged the Trump administration and Congress to extend federal vehicle right to repair beyond emissions systems, in a July 14 letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin that commended the agency’s recent emissions-repair guidance and pressed for passage of the Right to Equitable […]
UK’s Steer Automotive Names Jana Siber CEO as Founder Richard Steer Becomes Executive Chairman
Steer Automotive Group, the UK’s largest collision repair multiple-shop operator, has appointed Jana Siber as chief executive officer and moved founder Richard Steer into the role of executive chairman. The company announced the leadership change July 9. The change installs a chief executive from outside the collision repair sector atop Britain’s largest repair network, and […]
Wuhan Onew Enters Middle East With Dubai Distribution Deal for PaintGo Refinish Robots
Wuhan Onew, a Chinese manufacturer of automated automotive refinish painting systems, has signed a regional distribution agreement with Dubai-based Najem Al Kawakab General Trading LLC to sell and service its PaintGo refinish painting robots across the Middle East. Under the agreement, announced July 12, Dubai will serve as the regional hub for product sales, technical […]
NICB Credits Partnerships for Vehicle Theft Decline, Warns Against Complacency
The National Insurance Crime Bureau credited coordinated public-private prevention efforts for driving reported U.S. vehicle thefts to their lowest level in decades and called for sustained funding and stronger penalties to preserve the progress. The nonprofit anti-fraud organization issued the appeal July 15 to mark National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month, an annual awareness campaign launched […]
New-Vehicle Prices Hold Below $50,000 in June
Buyers shift to more affordable segments. The average transaction price for a new vehicle rose less than 1% year over year in June to $49,758, holding below $50,000 for a sixth straight month in 2026, as buyers continued to migrate toward lower-priced segments, according to data released by Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book. New-vehicle sales […]
Highline Warren Plans to Acquire 1.1 Million-Square-Foot Georgia Distribution Center
Highline Warren plans to acquire a 1.1 million-square-foot facility in McDonough, Georgia, to operate as a large-scale distribution and operations center, the Memphis-based distributor of vehicle maintenance consumables said July 14. The planned addition would extend the network of one of North America’s larger distributors of maintenance consumables deeper into the Southeast and strengthen its […]