[continued from page 9]NEW MOBILE INSPECTION TEAMWILL ASSESS BATTERIES POST-ACCIDENTAFTER AN ACCIDENTGWM ORA, part of InternationalMotors, has launched a new in-housebattery inspection and evaluationinitiative to support its existingaftersales operations and third-partyrepairers in the UK.This newly formed, dedicatedtechnical team will provide 昀椀eld basedassistance, offering manufacturerguidance on the status and repairabilityof traction batteries after a reportedcustomer collision or accident.GWM ORA – which recently achieveda key sales milestone with 1,000vehicles now on UK roads – has agrowing core retail infrastructure 18trusted dealers and hopes this newinitiative will decrease unnecessarywastage of batteries after very minoraccidents, which may have only causedcosmetic damage to the vehicle.Technical experts will provide a fullassessment and report on the status ofthe battery, and if required, make thenecessary arrangements to transportthe vehicle safely and then refurbish itto manufacturer standards.THATCHAMRESEARCHAND CHERYANNOUNCELANDMARKPARTNERSHIPTO EMBED‘INSURABILITY’AS PRIMARYVEHICLE DESIGNATTRIBUTEThatcham Research signed a strategicpartnership with Chery Automobile,one of China’s leading vehiclemanufacturers – a 昀椀rst of its kind for theautomotive risk intelligence company,as it continues its mission to integraterepairability into early-stage vehicledesign. The new partnership representsa pivotal shift towards a moresustainable and consumer-centricapproach in automotive design,spearheading a movement towardsvehicles that successfully balanceinnovation and insurability.The insurability imperative is10increasingly vital against a backdropof rising insurance costs and a rapidlytransforming automotive landscape.Driven by the introduction of newvehicle technology from electricpowertrains to ADAS, the adventof greater vehicle complexity ishappening at a time when the industryis already navigating a critical repairskills shortage.Ben Townsend, Thatcham Researchhead of automotive said, “The goal isto ensure that Chery vehicles comingoff the production line are as insurableas they are innovative, bridging thegap between cutting-edge design andpracticality in maintenance and repair.”The project will see Thatcham Researchautomotive risk intelligence specialistscollaborating with Chery engineers tomake recommendations on potentialenhancements to vehicle design, basedon reporting of vehicle damageabilityperformance against internationalRCAR standards. The partnership willalso include dedicated vehicle researchwith a view to producing BS10125compliant repair methods to servicethe most common repairs required inthe UK and European market.THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL | SPRING 2024 | www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor
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