As insurance policies rise to meet technology, one Chinese manufacturer is hoping better technological insight at the design stage will make their cars more insurable.
Chery Automobile has partnered with UK based risk intelligence institute Thatcham Research aimed at delivering a concept called ‘Insurability by Design’ on all new models launched across all international markets.
Chery is a relatively newcomer o Australia with an establish market in the UK and EU.
Thatcham Research will consult with Chery teams on effective regional repair methods production.
The programme aims to consider the integration of safety, security, and sustainability-focused design and how they meet the economic realities of insurance and repairability.
The partnership signed in China this month is reportedly the first of its kind for the automotive risk intelligence company, as it continues its mission to integrate repairability into early-stage vehicle design.
At is basis is a shift towards considering the cost of a vehicle to the consumer over its life span and efforts to balance innovation and insurability.
Increased technology in vehicles is one of the factors driving increased repair costs and in-turn insurance premiums for consumers, adding to the overall cost of running a vehicle.
Electric powertrains and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are just some of the factors the repair industry is dealing with while also experiencing a critical repair skills shortage.
Thatcham Research head of automotive Ben Townsend, says Chery is anticipating the needs and challenges of the future and addressing them today, creating a better total cost of ownership experience for its drivers.
“The goal is to ensure that Chery vehicles coming off the production line are as insurable as they are innovative, bridging the gap between cutting-edge design and practicality in maintenance and repair.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Chery to bake repairability into the DNA of vehicle design from the get-go.”
Thatcham Research automotive risk intelligence specialists collaborating with Chery engineers to make recommendations on potential enhancements to vehicle design, based on reporting of vehicle damageability performance against international RCAR standards.
It will also include dedicated vehicle research with a view to producing BS10125 compliant repair methods to service the most common repairs required in the UK and European market.
In addition, Thatcham Research will work with Chery to prepare all new vehicles to meet the requirements of the New Vehicle Security Assessment (NVSA), with virtual and physical testing to scope “theft of” and “theft from” risk, making practical vehicle design interventions where required.
Thatcham Research plans are also aimed at the sustainability of a vehicle with consideration for integrating repairability and parts accessibility to minimise downtime and costs, along with meeting international safety and security requirements.