Traditional vehicle inspections ‘need mobility redesign’

By Gareth Roberts

21 February 2020

Traditional vehicle inspection tools are not going to be appropriate for new mobility services, especially with multi-user vehicle services set to rise, says the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA).

The trade body believes the remarketing industry will need to create “tools and processes that are accurate and auditable” if it is to successfully adapt to new multi-use transport models.

Sam Watkins, chairman of the VRA, said: “This is something that has been on our radar for a while but was really brought to the fore by a presentation from Nick Reisinger at DEKRA at our most recent meeting.

“What we’re really looking at are the kind of new services that will be demanded from our sector by car subscription models, car clubs, and car and ride sharing.

“The crux of these hinge on the need for inspections in a multi-user situation where the vehicle may never or rarely return to a base location. Condition and damage needs to be assessed on the fly, often at the roadside.

“Doing this means traditional vehicle inspection tools are not going to be appropriate but we need to create tools and processes that are accurate and auditable.”

Some remarketing companies that are part of the VRA are already trialling app-based approaches as well as new types of handheld and drive-through scanner technology.

“There’s an appreciation that the problem needs to be tackled and some considerable investment is taking place to arrive at new solutions,” continued Watkins.

“It’s a very interesting area and one that we are sure will become even more of discussion point in the future.”

The mobility issue was raised at the VRA’s January meeting, which took place at Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire and was attended by more than 40 members.

Watkins concluded: “This was just one of the emerging issues discussed at the meeting and illustrates how the VRA is an essential resource for remarketing professionals who want to find out how other members are tackling new problems and new opportunities.”