Mitchell Releases Winter 2007 Edition of Industry Trends Report

Report features analysis of changing vehicle sales trends in the US and their impact on claims costs

San Diego, CA -- February 8, 2007 -- Mitchell International, a leading provider of performance management solutions to the automotive insurance claims and collision repair industries, recently released the Winter 2007 edition of its Industry Trends Report, a quarterly publication highlighting recent events impacting the auto physical damage collision and casualty industries, and providing illuminating statistics and measures of interest to APD collision / casualty professionals. Winter '07's Quarterly Feature examines the shift in U.S new vehicle sales from domestic- to Asian-manufactured autos and the projected impact of shifting vehicle populations on claims costs.

In July 2006, Toyota overtook Ford as the nation's second largest seller of vehicles-for the first time ever. The article concludes that the emergence of an American automotive marketplace dominated by Asian-made cars and trucks will impact the claims process and component costs significantly, but may not produce much change in average, overall claims costs. Industry data indicates that vehicles manufactured in Asia tend to cost more to repair than American-made cars and trucks (about $67.00 more on average in late 2006), although historical comparisons demonstrate that this difference has been narrowing over time. Further, labor-not parts-drives these higher, overall costs for Asian-manufactured autos.