Topics at AZT

September 2025

Farm tractors are essential helpers in agriculture, but their participation in road traffic poses particular challenges. A research report by the German Insurers Accident Research (UDV) from 2023 examines the accident risks of motorized agricultural vehicles (MAV) and shows how the occurrence of accidents, with a focus on accidents involving personal injury, has changed over the years. The study is based on a comprehensive analysis of national traffic accident statistics and on claims of the insurers Allianz Versicherungs-AG and Landwirtschaftlicher Versicherungsverein Münster a.G. (LVM) that where gathered together in a joint accident database. The Allianz Center for Technology contributed significantly to the preparation of this report. 

Figure 2 compares the change in the number of  MAV respectively passenger cars as well as accidents with personal injury (A(PI)) involving agricultural tractors respectively passenger cars since the reference year 2008. There has been an increase in the number of agricultural tractors and passenger cars, but fortunately this has not led to an increase in accidents involving personal injury.  

In the considered years 2005 to 2021, motorized agricultural vehicles were involved in very few accidents resulting in personal injury, but a detailed analysis of the national traffic accident statistics indicates that accidents involving MAV are particularly serious. In 2019, for example, accidents involving MAV accounted for only 0.65 % of all accidents involving personal injury. Nevertheless, they were involved in 2.05 % of accidents with fatalities and 1.10 % of accidents with serious injuries.  

For the in-depth analyses, an accident database was set up containing motor third-party insurance claims involving personal injury from Allianz Versicherungs-AG and Landwirtschaftlicher Versicherungsverein Münster a.G. (LVM). This database comprises 905 claims on public roads from 2017 to 2020.  

As can be seen in Figure 3, passenger cars (64.6 %) and motorized two-wheelers (19.9 %) are the most frequent other road users involved in accidents with MAV involving personal injury.  

Taking into account the number of vehicles and mileage, motorized two-wheelers are disproportionately often involved in accidents with farm tractors. One possible reason for this could be that farm tractors and motorcycles often use public roads at similar times. Around 80 % of the accidents examined occur during the harvest season from April to October, a period that is also characterized by intensive use of motorized two-wheelers. 

It can be observed that accidents involving MAV most frequently occur when turning-off, turning into/crossing, and in longitudinal traffic. The conflict situation between an MAV turning left and an overtaking vehicle accounts for the largest share at 20 %. Another striking finding is that of the total of 905 claims analyzed, technical defects in the MAV were the cause of 6.6 % of accidents, which is significantly higher than the value known for passenger cars (0.6 %). Frequent defects include defective turn signals and missing contour markings on extra-wide equipment and trailers.  

In order to further reduce the number of accidents and their consequences, accident prevention measures focusing on public road traffic were discussed on the basis of findings from accident occurrence and evaluated in terms of their applicability on the basis of the MAV accident database. These include technical measures such as driver assistance systems, some of which are already known from other vehicle classes, or passive safety devices designed to minimize the risk of injury to other road users involved in a collision. In addition, infrastructural measures can also be considered to increase road safety - examples include improved road markings and dedicated lanes for motorized agricultural vehicles - as well as positive changes in the individual behavior of road users. 

The complete research report is available free of charge in short and long versions here. 

July 2025 

The AZT has compiled an information document on this topic, which is based on detailed investigations, provides comprehensive insights into the effects of paint coatings on radar functionality and describes repair options taking into account vehicle manufacturer requirements and the state of the art. 

Detailed repair procedures for various degrees of damage are presented, with the use of radar-optimised base coats and compliance with the findings compiled by AZT being of central importance. The document covers important topics such as restrictions in radar penetration ranges, requirements for top coats for radar compatibility and other points to be observed that could impair radar transmission. 

We invite all interested parties to familiarise themselves with this document to ensure that repairs to plastic components meet the highest standards and do not impair the functionality of radar sensors. 

The full text of the document is available for download here in German and English. 

July 2025

Large cast parts, which replace significant portions of the multi-material mix in vehicle body construction, are an emerging technology that gained recognition beyond the automotive industry with their use in the Tesla Model Y. These large cast parts are components made of aluminum or steel that traditionally replace vehicle structures made from several to many different parts and materials. This technology, known at Tesla as "Gigacasting," not only reduces the number of components and joining processes, simplifying production processes, but also potentially lowers the vehicle weight. This aspect is particularly crucial for electric vehicles with high-capacity and heavy high-voltage batteries. 

Although the technology is not new, various publications in 2023 predicted a negative impact on insurance premiums. This prompted the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) and Thatcham Research to investigate the actual effects of large cast parts in accident scenarios. 

In the Tesla Model Y, different variants of cast parts are installed. The large cast part in the front of the vehicle body is rarely found in Germany. Initially, a longitudinally split large cast part was installed in the vehicle's rear. Due to advancements in large press technology, a single-piece component could be manufactured and used shortly afterward. The integration of the large cast part in the Model Y suggests that damage to it would only occur in severe accidents, as it is protected by external, load-bearing structures that can convert impact energy into deformation. High-strength pillars and sills, multi-layered side walls, and deformation elements on the bumper cross members form an outer frame around the large cast part. 

To analyze the relevance of the component for insurance losses, a generic study of relevant accident damages from Allianz motor own damage (MOD) collision claims was conducted. In this generic approach only the direction of impact and intrusion depth were assessed, regardless of the actual vehicle. Subsequently, a further study examined liability damages where a Tesla Model Y was involved as the accident opponent. Real damage patterns could be evaluated and analyzed. 

The investigation of MOD and third party liability (TPL) claims revealed that large cast parts are generally rarely affected. In less than 5% of MOD claims, damage to the large cast part would have been expected. However, in a significant portion of the cases, an economic total loss would have occurred even without damage to the large cast part, so only about 1.5% of MOD cases would have been negatively influenced by the damage to the large cast part in this generic approach. Similarly, only 1.3% of real TPL cases involved damage to the large cast part. All these damages could be repaired, and in no case was it necessary to replace the entire large cast part. 

To determine the relevant accident severity at which the large cast part would be damaged to the extent that it would need to be replaced, crash tests were conducted at the British RCAR partner institute "Thatcham Research." These confirmed that large cast parts would rarely need to be replaced after typical impact scenarios and speeds. A significantly higher crash intensity compared to everyday accidents would be required. Additionally, it was shown that damage assessment does not require special procedures, such as those needed for carbon fiber. A body measurement or visual inspection of the large cast part was sufficient to determine either its integrity or damage. 

Contrary to the assumptions of the mentioned publications from 2023, Tesla offers various methods to repair a damaged large cast part. The repair options for large cast parts require special qualifications and equipment, for example, when the aluminum casting needs to be repaired by welding. In accident scenarios, the repair method "longitudinal beam section replacement" has increased relevance. The repair procedure offered by Tesla for the rear longitudinal beam end pieces is comparable to established methods for steel bodies and can be done without welding. Cost analyses show that repairs to the Tesla Model Y in the rear and cargo area are comparable or even cheaper than those for conventionally built vehicles. 

In summary, the study assesses the impact of large cast parts on insurance damage costs as low, provided that such components do not affect the outer vehicle areas and repair solutions and qualified workshops are available. 

The German insurance group rating (Typklasse) of the Tesla Model Y is currently not conspicuous, contrary to the negative predictions.

Juli 2025

The study analysed fully comprehensive collision claims from Allianz Versicherungs AG from the year 2023 and compared 450 claims from purely electric vehicles (BEV) with 450 claims from petrol cars.  

In order to neutralise systemic effects such as vehicle age and vehicle segment, specific vehicle pairs defined by the GDV with conventional and purely electric drive systems were selected and compared with each other. Where possible, older and newer models were also included in order to take account of the further development and wider distribution of assistance systems.

 

The study shows that electric vehicles have higher labour and spare parts costs compared to petrol vehicles, while the painting costs are comparable. A key driver of the higher labour costs for BEVs is the choice of workshop. Electric vehicles are repaired at authorised workshops in 58% of claims, while petrol vehicles are only repaired there in 48% of cases. On the other hand, 32% of electric vehicles go to independent workshops - less often than petrol vehicles (48%). This is relevant because authorised workshops charge around 50% higher hourly rates than independent workshops for the investigated claims, regardless of the drive technology.  

An analysis of the higher spare parts costs for electric vehicles shows that the main influencing factor is the replacement of high-voltage (HV) components - especially the traction battery. For BEVs, HV components account for 7% of total spare parts costs, but for some models this figure can be as high as 20%. As part of the study, comparable drive components such as the catalytic converter and fuel tank were defined for petrol vehicles to improve comparability. However, these only accounted for 1% of the total replacement part costs.  

The high costs for HV components are primarily driven by the high-voltage battery, which is very rarely damaged but can cause very high costs in the event of damage. 

Driver assistance systems also contribute significantly to the cost of spare parts for electric vehicles. ADAS sensors account for 5% of spare parts costs for BEVs, compared to 3% for petrol vehicles. In the case of electric vehicles, at least one ADAS sensor is replaced in 15 % of the claims. The very expensive front radar sensors in particular are replaced more than twice as often in electric vehicles as in petrol cars. However, there are also major differences between the individual models. Depending on the vehicle model, a front radar sensor can cost between €300 and €3,000.  

At the same time, driver assistance systems can successfully prevent accidents. Due to the number of claims analysed and the large number of vehicle models, it is not possible to make clear statements for all assistance systems. However, a trend towards less serious damage in newer, better-equipped vehicles can be identified. This can be seen most clearly with the front emergency braking assist, which clearly leads to fewer rear-end collisions, especially in direct comparison. 

LED headlights are another major cost driver. Headlights account for 7% of the spare parts costs for both vehicle types, which is higher than the proportion accounted for by ADAS sensors. At an average of €1,250 for a headlight, LED headlights are significantly more expensive than halogen headlights at €280. 

To summarise, it can be said that the choice of workshop and rare but expensive damage to the high-voltage battery are the main reasons for the higher damage costs for electric vehicles.  

At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make generalised statements about electric vehicles as product diversity increases. In future, a detailed analysis at model level will be necessary.  

The increasing spread of driver assistance systems and LED headlights will cause spare parts costs to rise further, regardless of the type of drive, although ADAS can also effectively prevent accidents. These findings will help both the AZT and the GDV to better assess future developments in the area of motor vehicle claims.

June 2025

Over the coming months, we will be conducting a comprehensive research into newly launched electric small vehicles and examining them in individual sub-projects based on various criteria. The following vehicles are currently available for testing: Renault 5 E-Tech, Fiat Grande Panda Electric and Hyundai Inster.

 In this project, we aim to generate insights in the following areas and with the corresponding questions:

1.     Crash tests:

• Determination of the extent of damage and repairability
• Differences in the crash management systems of the vehicles

2.     Display and operating concepts:

• Comparative investigation of display and operating concepts with regard to user-friendliness during initial contact, distraction and acceptance
• Conducting user tests in stationary vehicles (initial contact) and while driving (distraction effect)

3.     Driver assistance systems:

• Determining the scope and performance of driver assistance systems with a focus on parking assistance and AEB

4.     High-voltage system:

• Assessment and diagnosis of the high voltage battery
• Differences and possibilities for state of health determination
• Protection of high voltage components against damage from martens and impacts from below
• Repair solutions

5.     Design and repairability:

• Determination, documentation and reporting on critical design and structural features
• Spare part prices, spare part delivery times

6.     Connectivity and IT security:

• Determination of the scope of connectivity, networked functions and integrated peripheral devices
• Function of the locking system, management logic and data storage

7.     In-vehicle data:

• Determination of which devices and to what extent data must be retrieved in order to diagnose the vehicle or analyze event data
• Access to and scope of in-vehicle data storage systems

Through targeted and continuous media relations, we want to make our working methods tangible and explain certain technical processes and complex topics to consumers. The main focus is on how modern vehicles are designed, what their special features are and how these features influence vehicle insurance. We will report regularly on the progress of the project and the results.

April 2025

How distracting are touchscreens in cars? 

In a study conducted at the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT), we found that modern technologies in cars significantly increase distraction. The accident risk due to the use of on-board computers increases by around 50 percent. In a survey, every second participant reported that they were distracted by the on-board computer. One study found that truck drivers need up to 20 seconds to select a song on Spotify, which halves their reaction speed and affects their lane keeping and safety distance. The results are also worrying for car drivers. Using the touchscreen in the car increases reaction time by 57 percent - comparable to using a phone at the wheel, which increases reaction time by 46 percent. 

Why are drivers distracted?  

Distractions arise in different ways. When using touchscreens in the car, the haptic feedback that we are used to from switches and buttons is often missing. This means that you cannot feel whether you have hit the right field, which makes it more difficult to operate while driving. Studies show that fewer errors occur with haptic feedback. 

You also often have to look at the screen twice: Once to find the control panel and again to make sure that you have actually activated the desired function. In contrast, classic control elements such as buttons and switches are easy to feel, and you get immediate feedback as to whether you have selected the right function. Buttons and switches also have the advantage that they are always placed in the same, ergonomically optimized position. This makes operation intuitive and easily accessible. Touch screen elements, on the other hand, can change their position depending on the menu, which makes orientation more difficult. An illustrative example is the volume control on the radio: a rotary knob can be gripped and turned securely and precisely with several fingers, even on uneven roads. The slider on the touchscreen, on the other hand, is often positioned at the bottom edge and offers no fixed hand support, making operation more complicated and less reliable. 

In addition, operating modern touchscreens with gestures such as swiping and zooming requires more attention. At higher speeds or in city traffic, this can lead to errors, as the hand lacks a stable resting point, and the eyes need to focus on the screen. 

Why are touchscreens used in new cars at all? What advantages do they offer? 

Modern cars have so many functions that it is simply no longer practical to provide a separate switch for each one - and to ensure that everything is within easy reach of the driver and visually appealing in the cockpit.  

In luxury vehicles such as the BMW 7 Series or the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the driver can use over 200 different settings and functions. These include everything from comfort and safety to assistance systems and infotainment offerings. Touchscreens offer some clear advantages, most notably their customizability. They are easy to update, and new functions can be added via software updates without having to modify the car itself. 

Another advantage is that a central screen replaces many individual switches and buttons, which saves space in the cockpit and makes the design appear more modern and streamlined. Touchscreens also make it easier to connect to smartphones and other devices, which simplifies access to apps, navigation and media and promotes the use of infotainment systems. 

Finally, costs are an important factor. Even though the development of a touch system can be expensive initially, they are often cheaper in the long run. They require fewer mechanical parts and are easier to manufacture and maintain, as all LCD displays are almost standardized these days. 

Tesla has significantly influenced this trend by being the first automaker to remove almost all physical buttons in the cockpit. Instead, they have shifted most functions to a central screen, with the exception of the hazard light button, which remains on the headliner. 

As a traffic psychologist, what do you recommend to car manufacturers on how to minimize the operating risk associated with touchscreens? 

Touch-based systems do not necessarily have to be more complex or nested than other control concepts. How deep or complicated a menu is depends primarily on the design philosophy, the needs of the user and the type of implementation, and not necessarily on whether it is a touch system. 

To ensure safety on the road, the menu should be designed in such a way that it distracts as little as possible. Large and easy-to-find buttons are helpful, and important functions should be accessible in just a few steps. 

Designers and developers should take care to make frequently used functions easily accessible, while less important options can be placed in submenus to keep the user interface clear. 

It is also important that all submenus are structured consistently so that drivers do not have to reorient themselves every time they open a different menu. 

Is voice control a viable alternative or does it lead to even more frustration? 

Voice control and touchscreens in the car each have advantages and disadvantages, and their suitability depends heavily on the context. Many people are already familiar with smartphones and can therefore use this technology intuitively. 

Here at the Allianz Center for Technology, we believe it makes sense to use both voice control and touchscreens. Voice control can be the main method, while touchscreens can be used as a support or for specific tasks.  

The advantage of voice control is that you can operate the car without having to take your hands off the steering wheel or your eyes off the road. This helps to minimize distractions and the risk of accidents. 

Complex commands such as “Navigate to the nearest gas station” or “Play podcast XY” can be carried out much faster than navigating through complicated menus. 

Voice control is also particularly helpful for people with motor impairments or when there are strong vibrations, for example on uneven roads, as it often works more reliably than conventional controls. 

Using a touchscreen can be more precise, as it offers direct and visual control. This is particularly practical when you want to select a specific song from a playlist or adjust the seat heating. Touchscreens are also ideal for displaying complex menus and graphical representations such as maps or energy consumption statistics. 

Is it correct that the issue of cell phone use while driving is given much more attention in the media than integrated touchscreens? Is this unjustified? 

Yes, it's true that the use of cell phones behind while driving receives more attention than touchscreens in cars. The reason for this is that smartphones are particularly dangerous because drivers take their eyes completely off the road to read messages or use apps. This can cause serious safety issues. 

Touchscreens in cars are usually designed to be less distracting. They often have larger and easy-to-use buttons that are specifically made for in-vehicle use. 

The intense focus on cell phone use has historical and legal reasons, while the issue of touchscreens is still relatively new. Both distract the driver, but so far society and politics have focused more on cell phones. As the dangers of touchscreens become increasingly recognized, it is likely that stricter regulations will soon be introduced for them as well. 

What are your most important demands as a traffic psychologist to vehicle manufacturers regarding how a safe cockpit should be designed? 

At the Allianz Center for Technology, we demand that there should always be haptic controls for central driving functions such as lights or windscreen wipers. These essential elements should always be found in the same location, regardless of the car model. And they must always be quick and easy to operate. Imagine you are driving a rental car, it starts pouring rain and you first have to find the windshield wiper on the touchscreen ...  

The full text of our distraction study (only in German language) with detailed results can be found here.

April 2025

Especially with compact cars, transporting the wheels to change the tyres poses a greater challenge, as the wheels cannot be transported lying down in the boot for space reasons. In many cases, the wheels are therefore placed upright next to each other in the load compartment and the rear seat is released in its lock, as otherwise the tailgate cannot be closed.

As practical as this procedure is, however, it can also be dangerous: The rear bench can fall over and the wheels roll against or between the front seats even in the event of minor unevenness or braking. This is not only an enormous distraction for the driver, it also increases the risk of injury. To illustrate this, the AZT showed recordings of a normal ride as well as of a crash test. You can see the results in the video at the end of the page.

The transport of unsecured wheels inside a passenger car can not only be dangerous but may also not comply with the legal requirements in your country. At least for your own safety the goods in a vehicle must be secured in such a way that they can’t slip, fall over, roll back and forth or fall down even in the event of emergency braking or sudden evasive movement. The approved technical rules must be obeyed.

 The following points must therefore be observed when transporting wheels in passenger cars:

Either you place the wheels in the hold and lash them individually or you place them upright next to each other in the hold and pull a lashing strap through the lashing eyes of the vehicle and centrally through the rims.

The securing must be carried out with suitable lashing straps (GS symbol, undamaged, sufficient tensile force).

The maximum tensile force of the belts is given in daN (decanewton). As a rule of thumb, the value of the tensile force in daN should be 25 times higher than the mass of the load in kg. An example of the lashing of four wheels: Depending on tyre size and rim, the weight of a car wheel is between approx. 15 and 25 kg. The maximum tractive force of the belt should therefore be at least 1500 daN (= 4 x 15 x 25).

Single wheels can also be stowed in the footwell behind the passenger seat, but only if the passenger seat remains unoccupied.

In the event of an accident, the seat belts on the unoccupied rear seat can stabilize the backrest in such a way that the wheels in the hold do not additionally endanger the front passengers.

 If these rules are followed, it can be best ensured that the wheels do not injure the vehicle occupants in the event of a rear-end collision.

April 2025

How does the paint get on the car? What do I tell someone who doesn't understand why seat belts are so important in a car? ​And why can I dare to choose mathematics as an advanced course in school and later a technical profession?​

​

Our 17 young visitors were able to discuss all this and much more with our colleagues Stefanie van den Bergh ( Managing Director of  AZT), Melanie Ostermeier (expert for vehicle painting), Natallia Dziamchuk (expert for vehicle IT security) and Melanie Kreutner (head of the crash facility) on Girls' Day at AZT on April 3, 2025. They discussed life plans and dreams, painted vehicle parts, explored AZT in all its facets, visited the dummies on the crash track and experienced live what modern vehicles are now capable of. ​

​

It was great to see how open the girls were to our technical topics, how actively they took part in the discussions and how enthusiastically they followed our demonstrations. We were also able to take away many positive impressions from the day and are certain that there is no reason why girls cannot be inspired for technical professions, as they are definitely open and willing to do so!​

​

Many thanks to everyone involved in the organization of the event and, above all, many thanks to all participants for their interest in  AZT and the great exchange!​

​We will definitely be back for the next Girls' Day! ​

​​

The following movie shows some scenes of this special day:​

March 2025

The previous results of the comparison between repair and replacement of damaged parts were supplemented by an analysis of the use of used spare parts from the point of view of CO2e* consumption, including the associated influencing factors such as the transport of spare parts to the place of use or additional work steps for their handling.

The study shows impressively that CO2e* emissions are lowest for the repair and increase incrementally for each alternative (replacement with a used or new part), and drastically for new parts (see graphic above).

The most important conclusions of the study can be summarized as follows:

(1) Repair is always the preferred procedure.

(2) If repair is not feasible for technical and/or economic reasons, then used spare parts are the next best alternative.

(3) The CO2e* footprint for a repair with new parts is about 20 percent higher than for a refurbishment, and the CO2e* footprint for a new part is more than 200 percent higher (for the repair example of a front door on the VW ID.3).

(4) Transport, cleaning and storage have a significantly lower impact on the CO2e footprint, even for remanufactured spare parts. In the case of a combination of bumper panel, headlight, bonnet and front door, this accounts for only around 5 percent of the total CO2e footprint in the example of the VW ID.3.

A summary of this current study with detailed results of the investigations can be downloaded here.

*CO2e = CO2 equivalents

March 2025

Our studies aim to verify the AZT Paint Calculation System, which has become the leading manufacturer-independent international standard for calculating paintwork since its introduction in 1977, by means of detailed time and material studies, and to align it with the current state of paintwork technology and the current requirements in workshops. 

To this end, our project team, consisting of experienced paint and REFA experts, examines repair times and material consumption according to established industry and trade standards in the context of accident repairs. 

(1) Implementation of the studies 

The time and material studies were carried out between 2019 and 2023 both at AZT and in external workshops. All the necessary work steps, including material consumption on metal and plastic components, were recorded and evaluated under real conditions. This creates a reliable and representative database. In doing so, we were able to gain valuable data from practical experience. 

(2) Findings and first insights into the product update 

The studies conducted and data sets collected so far have shown that certain work steps and repair processes vary greatly and depend to a large extent on the specific component. Depending on the type of vehicle painting, its surface finish, the type and severity of the damage, and the condition in which it is delivered, as well as a number of other criteria relating to the component that has been damaged and is to be painted, different technical and professional repair measures are required. These findings have led to the AZT Paint Calculation System being adapted or expanded in some areas in the future. 

Among other things, further refinishing paint stages have been derived and new AZT additional items have been created that can be added to the calculation at both the component and order level. 

Several technical discussions with the owners and painting experts from the painting companies and the paint industry confirm the necessity of the extensions. 

(3) Challenges 

The scope of the necessary changes in the claims calculation systems to adequately reflect the revised structure and logic has proven to be more complex than originally assumed. We have found that the IT systems on the side of the system providers have to cover significantly more functionalities, which makes the update process considerably more complex. To overcome these challenges, we are in close contact with our partners and are continuously working on the necessary solutions. 

(4) Next steps 

We are currently working on a further analysis of the data collected so far and on converting the results into specific recommendations. In order to better understand the differences between the previous and the future calculation logic, test calculations have been carried out for comparison purposes and we are currently evaluating these tests. 

At the same time, we are working intensively on the new system description and additional product information and training materials to provide users with the best possible documentation when the product update is launched. 

As soon as the calculation providers offer the update in the respective IT systems, link it to the damage assessment and thus make it available in the system, a pilot phase will take place in a German-speaking country. During the pilot phase, we will evaluate the first results from the field in detail and use them to determine whether and which further adjustments may be necessary. 

A comprehensive update of the AZT Paint Calculation System depends both on the progress made in addressing the above-mentioned challenges and on the results of the pilot phase. As things stand, we expect that a cross-border international rollout can be successfully completed in 2027. 

A well-thought-out and coherent integration into the claims calculation systems, which best reflects practical requirements, is our top priority and should also be in the interest of all users. 

Our goal is to continue to offer our customers and the entire automotive collision repair industry a best-in-class, OEM-independent, and area-based calculation methodology for a well-founded estimation of the required labor time and paint material costs using state-of-the-art technology. 

We therefore ask for your understanding regarding the time required for the introduction of the product update and thank all our partners for their intensive support. We look forward to continuing our successful cooperation. 

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

February 2025

In collaboration with Messring GmbH, the Institute of Legal Medicine (Biomechanics and Accident Research) at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich and the other partners Continental and Embedded AI, a study was conducted at AZT to validate child detection systems in vehicles.

Every year, children tragically lose their lives due to heatstroke in cars. In the vast majority of cases, the children are simply forgotten in the car. The drastic increase in interior temperature when a car is exposed to the sun can quickly lead to life-threatening situations.

These are accidents that must be prevented at all costs!

Vehicle manufacturers, consumer organizations and government agencies have recognized that action must be taken. One of the cornerstones of the prevention concepts is the use of various sensors in the vehicle to detect the presence of children and then trigger the warning cascade. To validate the sensors, simulation systems in the form of test dummies are used. To ensure that these provide a usable test result, the systems must in turn be validated with real test subjects. To date, however, there has been a lack of data from real test subjects to understand what children's sensor signatures look like and what reflection can be expected from the dummies.

In order to close this gap and to gain initial experience with children inside and outside of a vehicle with different sensors in different positions and types of action in relation to simulation systems, a series of tests was carried out at AZT with real test persons. AZT provided the optimal infrastructure for the tests and ensured a pleasant environment for all guests, young and old.

The evaluations of the tests are still ongoing. However, a first look at the data showed that the test persons, all between a few months and 6 years old, were detected by the sensors after just a few seconds, whether they were sleeping or moving. Important data on the radar reflectivity and breathing amplitudes of the children could be collected to optimize the corresponding surrogates. The results will be incorporated into the test procedures and evaluation criteria of consumer protection, e.g. EURO NCAP. The warning that a child has been left in a vehicle can be issued quickly via an installed app, via acoustic and optical warning signals from the vehicle, and finally via an emergency call automatically placed from the car.

We are pleased to be part of this important initiative and to have been able to contribute to better prevention!

February 2025

For 20 years, GirlsDay, and now also BoysDay, have been campaigning for stereotype-free study and career choices, and we at AZT also know from experience that women are also successful in technical and skilled trades professions.

That is why we are delighted to be one of the hosts of GirlsDay this year on April 3, 2025. On this day, we will open our doors to girls between the ages of 12 and 17 who are interested in technical professions. We give visitors the opportunity to accompany our AZT colleagues Melanie Kreutner, Natallia Dziamchuk and  Melanie Ostermeier as well as other colleagues live at work and experience for themselves what you can do in the workshop, painting and on the crash track. We want to show how diverse technical professions can be.

We are looking forward to GirlsDay and hope to arouse interest in technical professions and contribute to more freedom from stereotypes in study and career choices.

January 2025

Now, Allianz and the German Bobsleigh, Luge, and Skeleton Federation (BSD) are working together to better protect bobsleigh pilots. The newly developed Allianz Safety Sled is equipped with the latest sensor technology and, since January 4, 2025, has been providing up-to-date data from the ice track to help pilots better assess conditions. The safety sled will be used this season at various world cups as a forerunner before the races and will use its sensors and an on-board camera to collect comprehensive track data to analyze the ice conditions on race days. The data obtained provides valuable insights into the track conditions and critical areas and is shared with pilots from all associations immediately after the run, so that the athletes can prepare optimally for the track.   

In a further step, the focus this year will be on protecting the bobsleigh occupants. The AZT has a central role here and will support the BSD in an advisory capacity by transferring our experience in improving occupant safety in the automotive sector to bobsleigh construction – a similar approach that has already been followed in a previous collaboration between Formula 1 and AZT.​
​

“As the world's largest insurer, safety is a key focus for Allianz. It was therefore an obvious step for us to support the BSD in this area and to advise on safety issues in exchange with the AZT experts,” says Ralf Schreck, Global Lead Olympic and Paralympic Activations at Allianz SE.​
​

Carsten Reinkemeyer, head of safety research at AZT, on the involvement in bobsleighing: “We discussed initial ideas with the BSD for improving passenger safety in the bobsleigh. The aim is to transfer the ‘findings from the car’ to the bobsleigh as far as possible. Among other things, this involves improving the safety structure of the bobsleigh, making design changes such as implementing a “halo system” that protects the occupants in the event of the bobsleigh tipping over, and devices that enable braking of a fallen bobsleigh.”​

​

The press release on this cooperation can be viewed here: Allianz | Allianz and BSD launch partnership to improve safety in bobsleighing​

​

A video of the first use of the Allianz Safety Sled during the world cup weekend in Winterberg on January 4-5, 2025 can be seen here (only available in german language): 

December 2024

A year full of topics, projects and events related to our overarching goal: a safe, sustainable and affordable mobility. To this end, we crashed vehicles, trained experts, developed ideas and initiated projects, actively collaborated with our partners and customers, planned and carried out events and engaged with the press and public.

We were only able to accomplish this wide range of activities thanks to the excellent cooperation with our partners and customers and the great commitment of all AZT colleagues. We would therefore like to thank everyone involved! We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and look forward to continuing our good cooperation in 2025!

December 2024

As of now, we want to focus more on learning content that conveys central AZT topics in a compact and innovative way, and we are pleased to present our latest offer in this area: the AZT Learning Nuggets. These are short explanatory films on various topics that we are regularly asked about or that are particularly topical. Whether you are interested in the latest trends in automotive technology or have specific questions about AZT topics and projects, our Learning Nuggets provide you with the answers. The first content is already available, with more to follow very soon. Follow the link to our YouTube channel, be inspired and expand your knowledge in an entertaining way!​

AZT Wissensnuggets auf Youtube

​

November 2024

We are often asked what the AZT actually does and what our goals are. For a company with a history of over 50 years and many topics, this is not so easy to get to the point. We tried anyway and are pleased to present some exciting news: Our brand new explanatory video is here! Immerse yourself in the diverse world of AZT and discover what makes our company so unique.​
​

From innovative research projects and state-of-the-art technologies to our contributions to safety and sustainability in the automotive sector - the film offers you a comprehensive insight into our work and vision.​
​

We don't want to give any more away. Just click on the link below. We hope you enjoy watching it!​

​

October 2024

Around 40 percent of fatal road accidents in Europe occur in urban areas. In Germany, 80 percent of the victims in urban areas are pedestrians and cyclists. Heavy vehicles such as trucks and vans pose a major risk to these vulnerable road users and too many people are still injured or killed on the roads. A lot still needs to be done to achieve the goal of “Vision Zero”. ​

For this reason, the topic of the 12th Allianz Motor Day was “Big versus small - how to better protect vulnerable groups in urban traffic.” Among other things, the AZT presented the latest figures from accident research and an international survey on the subject. One of the key findings was that around a third of all accidents between trucks and vulnerable road users that were investigated could be prevented by already known and established technical improvements - for example by an actively intervening emergency brake assistant in trucks or by an improved line of sight for truck drivers.​

At the 12th Allianz Motor Day, Allianz made three specific demands to car manufacturers and legislators to better protect vulnerable groups in urban traffic:​

1. The safety equipment of vans and trucks must exceed the current legal standard. At least, vans should have the same safety systems as new passenger cars since they are using the same highly frequented urban roads. Truck manufacturers should make full use of the innovations already available to help prevent accidents. These include maneuvering windows, lowered cabs, and automatic emergency braking systems when turning. ​

2. Allianz advocates a Europe-wide harmonization of requirements and calls on the EU legislators to further improve current regulations. For all new trucks, advanced driver assistance systems to prevent turning accidents should be made mandatory as soon as possible. Warning systems, as currently required by law, are not enough. Active braking systems that detect road users in the blind spot and immediately initiate emergency braking should be mandatory. And these systems must always be switched on. ​

3. Comprehensive data-sharing as intended in the EU Data Act is needed: if Allianz, as an insurer, knows which safety systems are installed and activated in trucks and vans, Allianz can set risk-based rates and incentives.  ​

​

A live recording of the event and accompanying material (including speeches by the participating Allianz board members and press releases on the topic) can be accessed via the following link: 12th Allianz Motor Day - Live and Digital! (techcast.cloud)​

We also had Adam from SkylineTv on board this year, who accompanied the event in his Twitch live stream and provided interesting insights behind the scenes: Allianz Autotag 2024 - von Crashbahn bis LKW?-Sicherheitstechnik, die ?Leben retten kann !allianz #Werbung - Twitch

​

August 2024

The so-called State of Health (SoH) of a car’s high-voltage battery is a parameter that interests many stakeholders - the industry, body shops, insurers and of course the car owners and which is clearly more decisive than mileage. 

All batteries age over time and by usage, but not all batteries are affected in the same way, the type of chemistry as well as charging and discharging parameters affect the ageing of a vehicle’s traction battery. 

Unfortunately vehicle owners typically do not have access to information on their battery’s SoH from the onboard information system. Still worse, there is no common understanding which data is relevant for SoH and no standardised measurement method is established. However, in Europe a raising number of third-party providers offer measuring tools and “certificates” to document battery health. 

In a first assessment AZT evaluated what the current providers for SoH-testing are capable of, based on a benchmark test. We chose 4 providers and 10 cars to make 30 test runs in total. The effort for the test varied from about 15 minutes to a full charge and discharge, taking rather days than hours. 

The results showed cases, where the battery allegedly scored over 100%, then there were cases with considerable health degradation. In one case the difference between the providers was as high as 10%. 

Since there is no common standard for determining the SoH, the rating methods are different and might explain the spread of results. In fact, some providers only consider the capacity, others factor in the internal resistance, which seems more reasonable. 

AZT’s most important but trivial finding is, that a common definition of an EV’s battery health is dearly needed in the interest of our customers. The spread of results as well as the delivered technical background is insufficient today and AZT will continue to communicate this unsatisfying situation towards the industry.  

June 2024

The car corso has been an issue for many years, especially in larger cities. Of course, celebrating is and should be allowed, but sitting in and leaning out of the windows is dangerous. The AZT once recreated a car corso scene in a crash test and showed the effects of a collision at 25 km/h. 

April 2024

Especially with compact cars, transporting the wheels to change the tyres poses a greater challenge, as the wheels cannot be transported lying down in the boot for space reasons. In many cases, the wheels are therefore placed upright next to each other in the load compartment and the rear seat is released in its lock, as otherwise the tailgate cannot be closed.

As practical as this procedure is, however, it can also be dangerous: The rear bench can fall over and the wheels roll against or between the front seats even in the event of minor unevenness or braking. This is not only an enormous distraction for the driver, it also increases the risk of injury. To illustrate this, the AZT showed recordings of a normal ride as well as of a crash test. You can see the results in the video at the end of the page.

The transport of unsecured wheels inside a passenger car can not only be dangerous but may also not comply with the legal requirements in your country. At least for your own safety the goods in a vehicle must be secured in such a way that they can’t slip, fall over, roll back and forth or fall down even in the event of emergency braking or sudden evasive movement. The approved technical rules must be obeyed.

 The following points must therefore be observed when transporting wheels in passenger cars:

Either you place the wheels in the hold and lash them individually or you place them upright next to each other in the hold and pull a lashing strap through the lashing eyes of the vehicle and centrally through the rims.

The securing must be carried out with suitable lashing straps (GS symbol, undamaged, sufficient tensile force).

The maximum tensile force of the belts is given in daN (decanewton). As a rule of thumb, the value of the tensile force in daN should be 25 times higher than the mass of the load in kg. An example of the lashing of four wheels: Depending on tyre size and rim, the weight of a car wheel is between approx. 15 and 25 kg. The maximum tractive force of the belt should therefore be at least 1500 daN (= 4 x 15 x 25).

Single wheels can also be stowed in the footwell behind the passenger seat, but only if the passenger seat remains unoccupied.

In the event of an accident, the seat belts on the unoccupied rear seat can stabilize the backrest in such a way that the wheels in the hold do not additionally endanger the front passengers.

 If these rules are followed, it can be best ensured that the wheels do not injure the vehicle occupants in the event of a rear-end collision.
 

January 2024

The history of AZT's management shows that innovative thinking and continuity are not a contradiction in terms. In the 52 years of the company's existence, Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser was only the third Managing Director of the AZT after AZT founder Prof. Dr. Max Danner (Managing Director AZT from 1971 to 1992) and his successor Prof. Dr. Dieter Anselm (Managing Director AZT from 1993 to 2007) and has very successfully managed the Allianz research centre since 2007. 

He continued important topics in the AZT such as repair research, crash tests and the AZT paint calculation system and took up new aspects in the dynamic field of automotive technology such as assisted driving, electromobility or IT security in vehicles and continuously developed these further together with the AZT team. In addition, Christoph Lauterwasser always wanted AZT to be an integral part of the automotive and repair industry and to advance the various issues wherever possible in dialogue with industry partners and to share expert knowledge. During his time in office, road safety issues were also regularly addressed in public and corresponding exchange formats such as the Allianz Autotag were established. 

As already announced at the 11th Allianz Motor Day, Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, who will remain part of the AZT team until the end of April 2024, will now officially hand over the baton to his successor Dr. Christian Sahr with effect from January 1st 2024. As mechanical engineering graduate specialising in automotive engineering, he completed his doctorate in the field of vehicle body development and most recently spent several years heading up the vehicle business unit at FEV Europe GmbH, a leading global engineering service provider in vehicle and powertrain development and digital mobility. "In Christian Sahr, we have found a very good successor for the management of AZT, who has the relevant expertise and industry knowledge. I wish him and the entire AZT team all the best and every success for the tasks ahead," said Christoph Lauterwasser to his successor. Christian Sahr has already been part of AZT for six months and has been able to gain a good overview of his future field of activity. "I am joining a very well organised team. I would like to thank you for the warm welcome and look forward to continuing and further developing the AZT's topics together with the employees, customers and partners." 

At the same time, the management of AZT is becoming more diverse: Dr. Stefanie van den Bergh, Head of Central Functions in the Claims Division of Allianz Versicherungs-AG, is taking on the role of the second AZT Managing Director. Stefanie van den Bergh replaces Christopher Iwanowski, who has taken on the role of Chief General Manager Transformation at Allianz Australia. "I would like to thank Christoph Lauterwasser for his fantastic work for and with AZT over the last 16 years. He has continuously expanded and improved AZT's pioneering role in mobility research. And I am very much looking forward to the coming years of collaboration and further development of the AZT with Christian Sahr," said Stefanie van den Bergh.

There will be a press conference for interested journalists on the change in AZT management on February 7. We will report on this accordingly. If you are interested, please contact florian.kitzmann@allianz.de. 

December 2023

An eventful year lies behind us, in which we have once again worked on many exciting projects and new ideas. Among other things, we have conducted various crash projects, driven forward the further development of the AZT paint calculation system, published various studies on road safety, repair costs and other topics, investigated new issues together with our working students, held various trainings and press events and also modernised our company building.

We were only able to realise this wide range of topics thanks to the excellent cooperation with our partners and customers and the great commitment of all AZT colleagues.

We would like to thank everyone involved and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

December 2023

For this reason, the AZT investigated two questions: 

1. what is the protection potential of the vehicle seats in these vehicles in light rear-end collisions? 

2. how high are the damages of these vehicles compared to traditional manufacturers on the German market? 

Despite good seats with a high protection potential, an above-average deformation after the accident can cause the impact-induced change in speed to be calculated too high by the expert and thus the risk of injury for the occupants to be assessed as too high.

RCAR, community of insurance-related research centers, established, among other things, uniform crash tests for risk assessment of new vehicle models and the International Insurers Whiplash Prevention Group (IIWPG). AZT Automotive GmbH (AZT) has been a very active part of this community from the beginning. In collaboration with other insurers, physicians, biomechanics, engineers and universities, a special rear impact dummy, the BioRID II, was developed and a dynamic test with appropriate evaluation criteria for seat structures was introduced in 2004

Since then, the protection potential of vehicle seats in Europe has steadily increased. However, with the increasing prosperity in the Asian region, the issue and the handling of neck distortion claims has also come to the fore in the countries there. But the topic is also becoming interesting again in the European market, as more and more new and especially Chinese vehicle manufacturers are entering the markets. This raises the questions of what protection potential their vehicle seats offer and what deformation behavior the models exhibit in light rear impacts.

The AZT had the opportunity to test the protection potential of driver seats with a BioRID II as well as the structural behavior of the vehicle body in some of these new-brand models as part of the tests for the German type class rating and to compare them with the values of the established manufacturers in Europe. The result is presented in anonymized form.  The Paper is available here.

The RCAR-IIWPG has also published a paper summarizing the research and results to date on international whiplash research. According to this paper, a calculation of the impact-induced change of velocity (delta-v) based on the damage patterns remains one of the bases for a plausibility check of claims. 

This raises the need to analyze whether new vehicle models show different damage patterns than would be expected from previous experience at a given speed. 

December 2023

On one hand repairability is strongly influencing the sustainability of the technology, on the other hand it is driving cost of ownership and therefore attractiveness of buying EVs. 

To address those challenges the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) has created this position paper. 

Based on our claims experience, we give recommendations on how to avoid expensive damages, e.g. by better protecting the high-voltage-battery against underside damage.  

Second, in case of a damage, we line out how to improve repairability, for example by adjusting the battery design or improving access to battery data. 

We hope this paper starts the discussion on the topic and as a result leads to more sustainable claims repair.

November 2023

Since its foundation in 1971, the AZT has contributed with many studies and active public relations to ensuring that safety-related topics are discussed in the media worldwide and fostered in the industry. There are many examples of this, including the various road safety campaigns and reports for different target groups (e.g. road safety education for children or reports on distracted driving), public discussions at the annual Allianz Motor Day and, last but not least, current research in the field of sustainability with the published studies on "Repair vs. Replace".

Automated driving has long been part of AZT's research and here, too, we are keen to foster public awareness and education about the potential of automated vehicles. As a member of PAVE Europe, we can now pursue this goal together with many different partners. "The Allianz Center for Technology has been working on the topic of automated vehicles for a decade. We are pleased to be part of PAVE Europe and contribute to the goal of raising public awareness of automated vehicles. In cooperation with other partners within PAVE Europe, we would like to integrate our experience from various projects and studies related to safety and insurability”, says Christian Sahr, Managing Director at Allianz Center for Technology as of

January 01, 2024.

PAVE is a coalition of industry, nonprofits, and academics with one goal: To bring the conversation about automated vehicles  to the public so everyone can play a role in shaping our future. PAVE’s goal is purely educational, and not to advocate for a particular technology or specific public policies. The members believe that the potential benefits of driverless technology can only be achieved if the public and policymakers know the facts. PAVE wants to raise public awareness of both what is on the roads today and what is possible for the future.

 The official press release on AZT's accession is available here:

Allianz Center of Technology is New Member of PAVE Europe | PAVE Campaign

October 2023

The study builds on the report "Repair versus Replace" published earlier this year and extends the results on the VolkswagenID.3 with analyses on its combustion engine counterpart, the Golf VIII.

The AZT not only acted as a contact partner for technical details and methodological issues in life cycle analysis (LCA), but was also able to offer the students exciting insights into the fields of accident research, e-mobility and sustainability on site.

The main finding of the study is that the ecological footprint of a repair does not differ, or only slightly, between e-vehicles and combustion engines for a large part of the damage. This is especially true for parts of the outer body shell, with minor differences mostly due to different part dimensions caused by different designs. Damage to the high-voltage battery of e-vehicles turned out to be critical, which was analysed using underbody damage of varying severity as an example. If the battery is damaged so severely that it has to be partially or even completely replaced, this results in massive costs on both the ecological and the monetary side - also in direct comparison to the combustion engine.

Details on the study and the results can be found here.

October 2023

What data does my car store? Who has access to it? What are the risks involved? And what benefits do I actually have as a consumer when I share my vehicle data? These are all relevant questions that are becoming even more important because of the recently passed EU Data Act and these questions have been discussed at the 11th Allianz Autotag at AZT.

As already established in previous years, the Allianz Motor Day again took place as a combination of on-site event at AZT and an online stream. In the first part, which was mainly aimed at the audience in Germany, Frank Sommerfeld (CEO of Allianz Versicherungs-AG) first presented the issues facing car drivers in connection with vehicle data and the role battery data plays in determining the value of an electric vehicle. He also discussed the results of the current Allianz consumer survey on the subject of vehicle data.

Lucie Bakker (Chief Claims Officer at Allianz-Versicherungs-AG) and Christoph Lauterwasser (Managing Director AZT) then presented the potential of using vehicle data for fast and customer-oriented claims processes. Natallia Dziamchuk (expert for IT security at AZT) explained to the audience what opportunities and risks arise from the use of the smartphone as a car key (virtual key) and AZT demonstrated this use case as a live demo.

After a short break, Claudia Bechstein, the moderator of the event, opened the second, international part of the event. In a keynote speech, Klaus-Peter Röhler (Member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE) explained the importance of the EU Data Act for the handling of vehicle data and its future significance for consumers and companies. In the following panel discussion, the main topic of the event "Car Data - My Decision?" was discussed by various experts from the automotive, regulatory and insurance sectors.

September 2023

Exciting topics are on the agenda again this year - this time the focus is on how we as a society want to shape the future around the handling of vehicle data. The Data Act, which has just been passed by the EU, provides a new regulatory framework for handling data throughout Europe. What potential impact does the Act have on the data landscape, what courses of action does it open or close for the handling of data in vehicles across the entire value chain, from manufacturers to insurers to after-market providers? And what does it mean for consumers?​

These questions will be the focus of the 11th Allianz Motor Day on 17 October 2023 from 10 am to 1 pm.​

From 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., we will present the results of our Europe-wide customer survey on the storage and use of vehicle data. What data does the vehicle key alone store? We will show this in a live demonstration. We will also shed light on the possibilities of battery repairs for electric vehicles and what role the battery plays in damage and the value of the vehicle. An exhibition in the outdoor area of the AZT and live demonstrations will give concrete impressions from practice.  ​

After a short break, we will expand our view to the European market from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and turn to the current topic of "Car Data - My Decision?" in a panel of experts. ​

Interested press representatives will have the opportunity to follow the event on site or via online stream and to address their questions personally or via live chat to the experts present. If you are interested, please contact azt@allianz.de.​

May 2023

The current study on distracted driving, which was compiled at  AZT by Dr. Jörg Kubitzki, not only shows that driver distraction due to modern technology has increased significantly, but also impressively proves that too many drivers are not aware of the legal requirements for using electronic devices and assistance functions in vehicles. Allianz therefore demands that, in addition to the distraction risks posed by smartphones, navigation systems and the like, knowledge of legal regulations and the threat of penalties be communicated more clearly than has been the case to date. ​

​

The key findings of the study on this topic are:​

 • Nine out of ten drivers do not know the amount of fines for violations of the mobile phone paragraph​

 • 29 percent believe that prolonged distraction from the road is permissible ​

 • 13 percent believe that the mobile phone ban does not apply when using traffic jam or highway assistants - 7 percent consider short sleep to be possible​

​

These and other results are included in the current Allianz press release (only in German language). ​

​

April 2023

The proper and professional refinishing of vehicles is associated with various challenges. A new document from the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair (Deutsche Kommission für Lack und Karosserieinstandsetzung) is intended to support communication between those involved in the repair process with detailed insights into the technology and to lead to better mutual understanding with more transparency.

In the case of vehicle components and areas that have no direct demarcation and whose surfaces merge into neighbouring components without separating elements, there are often controversial discussions about the necessity of continuous surface painting of the entire lateral roof frame (roof bar), especially in the case of rear side wall repairs.

Some people are of the opinion that the fading out painting process is not proper and professional. The argument is that sooner or later there will be a visible paint transition due to paint chipping edges, loss of gloss and/or paint flaking, and therefore the paint surfaces of all interlocking body components must always be painted over the entire surface. In other cases, however, even direct visible surfaces (e.g. the side roof rail) can be "painted" and the transition polished without concern.

In order to find a technically sound approach to this discussion, the jointly supported document on the fading out painting process in the case of repairs was drawn up under the leadership of AZT, together with representatives of vehicle manufacturers, bodywork and paint associations, experts and insurance companies.

The document of the German Commission for Paint and Body Repair (Deutsche Kommission für Lack und Karosserieinstandsetzung) unanimously adopted on 07 March 2023 on the craftsman's refinishing of components without clear demarcation by separating elements by means of the fading out painting process is available here in German and English (and in the download area). On the one hand, it deals with the technology and boundary conditions as well as decision criteria for or against the fading out painting process and on the other hand, it lists practical examples as well as other aspects.

April 2023

The number of total car thefts in Germany has fallen from 105,500 permanently missing insured vehicles in 1993 to less than 20,000 stolen vehicles a year today, despite a steady growth the number of vehicles on the road. One of the main reasons is the electronic immobilizer, which prevents an unauthorized engine start or at least delays it for some time. This delay is a deterrent in many cases, because a theft has to happen quickly or the attempt will be abandoned.

As a result of the massive increase in total thefts following German reunification and the opening of the borders, the first requirements for an electronic immobilizer were developed at the Allianz Center for Technology in 1997 and implemented in new vehicle models by the automotive industry. A key feature of these immobilizers was that they are automatically armed and disarmed so that the driver cannot forget any necessary operating step. Since 2007, an electronic immobilizer has been part of the homologation of new vehicle models and is therefore present throughout Europe.

The latest developments in the automotive industry are transforming vehicles into connected systems with entirely new possibilities not only for services, but also for innovative functions such as the key in the smartphone. Connectivity also creates new access points for thieves to get into cars. However, networking also offers new protection options for security, i.e. authorization of security-relevant settings.

In order to minimize the risks arising from connectivity and to exploit the protection benefits, the Allianz Center for Technology has not replaced the requirements for electronic immobilizers that have been in force since 2007, but has supplemented them with requirements adapted to the new technologies. This practice takes into account the currently heterogeneous development statuses of new models.

These requirements are formulated in a technology-open manner as guidelines. They focus in particular on the forensic needs after a theft in order to support the vehicle owner in his claim with objective data and to enable the insurance company to process claims based on facts

The document is available here and in the download area.

March 2023

What are the requirements for a successful transformation of transport? What are the challenges in converting private and commercial fleets to e-mobility? And what current problems arise from strained international supply chains?​

These questions were discussed by Gabriele Gerdau, an expert on international supply chains, Stefan Gerwens, Head of Transport at ADAC, and Christoph Lauterwasser from AZT at the "Business Talk am Kudamm".​

March 2023

At the 10th Allianz Motor Day last October, we presented the potential savings associated with green repair methods in terms of money and CO2 equivalent. ​

 The underlying approach was to compare a repair with a spare parts replacement in vehicle repair. In the case of the VW ID.3, repairing the headlight versus installing a new part reduces costs by almost 1,000 euros, and CO2 equivalent emissions are reduced by 98 percent - and that is just one of various examples. "If the repair rate in Germany were to be increased by just two percentage points, around 5,000 tons of CO2 could be saved, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 860 German households," said Christoph Lauterwasser, Managing Director of AZT Automotive GmbH at the press event.​

 The international study "Repair or Replace", on which the event is based and which was prepared by AZT together with Allianz SE and partners Metsims Sustainability Consulting and Oakdene Hollins, has now been published. The examples already presented at Allianz Motor Day are supplemented in the comprehensive report by the investigation for further components of the VW ID.3 as well as by a country comparison. These analyses prove once again that repairing a damaged vehicle part is the more climate-friendly option compared to a spare parts replacement - in all the countries considered and also if the body shop carrying out the repair is already working sustainably.​

The full text of the study is available here and can be found in the download area. 

March 2023

"Engaging with the smartphone while driving has become the norm. At the same time, the distraction possibilities in today's vehicles continue to increase," says Lucie Bakker, Chief Claims Officer and Member of the Board of Management at Allianz Versicherungs-AG. "The core of the problem is that many drivers are aware of the danger, but they do not transfer this insight to their everyday driving. This is fatal. We must not accept distracted driving  as a socially accepted habit!"​

According to the German Federal Statistical Office, 8233 people were injured in accidents in which distraction played a role in 2021, and 117 died, which is approximately five percent of all fatalities (2562). These figures make it clear that distraction is still a major hazard factor. Jörg Kubitzki from the AZT dealt with this topic for the third time and compiled the current study, which focuses on driver distraction caused by modern technology. Among other things, the study shows that this form of distraction has increased significantly and that the risk of car accidents increases by around 50 percent due to the operation of modern communication, entertainment and comfort technologies. ​

Other key findings of the study include:​

​ • Texting replaces phoning as hand-held  mobile phone offence ​
 • “Problem children” young  drivers​
 • The equipment of vehicles with on-board computers has increased significantly​
 • Integrating distraction into police accident recording has paid off​
 • Driver monitoring is rejected by the majority​

​

The full text of the study (in German language only) and the associated press release can also be found in the download area.​
 

February 2023

An AZT analysis of market data (source: GDV) found a markedly different distribution of damage types over several years, sorted by drive type: relatively constant over time, the damage types theft and fire, flooding, etc. are clearly underrepresented for battery-electric passenger cars (BEV) compared to conventional vehicles. In contrast, collision costs dominate the claims expenditure for BEV with an MOD share of about 84 % compared to about 73 % for conventional vehicles. However, these data are highly aggregated and do not allow any detailed statements. Nevertheless, the market data show that the greatest levers for improving claims costs lie in collisions. 

From the Allianz claims of the year 2021, a random sample of 400 MOD collision claims with BEVs was considered in detail. For comparison, 350 similar cases from a select until 2018 with purely conventional drives were available as a reference group. The reference group, however, represents an older population regards both, average age and year of manufacture. Like the cases examined in an earlier study in 2017, these 350 cases were adjusted for inflation on the basis of the claims cost development determined by the GDV for automotive repairs. 

The average collision loss for BEVs is about 18 % higher than for ICEs in the reference group. The median is still 6 % higher, which clearly demonstrates the effects of expensive damage that can be seen in the claims. 

The study found similar figures for damaged ultrasonic sensors in BEV and reference group, but more involved radar sensors for BEV and cameras only in the BEV claims. Interestingly BEV claims showed less cross members damaged than in the reference group while bumper fascia are damaged at a comparable level. This shows that accidents that can be addressed by front AEB are either avoided or mitigated, better than in the slightly older reference group. 

However, parking and manoeuvring is obviously not yet addressed by the OEMs, as claims don’t show different characteristics for BEV and reference group. This is one important lever for improvements because parking and manoeuvring damage account for a significantly higher proportion of BEV's damage than in the reference group. 

The study also unveils that a high portion of conventional cars was repaired in independent repair shops at lower prices than in branded repair shops. BEVs, however, are mostly repaired in branded repair shops, likely due to their low average age and lack of qualified independent repair shops. Moreover, in average the latter invoiced higher rates for BEV than for conventional cars.  

A significant influence on repair costs is driven by the high voltage system. Whether it is about electronic components, charger ports or the battery itself, prices for such spare parts drive costs. The most important finding is that only one HV battery was affected by accident-related deformation of the vehicle’s body, while all the rest was impacted from the underside. In 2% of the claims the battery was affected, but due to high replacement costs, this counts for about 7% of the collision losses. This situation is comparable to total theft, where few expensive losses can drive a model’s type class and thus insurance premiums to the bad. 

Major influences on the higher insurance losses are hence found in repair shop structures and prices, lack of P-AEB ADAS and very expensive damages to the HV system, often from the underside. 

An abstract of the study is available here.

November 2022

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Ungerer of the Munich University of Applied Sciences founded the Munich Working Group for Road Vehicles e.V. as its first chairman in 1980. According to the statutes, the purpose of the association is the independent information and further education of experts for motor vehicles, motor vehicle traffic and accident analysis, especially in the fields of maintenance, damage diagnosis, repair, repair technology, repair costs and damage analysis.  

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Ungerer tragically died in a forest fire in Italy in 1989. Since then, his former students among others, have continued to lead the association in his honor. Since 2016, the presidium of MAS e.V. has awarded the Professor Helmut Ungerer Medal to individuals who have rendered outstanding services to the motor vehicle expert profession.  It is the only award that exists in this field.

Dr. Deutscher was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of MAS e.V. from 1997 until his retirement in 2021 and supported the association's conferences with lecture topics from the Allianz Center for Technology. AZT Automotive GmbH continues to support the work of the association through representatives on the Scientific Advisory Board. 

The AZT congratulates Dr. Christian Deutscher on his contribution. 

June 2022

If the repair rate in Germany were to be increased by just 2 percentage points, around 5,000 tons of CO2 could be saved, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 860 households. This was just one message from the 10th Allianz Motor Day which focused on various aspects of the topic of sustainability and the role of motor insurance in relation to this.​

As last year, the Motor Day was held as a combination of an on-site event at the AZT and an online stream. In the first part, which was mainly addressed to the audience in Germany, first Frank Sommerfeld (CEO Allianz Versicherungs-AG) presented current developments in the field of electric mobility as well as insurance and services of Allianz for electric vehicles. Next, Dr. Lucie Bakker (Chief Claims Officer and member of the Board of Management of  Allianz-Versicherungs-AG) and Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser (Managing Director AZT) presented approaches for sustainable claims management in motor insurance. The focus was particularly on the topic of "green repair" with the aspects of repair vs. exchange and the usage of used spare parts in repair.​

After a short break, Fero Andersen, the moderator of the event, started the second, international part of the event. Following a key note speech by Dr. Klaus-Peter Röhler (Member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE), the main topic of the event "Sustainability in Motor Insurance" was discussed in a panel discussion. The discussion was broadcast across Europe and was held in English.

June 2022

Day

365 days a year belong to road safety. But every third Saturday in June is something special. A wide variety of players deal with the topic of road safety with their campaigns and events under the common guiding principle of "Together for more safety".

They bring people closer to what is happening 365 days a year to ensure that we arrive safely every day when we are on the road by foot, by bike or by car. The German Road Safety Council created Road Safety Day in 2005 for this purpose - and anyone can join in: simply share the message on your social media!

Theme

With the motto THANK YOU! this year, the DVR has deliberately refrained from what some might perceive as "pointing fingers". This time, it's not to warn about blind spots or speeding, or to use braking distances to point out the dangers of serious accidents. Rather, it is to highlight the positive safety record that we have all achieved together in recent decades: with countless expert measures, the day-to-day efforts of countless helpers, and with most people setting a good example on the road. The wrong must be prevented. But the right should also be rewarded - on this June 18th, with posts, comments and likes, under the hashtags #VisionZeroHero #VisionZero #ThankYouVisionZeroHero and #TrafficSafetyDay.

Allianz Center for Technology

The Allianz Center for Technology is supporting the campaign again this year. Allianz and AZT are active in the German Road Safety Council and the European Road Safety Charter.

In the context of this, we would like to point out the following topics, among others, which have an important relation to road safety in various studies and projects of the AZT [...E-scooter, blind spot, two-wheeler,etc....].

Please access to the campaign website Road Safety Day (dvr.de) for more information. Download materials (images, etc.) ist available here: ShareFile - Where Companies Connect

June 2022

In spring time many motorcyclists lack the necessary fitness to be safe on the road after a long period of non-driving. The start of the season also increases the volume of traffic in tourist regions and therefore the risk of accidents. The winter months of December 2020 through February 2021 represented 5 percent of motorcyclists killed and 6 percent of motorcyclists seriously injured in the 12 months from December 2020 through November 2021, jumping to 25 percent for both deaths and serious injuries in the spring months of March through May 2021. The risk increases again significantly with the start of summer in June. 2309 accidents with personal injury involving motorcyclists were recorded in May, 3396 in June 2021.

Accidents often occur without a passenger, motorcycle safety features still not popular enough  

With more than 50 percent of all two-wheeler drivers killed, motorcyclists remain the most problematic of all two-wheeler traffic. A high number of single-vehicle accidents contribute to the number of victims.  

35 percent of motorcycle accidents with personal injury occur without the participation of a third party. In 56 percent, motorcyclists are the main cause of the accident. More than 40 percent of all victims in motorcycle accidents ( bikers and other parties involved in the accident) are caused by motorcyclists losing control of their vehicle without the intervention of other road users (driving accidents). This danger can be reduced by anti-lock braking systems. 

The Allianz Center for Technology analyzed 500 randomly selected motorcycle accidents for its two-wheeler study. All types of damage, from property damage to personal injury, were included. The study showed only one-third of the motorcycles were equipped with ABS. Combination brakes and cornering ABS were also not often represented.  

The average age of the machines was more than 12 years, while the two-wheelers without ABS had an average age of more than 20 years. "Our claims data reveals that the motorcycles involved in accidents are, on average, significantly older than passenger cars," states Christoph Lauterwasser, director of the AZT. "The predominant use of motorcycles as recreational and sporting equipment means that the vehicles are still far too rarely equipped with modern braking systems or assistance functions."

Accident risk also in urban areas, injury rate increases

Motorcycle accidents, however, do not only have serious effects on country roads and highways at high speed. According to Allianz analysis, 59 percent of accidents occurred in urban areas, often front-rear collisions (rear-end collisions). Far more than 40 percent of crashes occurred in inner cities, including one out of every three people who were seriously injured.  The AZT is concerned about the seriousness of injuries among motorcyclists. In 2021, according to federal statistics, serious injuries accounted for 33 percent of all crashes (that's killed plus serious plus minor injuries). For motorcycles with insurance license plates and for bicycles, it was 18 percent each. "Our study shows that the serious injury rate has been increasing for 20 years only for motorcycles. The causes urgently require further investigation," says accident researcher Jörg Kubitzki.

The AZT and Oliver Braxmeier from the Coburg University of Applied Sciences analyzed 500 randomly selected Allianz motor liability claim files of motorcycle accidents for the evaluation. The official german press release is available via following link Viele Motorräder ohne moderne Sicherheitstechnik | Allianz. The entire AZT study "Two-wheeler safety summary" with further data on motorcycle accidents can be found on the AZT homepage under the keyword road safety.

May 2022

The AVEAS project is now officially in full swing with the first overall workshop in Karlsruhe after more than two years of planning and preparation. By the end of 2024, our project, which is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), will collect real data for the virtual testing of automated driving functions in critical situations: Data on human driving behavior via test vehicle, infrastructure sensors and aircraft; data on challenging sensor conditions; and data on human-machine interaction in VR trial studies which will serve as the bases for generating models and methods for virtual safeguarding.

For this purpose, the partners dSPACE, Continental, PTV Group, Allianz Zentrum für Technik GmbH, GOTECH, Spiegel Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as well as Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI, Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI and Fraunhofer IOSB are working together in the project under the leadership of understand.ai - with a budget of €10 million, including €6.2 million in funding from the BMWK. The project is supported, among others, by the associated partners TÜV SÜD, ADAC Württemberg, PBW-Parkraumgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH, ALP.Lab GmbH, EDI GmbH - Engineering Data Intelligence, ASAM e.V. - Association for Standardization of Automation and Measuring Systems and Karlsruhe Police, as well as by the project sponsor TÜV Rheinland.

Please find the LinkedIn-Post of the Kickoff here.

May 2022

In recent years, evaluations carried out by the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) show that high-voltage vehicles (HV vehicles) have a generically higher claims expenditure than vehicles with a classic combustion engine. A new database of insurance claims for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is being compiled as part of an ongoing project on this subject. Both the accident history and the damage pattern of the vehicles are being analyzed and, in particular, claims involving severely damaged vehicles are being evaluated in more detail.

After the project, additional activities in the AZT may also be possible, for example the measurement of parking sensors or the cooperation surface measurement of vehicles for the AZT paint calculation system.

Tasks:  

- Evaluation of Allianz damage files (includes police investigation files, repair reports, etc.) and expansion of an accident database

- Analysis of the database according to vehicle technical aspects and comparison with previous databases

- Preparation and internal presentation of the results

- Subsequently, if necessary, further activities in the field of accident research and repair technology (optional)

Requirements/Knowledge/Experience:

- Interest in electromobility and accident research

- Independent and precise way of working

- Good to very good academic performance

- Very good knowledge of written and spoken German; good knowledge of English is an advantage

- Confident handling of MS Office programs  

- Previous knowledge of or interest in automotive engineering

- Affinity for statistics

Appointment date: 01.07.2022

Are you interested? If so, we look forward to receiving your application documents with CV and references, stating the reference code and possible start date, online via our job market on careers.allianz.com.

If you have any questions, please contact us via our e-mail address apas-studentsupport@allianz.de.

Many customers around the world trust the Allianz Group as an insurer and asset manager. We care about our employees and their needs, dreams and personal challenges. Together, we create an environment in which we offer everyone the opportunity to discover new things, to grow and to shape a better future for our customers and the world around us. Become a part of it. Let's care for tomorrow.

At Allianz, we believe in a diverse and inclusive workforce and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to be fully engaged in work just as you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, how old you are, who you love, what you believe in or whether you have a personal limitation.

Allianz Versicherungs-AG is a pillar of Allianz's product business in Germany. With more than 120 years of experience behind us, we are the number one in property and casualty insurance in Germany. With your know-how and professionalism, you can contribute to extending our lead.

Are you interested? Then we look forward to hearing from you https://careers.allianz.com.

December 2021

The purpose of the study was to get a representative picture of the accident situation. Hereby the objective was to describe conflict-triggering situations, environmental conditions and driving scenarios and, if possible, to identify corner cases.

Corner cases are accidents that "stand out" from the rest of the accident scene, i.e., they cannot be assigned to frequently occurring accident situations. In the safeguarding of future highly automated driving functions, these accidents are of particular interest because they are potentially less obvious and therefore have a high value for the safety analysis.

To answer the various questions, more than 1,000 highway accidents were selected from the set of all Allianz claims from 2019. These cases were evaluated in detail, analyzed for certain characteristics and the results entered into an accident database.

Key findings of the study:

- A large proportion of accidents occur during or as a result of a lane change by the truck. In most cases, restricted visibility conditions of the truck driver - especially on the passenger side - play a crucial role. These accidents also happen more frequently at highway interchanges. Here the truck driver may be forced to change lanes due to branching or merging lanes, which leads to an increase in the number of claims.

- Another focus is rear-end collisions. The reason is often the driver's distraction or inattention. Here, the crash may vary widely in terms of seriousness, depending on the traffic situation on the highway at that moment. Traffic jams that occur unexpectedly can lead to particularly serious accidents.

- Another frequent occurrence is the vehicle drifting off the road to the left or right. However, the existing crash barriers can usually prevent serious accidents. Minor side collisions, mostly with passenger cars, are more common in construction areas.

For further information, please contact: azt@allianz.de

December 2021

In preparation of this year's Allianz Motor Day, Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser and a team from Corporate Communications travelled to Kronach to get an on-site impression of the operation of autonomous shuttles. The result is a short video that provides interesting insights about the technology and the fields of application of autonomous shuttles. A brief report and the video can be accessed via following link:  Der Weg zum autonomen Fahren – Allianz Deutschland AG

December 2021

Choosing selected topics, Wolfgang Fastenmeier, Uwe Ewert, Jörg Kubitzki and Herbert Gstalter took a close look at new as well as old apparent truths and present the current state of research. Are women or men the better drivers? Much is relativized by the differences in driving performance. Seniors are dangerous drivers? However, their accident risks are lower than assumed. Age does not define a loss of driving ability, but mandatory tests bring new dangers - a recognized fact. And, in spite of all this, are we striving to get around in an environmentally friendly way? Research paints a different picture. One of convenience and egoism. Further book information in German language can be found here.

November 2021

The "L3Pilot" project led by Volkswagen AG and funded by the EU Commission celebrated its successful closing in October at the ITS World Congress in Hamburg.

The goal of the four-year project was to investigate the feasibility of automated driving as a safe and efficient transportation solution and to evaluate the effects of introducing and spreading automated vehicles.

In addition to the Allianz Center for Technology, the project involved vehicle manufacturers, suppliers as well as research institutions, universities and government agencies.

The project equipped 70 vehicles. The test fleet included 13 different vehicle brands, from passenger cars to SUVs. More than 400.000 km were driven on highways, including 200.000 km in automated mode and 200.000 km in manual mode as a basis for comparing user experience and assessing impact. More than 24.000 km were driven in automated mode in city traffic.

With the goal of focusing the user experience of automated driving functions, more than 1.000 people participated in pilot tests and complementary tests in a virtual environment.

The project focused on SAE Level 3 automated driving functions on highways and in urban traffic, while SAE Level 4 functions focused exclusively on parking and short-range scenarios. The AZT's task was, among other things, to evaluate the safety-related effects of automated parking functions. For this purpose, existing accident databases and the Allianz claims contained therein for several years were evaluated to obtain as comprehensive a picture as possible of the parking accidents recorded. Based on the knowledge gained from this, an assessment of the potential impact of future automated parking functions could be given.

For more information: L3Pilot press release

November 2021

 E-cars are becoming increasingly networked and digital. They are almost rolling computers. They offer potential attack surfaces for hackers. Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, the managing director of AZT Automotive GmbH, explains in the following Generation E podcast from RND how we can protect ourselves against attacks and what responsibility the manufacturers of e-cars have.

October 2021

With our article about the 90s we continue the AZT series "Know-how with history". In 1993 Prof. Dr. Dieter Anselm becomes the managing director of the AZT.

Anselm notes the most important challenge and success of his work: "The AZT was already known for its work. Now it was to be developed even more strongly as a point of contact in specialist circles both inside and outside the Allianz. It was also important to make the results of our work known beyond Germany's borders. This was achieved by extending the training of Allianz experts to a European level - in parallel with the internationalization of the Allianz. “

Until 1990, one of the central tasks of the AZT was the further education of the more than 500 Allianz experts from the Federal Republic of Germany and Austria. With the takeover of the former State Insurance of the GDR and the foundation of the Deutsche Versicherungs-AG (DVAG), the training work and the target group changed fundamentally: For a short time, the AZT was for 1100 employees of the technical sales force - more than twice as many as before 1990.

In cooperation with the Allianz department responsible for Eastern Europe, the development of Allianz's business in various Eastern European countries began in the 1990s. International training was also established at the same time. 

In the 1990s, many issues in security research were broadened.  For example, the experts at the AZT investigated the effects of airbags on spectacle wearers and smokers in the event of an impact, and they also developed an effective dog restraint system.

The vehicle crashes already described in the last article also continued. Fittingly for the German reunification, there was also a crash with a Trabant at the AZT in the early 90s.

Innovations in safety technology in the 1990s included the introduction of the electronic immobilizer. After the fall of the wall, the damage increased in of comprehensive insurance due to a huge increase in motor vehicle thefts. The vehicles were being moved to Eastern Europe and the Middle East by internationally organised gangs of thieves on an unprecedented scale. In order to be able to avoid above-average premium increases, the AZT developed a requirements profile for effective systems and immediately demanded solutions for practical anti-theft protection from the automotive industry. The result was the legal introduction of the electronic immobilizer for newly registered passenger cars according to standards defined by the AZT. The industry quickly implemented this idea, and the success was already evident in the mid-1990s with a sharp drop in the number of thefts.

The reference to the definition of the electronic immobilizer by the AZT was even noted in the vehicle documents for a long time.

As already described in our AZT article on the 1970s, a vehicle- and manufacturer-independent calculation system for the exact determination of painting costs was developed at the Allianz Center for Technology. Since its development, the calculation system, based on AZT studies, has continuously incorporated new tools, new materials and new repair methods. Since 1990, the system has been used in more than 40 countries and has even become the market standard in some cases.

In our next and last AZT article from the year 2000, we report, among other things, on the further development in the field of crash standards.

September 2021

The 9th Allianz Motor Day, which this year for the first time took place as a combination of on-site event at the AZT and online streaming, was dedicated to other current topics from the automotive sector in addition to the main topic "Automated driving becomes reality".

In the first part of the Motor Day, which was mainly aimed at the audience in Germany, Frank Sommerfeld (CEO Allianz Versicherungs-AG and Member of the Board of Management of Allianz Deutschland AG) and James Wallner (CEO ADAC Autoversicherung AG and Member of the Board of Management of ADAC Versicherung AG) first presented innovations in motor insurance for electric vehicles in Germany. Carsten Reinkemeyer (Head of Vehicle Technology & Safety Research at the AZT) presented the latest AZT research results on the claims experience with electric vehicles. Karsten Göwecke (Ständiger Vertreter des Landesbranddirektors, Berliner Feuerwehr) supplemented the substantive part on fire damage and brought in the perspective of the fire department on this topic.

The next part of the agenda was a very special one for the AZT: The 50th anniversary of the AZT was officially honored in front of the audience. Jochen Haug (Chief Claims Officer and Member of the Board of Management of Allianz Versicherungs-AG) and Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser (Managing Director Allianz Center for Technology) summarized the importance of the AZT in the past decades for Allianz, the industry and society and presented an outlook on the current and future topic portfolio of the AZT.

June 2021

At the end of March 2021, the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair passed and subsequently published the document on the significance of the delivery condition from bodywork to paint in German and English as well as a fundamentally revised paint guideline. Afterwards, the AZT repeatedly received requests for an English edition of the paint guideline.

In order to meet the interest and to support the international claims and repair market, AZT has therefore now translated the paint guideline based on the German version. After correction loops with the Working Group on Automotive Refinish Coatings of the Association of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry (VdL) and the German Federal Association for Color Design & Protection of Structure (Bundesverband Farbe Gestaltung Bautenschutz) with its Nationwide Expert Group Vehicle Painting (Bundesfachgruppe Fahrzeuglackierer – BFL), the English version of the paint guideline can now be made available to all interested parties. At the same time, all members of the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair will also receive the English document for further use.

Both the German and English versions of the paint guideline, as well as all other documents of the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair, can be downloaded free of charge from the download area (see https://azt-automotive.com/de/downloads  →  „Beschlüsse der Deutschen Kommission für Lack und Karosserieinstandsetzung“). In addition, the English versions are also available at https://azt-automotive.com/en/downloads  →  “Resolutions of the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair”.

June 2021

Dear classic car friends,

In April we reported here about the leaks and fuel loss on our BMW E21. The matter has been repaired and we will tell you more about the story: 

The removed tank was marked with extensive rusting. In the edge areas, where the upper and lower tank halves are welded together, clear corrosion was visible between the sheet metal layers.

In our last report we already mentioned that a new spare part was not available. We therefore decided to have the tank professionally repaired.

We have needed to sandblaste the tank in order to determine the complete extent of the damage. This blasting process is gentle on the rust but the steel sheet of the tank remains unchanged. Before sandblasting, however, the glued-on insulation mats had to be removed, as the blasting material would have bounced off them to no avail.

After sandblasting the tank was in a good condition. What you see in this photo is bare, undamaged sheet metal.

However, the corroded suspensions of the tank on the front side in the direction of travel were only rudimentary:

Welding the plate would be risky as the original weld seam could become leaky due to the additional heat input.

We therefore decided to make new sheet metal mountings and fix them in place using modern adhesive technology.

After the adhesive had cured, the tank could be taken to the paint shop and painted:

Primed and sanded. The sealing of the two tank halves against penetrating moisture, as well as the sealed repair area, are shown here:

The result is convincing. The work was worth it.

You can see that even a rather unnoticed component, such as the fuel tank, can play a major role in the preservation of an old vehicle, and that its restoration requires a certain amount of effort in any case. However, the result usually compensates for all the previous efforts.

Actually the tank is now too good to hide under the car. You won't see much of it anymore, but the assurance of no more leaks is also worth a lot.

More on the topic:

Article about the purchase of the BMW 318, year of construction 1975

Article about fuel loss at BMW 318 - A little petrol story