Colours Inc. has acquired Stephens Auto Inc. of Hornell, N.Y., a deal that gives the paint, body and equipment distributor five locations in New York State. Terms were not disclosed. Stephens Auto has served the Hornell-area automotive market for decades, according to Colours, which said it will bring its product lines, technical expertise, training, inventory […]
Registration Open for Georgia Collision Industry Association Oct. 12 Golf Tournament
The Georgia Collision Industry Association will hold its 2026 golf tournament Oct. 12 at Eagle Watch Golf Club in Woodstock, Ga., sponsored by Ed Voyles Automotive. Registration and breakfast begin at 8 a.m. and a shotgun start follows at 10 a.m. Sponsorships run from $1,000 to $5,000. The $5,000 Diamond sponsorship includes three foursomes and […]
NJM Earns Ninth Consecutive J.D. Power Auto Claims Certification
NJM Insurance Group has earned the J.D. Power Auto Claims Certification for a ninth consecutive year, satisfying 66 of 68 evaluation metrics in the 2026 audit for a 97% success rate. The program’s minimum threshold is 80%. NJM sells personal insurance directly to consumers in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The audit itself […]
Nasdaq Chief Economist Mackintosh Returns to Keynote November 2 MSO Symposium
An economic outlook session opens the Las Vegas program held ahead of the SEMA and AAPEX shows. Phil Mackintosh, chief economist and senior vice president at Nasdaq, will deliver the keynote address at the 15th annual MSO Symposium on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas. The Automotive Service Association hosts the one-day conference, which takes place […]
Brandon Eckenrode Named Executive Director of LoveTrades Foundation
The LoveTrades Foundation has appointed Brandon Eckenrode executive director, the Laramie, Wyo., nonprofit’s board of directors announced Sept. 14. LoveTrades raises money for students at WyoTech, whose Laramie campus runs a collision/refinishing technology program, and for students in Laramie County Community College and University of Wyoming career and technical education programs. “Brandon’s passion for technical […]
AAA Puts Annual Vehicle Ownership Cost at $12,863 as EVs and Hybrids Enter Category Averages
The average cost to own and operate a new vehicle reached $12,863 a year, or $1,071.92 a month, according to AAA’s 2026 Your Driving Costs analysis released Sept. 15. The study retires the standalone hybrid and electric vehicle categories AAA used in prior editions and distributes those models into the body-style categories that previously held […]
Crash Champions Golf Outing Raises $300,000 for Champion It Forward
Crash Champions said its annual Champions Classic charity golf outing raised $300,000 for Champion It Forward, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit the company said is focused on expanding mentorship, training and career pathways in collision repair. The Sept. 10 event at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Bolingbrook, Ill., drew more than 200 golfers and more than 50 […]
Consumer Sentiment Falls 7.5% to Lowest Level Since May in Preliminary September Reading
Second straight monthly decline leaves the index 13% below a year ago as fuel prices and trade tensions weigh on household budgets. Consumer sentiment fell 7.5% in September in the preliminary reading from the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, with the Index of Consumer Sentiment at 47.8, down from 51.7 in August and 13.2% […]
Carfax Finds Unfixed Recalls on More Than a Quarter of Taxis and Rideshares Checked
Carfax found at least one unfixed safety recall on about 27% of the taxi and rideshare vehicles it examined across 16 major U.S. cities and the state of Maryland, compared with roughly one in five vehicles nationwide. The company analyzed nearly 438,000 vehicle identification numbers drawn from registered taxi and rideshare fleets and released the […]
Hyundai Motor Group Sets 2028 Production Target for Level 2+ Automation, Standardizes Sensors Across Brands
Hyundai Motor Group said Sept. 12 it will put NVIDIA-based Level 2+ automated driving systems into production in the first half of 2028 and Level 2++ systems in the second half of that year, followed in the second half of 2029 by vehicles running Atria AI, the autonomous driving software developed in-house by group subsidiary […]