Polestar will stop selling new model-year vehicles in the United States after the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security declined to grant the Swedish electric vehicle maker an authorization under the federal Connected Vehicle Rule, the company said June 25. The decision bars Polestar from selling vehicles in the U.S. from model […]
Former Michigan Police Officer Pleads No Contest to Falsifying Salvage Vehicle Inspections
Johnathan Chase, a former police detective who served as the sole salvage vehicle inspector for a southwest Michigan department, has pleaded no contest to falsifying state salvage vehicle inspection forms, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced June 18. Inspectors verify that extensively damaged or reconstructed vehicles are safe to drive and that their components cannot […]
Cox Automotive Forecasts Steady June New Vehicle Sales Pace
Sales projected up year over year, but down from May. New-vehicle sales are on track to finish June at a seasonally adjusted annual rate near 16.1 million units, little changed from May and roughly in line with the pace set in March and April, Cox Automotive said in a forecast released June 24. June sales […]
Kinetic Enters Arizona with Two Phoenix ADAS Hubs, Opens First Los Angeles-Area Location
Kinetic, which operates a network of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) calibration and diagnostics hubs, has opened three new facilities — two in Phoenix and one in Inglewood, California — expanding its third-party calibration network to 11 locations across four states. The Phoenix openings mark the company’s entry into Arizona. The hubs provide appraisal, diagnostics, programming […]
Axalta Sets Aug. 5 Stockholder Vote on AkzoNobel Merger
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE: AXTA) will hold a special meeting of stockholders Aug. 5 to vote on its proposed all-stock merger of equals with AkzoNobel N.V., after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission declared effective the registration statement underlying the deal and Axalta filed its definitive proxy statement. Axalta’s special meeting is set for […]
Quality Collision Group Appoints James D’Onofrio Chief Strategy Officer
Quality Collision Group (QCG) has named James D’Onofrio chief strategy officer, putting the executive who has led the company’s acquisition activity since 2024 in charge of corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions and new site development. QCG operates more than 100 locations across 13 states. In the role, D’Onofrio will oversee organic growth, M&A and new […]
ASE Urges Technicians to Maintain or Advance Collision Repair and Refinish Certifications
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence is reminding collision repair technicians and refinishers to earn, maintain or advance their ASE certifications through its four-test B-series program. ASE offers four collision repair and refinish tests: painting and refinishing (B2), non-structural analysis and damage repair (B3), structural analysis and damage repair (B4) and mechanical and electrical […]
State Farm Adds Crash Data Sharing for Toyota and Lexus Claims
Eligible customers driving 2020 or newer Toyota/Lexus models can opt in to share accident data to help facilitate claims processing. State Farm has begun offering owners of 2020 or newer Toyota and Lexus vehicles the option to share crash data directly from their cars to help process auto insurance claims, under a new collaboration with […]
AkzoNobel Sets Aug. 5 Shareholder Meeting on Axalta Merger as SEC Clears Registration Statement
AkzoNobel N.V. will convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders Aug. 5 in Amsterdam to vote on its proposed all-stock merger of equals with Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., advancing a roughly $25 billion combination that would create the world’s No. 2 coatings company and one of the largest suppliers to the collision repair industry. The […]
Kirmac Collision & Autoglass Opens 28th Location
Kirmac Collision & Autoglass has opened a collision and glass repair facility in Mission, British Columbia, Canada deepening the family-owned company’s footprint in the Fraser Valley and bringing its network to 28 locations. “We had been looking to open a location in Mission for many years,” said Sean McIntosh, president and CEO. “We’re proud to […]