By Wayne Smolda, President and CEO of The CEI Group, Inc.

The most disturbing news for fleets to come out of 2015 was the projection that traffic fatalities for last year were going to increase by the greatest rate we’ve seen in many years, a warning that fleet accident costs – including repair and other “hidden” expenses – could do the same next year.

Even without higher accident rates, fleets face an increase in the cost of accident repairs, given the continuing growth in the number of safety systems appearing in new vehicles and in the use of non-traditional materials, like aluminum, plastics and high-strength steel, all of which are costlier to repair.

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By Mike Cieri, MSIR, Vice President of Mardac Consultants

A cohesive team can consistently outperform a collection of talented individuals. This statement is proved every day in sports – and in business.

The reason is simple. On a cohesive team, the members work together toward a common goal. Instead of competing with each other to further their own careers, team members cooperate and actually help each other perform. This cooperation results from the understanding that personal goals and company objectives are interdependent. By helping the team effort, members are really helping themselves.

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Manheim

Wholesale used vehicle prices increased in December signifying the sixth increase out of the previous seven months. Illustrating continued strength and stability, this brought the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index – a measure of wholesale prices adjusted for mix, mileage and season – to a reading of 125.7 in December. This represents an increase of 1.5 percent from a year ago and is the Index’s highest level in more than four years.

The Manheim annual Used Car Market report examines the economic underpinnings of the entire used vehicle market and sector-specific trends that influence the supply and pricing of used vehicles.

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The Detroit Bureau

Even before the first official debut of the annual North American International Auto Show, Honda and Volvo had plenty of reason to celebrate. The two makers took top honors in a highly competitive field of finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year.

This year, top honors went to the 2016 Honda Civic, the North American Car of the Year, with the new 2016 Volvo XC90 taking honors as the North American Truck/Utility of the Year.

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Gizmag

The US state of Nevada has been a trailblazer in issuing licenses for testing autonomous cars on public roads, with its first two going to Google and Audi back in 2013. Now, it has awarded its first licenses for autonomous standard production vehicles. Three new Mercedes E-Class vehicles have been approved to drive themselves.

A rep from Mercedes’ parent company Daimler actually tells Gizmag that they believe it is the first such license to have been awarded anywhere in the world, but it’s not only cars that have been being tested on Nevada’s roads.

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The Detroit Bureau

The launch of the new Chevrolet Bolt is likely to mark the start, rather than the end, of General Motors’ electrification efforts, a number of company officials tell TheDetroitBureau.com.

And though CEO Mary Barra was not ready to comment about future models during a media roundtable in Las Vegas, she stressed the speed with which GM will have gone from concept to customer with the 200-mile Bolt. It was first revealed in prototype form at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, returning in production form at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. The Chevy Bolt will be on sale later this year.

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Forbes

We live in a rapidly advancing world, thanks in large part to technology. And as we saw at CES this week, the automotive industry has been an integral player in offering new technologies for public benefit. Many of these advancements have to do with safety technology, from mitigating crashes to avoiding them altogether.

However, most safety features tend to come from the car itself, meaning if a consumer wants said features they have to purchase a new vehicle. And with the rapid pace of technological breakthroughs a consumer has to cycle into a new car every few years to truly keep up with the latest tech. This isn’t practical or cost-efficient for many consumers.

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The Detroit News

From the battery-powered Chevrolet Bolt crossover to the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Honda Clarity to a hybrid Chrysler minivan, automakers are expected to show a parade of electric vehicles at the 2016 Detroit auto show.

A rare sight a decade ago, they will join dozens of battery-powered entries in dealer showrooms as automakers try to dazzle consumers and meet government gas efficiency mandates.

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Women in Fleet — Supporting and Mentoring women in the fleet industry

By Janice Sutton

We recently met with Lori Rasmussen, president of PARS and chairperson of Women in Fleet, to talk about the Women in Fleet group that she and other fleet professional women created several years ago.

Lori says, ‘The purpose of Women in Fleet is not to separate women; women have worked so hard in this industry for equality with men, but to create a group where we can support other women, new women in the industry, and pair them with veteran women in the industry. It is a resource to help someone if she needs help with something or just needs coaching.”

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SF Gate

Some Tesla Motors vehicles can park themselves without a driver inside with a software update beamed to customers over the weekend.

The update also puts new speed limits on Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot mode and makes several enhancements, including automatically slowing when the car is approaching a curve and keeping the car in its lane even when the lane markings are faded.

CEO Elon Musk said the parking feature is a “baby step” toward his eventual goal: Letting drivers summon their self-driving, self-charging cars from anywhere using their phones.

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