Solera’s Autodata is the most used aftermarket solution worldwide with more than 85,000 workshops subscribing to Autodata’s applications for accessing technical data to service, maintain, diagnose, and repair vehicles. Aftermarket professionals can access the company’s databases from more than 100 countries, giving them a unique perspective on global repair trends, particularly for light commercial vehicles (LCV).
Since April 2019, Autodata’s workshop application has registered a 15.3 percent rise in technical data in this category. This includes information on repair times, wiring diagrams, tire and brake servicing, fluids and capacities, and diesel exhaust gas aftertreatments.
As Autodata has information on nearly 4,000 vehicles in the van and LCV variants category, it provides a researched view of workshop trends. In our recent Autodata Most Serviced Vehicle report, the highest total page views for an individual LCV model was the Volkswagen Transporter T5 (09-15) which was accessed more than 100,000 times worldwide.
In June of this year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) identified the Ford Transit Custom as the best-selling new LCV. The 2006 version of the Transit was Autodata’s second most serviced vehicle of 2019, and notably also took the top spot in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Hungary. However, new van purchases shrank by nearly a quarter in June most likely due to uncertainty over the COVID-related economic situation.
The Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board released a report recently indicating strong growth in the food delivery market while citizens have been under COVID-19 lockdown. In fact, home delivery grew 192 percent over the 23 Feb.-17 May period. This has meant an increase in use of LCVs which has correlated to a bump in maintenance and repair needs.
“While new vehicle registrations for light and heavy-goods vehicles have decreased, we’ve seen an uplift in the aftermarket, with technicians accessing significantly more LCV data,” said Michael Landless, Head of Product for Autodata. “This likely reflects two trends – an overall aging of the fleet, with vehicles requiring more frequent maintenance or more complex repair, as well as individual vehicles doing greater mileage, and fleet managers putting older vehicles back into active use to support an increase in parcel deliveries.”
Chris Wright, Managing Director of Autodata, said, “We’re constantly working to improve and refine the Autodata product to ensure it remains the leading solution for maintenance and repair. OEMs don’t stop updating technical information once a vehicle is out in the world. It’s updated over time as components age and recommendations change for how frequently they should be serviced and what service items are required. We’re committed to supporting workshops and fleet managers to ensure the data you get for vans and LCVs is the most accurate and up-to-date on the market.”
Autodata is part of the Solera family of products, covering every touchpoint in the vehicle lifecycle, from valuation to damage capture, and reporting through to repair.
For more information about Autodata, or to access our world-leading technical data for your business, visit www.autodata-group.com.
