New Cars, New Challenges

The final session of the first morning was a discussion by Glen Moses of new vehicle models and the challenges they pose.

Russ Corsi, an industry consultant and AGRR Magazine columnist, introduced him.

Moses, technical director for Safelite Glass, pointed out that we're getting very close to one registered vehicle for every person in the U.S. He also pointed out that fewer vehicles are being scrapped today than the year before, according to statistics.

"New sales cars are up, we're looking for 2006 to be a record year, and fewer vehicles are being scrapped, so there's more potential work for us," he told attendees.

In discussing vehicle trends, he said that manufacturers are focusing more on cars. "The bloom is off the truck," he said. The subcompact is back, he then added. "There are more of them and they're more expensive in the past, so the question is whether they'll sell. As gas prices have fallen, so have sales of this vehicle category," he explained.

The third trend he pointed out is the growth of crossover vehicles. "They're not SUVs but they have elevated seating and extra space," he said.

Retractable hard tops is another trend he cited. "Last year they outside conventional convertibles for the first time," he said. "They make a better four-season car and they are more vandal resistant." Moses also made the point that there are more glass retractable hard tops. "These used to be on the concept cars, but now they're showing up in production," he explained.

Following lunch, insurance was on the agenda for the educational program at the second AGRSS Conference taking place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Stay tuned to glassBYTEs for further coverage on all the events taking place this week as part of Auto Glass Week.