FREDERICK, MD – The National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) announced the release of a proposed industry-wide standard for the Electronic Condition Report (ECR) to be used in vehicle inspections prior to a sale at NAAA auctions. The draft of the new guidelines will be available to all participants in the automotive remarketing industry for their review before being finalized. The intended implementation will take place during the first quarter of 2010.

The ECR standard is designed to be a set of acceptable values that covers such important sections of an inspection as basic vehicle information, images, damages (if applicable), and available options. The goal of establishing the standard is to streamline processes within remarketing to reduce costs for all participants, improve the buyers’ experience, and make exchange of vehicle data easier among participants in the remarketing industry, noted NAAA President Bob McConkey.

“This is an exciting development in the automotive remarketing field,” McConkey said. “The industry will have a standard that helps improve the experience of all the participants in the remarketing value chain — sellers, buyers, and auctions.”

NAAA worked with the foremost auction firms, leading independent software vendors, and the OEMs to produce the standard. A major aim of the NAAA in developing the draft was to gather broad industry input and gain mutual support for a collective practice. Pam Mabry-Cadigan, vice president of Manheim Inspections, noted, “The ECR standard is important for the industry as a whole. The NAAA has done a tremendous job of bringing together a lot of parties from different backgrounds, and creating one view of a vehicle’s condition.”

One of the keys to success is the backing of the OEMs for the new standard. Mark Mathews, director of Rental and Used Vehicle Activities for General Motors, one of the OEM supporters of the new standard, stated that “in order to maximize the efficiency of this industry to the advantage of all, including the OEMs, standardization is absolutely necessary. We’re proud to be supporting the NAAA’s efforts to introduce greater efficiency to the industry in a way that benefits everyone.”

Click here to view the Electronic Condition Report Standard Manual