Santander Consumer USA wants to help more dealers reach potential buyers who need financing to complete delivery, so the company launched Drive Together, a digital retail tool and expansion of Santander’s Drive offering.

According to a news release, the enhancement provides pre-qualification resources to support a broad range of customer and dealer needs.

Santander said Drive Together is a subscription service for dealers that resides on dealerships’ websites, allowing stores to generate pre-qualified leads from their web traffic.

Santander’s Drive platform uses “soft” credit checks to prequalify shoppers, without affecting their credit score. With the click of a button, Santander Consumer is evolving the online auto shopping experience.

For consumers, this latest innovation in the car buying process enables them to browse dealers’ inventory for a car that fits their needs and calculate what they can afford. With the ability to explore dealers’ inventory online and consider cars that are within their budget, customers can walk into the dealership with greater confidence and feel empowered to make an informed and affordable purchase.

Santander Consumer’s Drive platform, the product of the company’s partnership with software company AutoFi, is geared to deliver a digital environment to provide a positive car buying experience for both customers and dealers.

“Following a successful pilot stage, we are excited to expand Drive Together to all dealers nationwide,” said Bruce Jackson, head of the Santander US Auto Business and CEO of Santander Consumer USA. “Drive Together enables consumers to better understand what they can afford and ensures more ‘transaction-ready’ customers are showing up at dealers in the Santander network.”

Drive Together can give dealers access to an expanded and powerful lead-generation product that is continually evolving to keep up with the changing needs of their businesses.

By combining a platform to market their inventory, an easy process for generating pre-qualified leads, and a custom experience backed by Santander Consumer’s pre-qualification technology, the Santander Dealer Portal can enable dealers to turn passive web traffic into ready-to-book leads.

Through the Portal, dealers can actively manage their subscriptions and see their sign-up status and real-time inventory data helping to make the car buying process efficient for dealers and transparent for their customers.

Jackson said the expansion of this program aligns with Santander Consumer’s commitment to provide innovative products and services to their dealers, helping them succeed in an increasingly challenging environment.

“Our dealers are essential to our business. They are the driving force behind our effort to pioneer change and create greater transparency and efficiencies within the auto business,” Jackson said. “This enhanced Drive product is an exciting step forward in building a seamless car buying experience for the dealers we serve, as well as the consumers who are seeking fewer friction points and greater clarity in the car-buying process.”