GrooveCar, an online vehicle buying resource for credit unions, highlighted this week that five new partners joined the program.

The credit unions now leveraging the platform include:

— Telco Plus of Longview, Texas
— Picatinny Federal Credit Union of Dover, N.J.
— Port Washington Federal Credit Union of Port Washington, N.Y.
— Lehigh Valley Federal Credit Union of Allentown, Pa
— Longview Consolidated Credit Union of Longview, Texas

“Our program provides credit unions with the ability to grow from within, while providing members with the best data, research and value in the auto buying market,” said Robert O’Hara, vice president of strategic alliances at GrooveCar.

“Additionally, we provide the relevance credit unions so desperately need in order to communicate effectively to their membership, while increasing their loan growth and product-per-member ratios,” O’Hara continued.

In a recent GrooveCar survey, credit unions from across the U.S. were asked what areas of growth were a priority for them. Officials indicated more than 50 percent responded that they would be concentrating on their auto loan growth, ahead of mortgages, credit cards and home equity loans.

GrooveCar can provides a host of resources credit union members can access during the vehicle buying process that are designed to streamline the experience.

“Our program aims to make the manner of completing all the essential tasks of researching and locating a vehicle, timely for the member,” O’Hara said.

Some of the features members can enjoy include:

— A search tool displaying vehicle choices from all angles
— A payment calculator that populates searches with a monthly payment commitment comfortable for the user
— Current vehicle articles and videos
— A loan application tool

O’Hara mentioned all of these features on the website are designed to match the credit unions’ branding while offering a clean, crisp look accompanied by easy navigation.

The GrooveCar program can provide information relating to vehicle buying and leasing that is appealing to the member and can give the member a reason to investigate a credit unions’ auto offerings in greater detail.

“The success of the GrooveCar program is not predicated on what size the credit union is or where they are located or what type of charter they have,” O’Hara said.

“As long as the credit union wants to close more auto loans with their existing members or enhance their dealer relationships, this program will drive results,” he went on to say.