Dealer Groups; Dealers; Dealerships

Car buyer search engine MotorCloud says it allows users to search once and see all vehicle listings anywhere online, streamlining the car shopping experience by using the Google model. It launched at the end of August at the Digital Dealer 27 event.

MotorCloud says it has modernized automotive search by combining what it describes as the most exhaustive database of vehicle inventory with “the simple elegance of a clean search engine interface.”

MotorCloud says it has compiled 5.2 million vehicle listings and says its interface “works lightning fast on mobile.”

On the ad-free platform, sponsored search results are clearly identified, according to MotorCloud. That, MotorCloud says, empowers users to “act with knowledge.”

With the launch, MotorCloud says it is “shattering the myth of transparent search.”

MotorCloud says it indexes the largest inventory of new and used vehicles on the Internet. It does that with 15 years of competitive sets on vehicles, through its parent company DealersLink.

“So we have the deepest crawled data sets on the planet, from publicly available sites and some private industry platforms as well,” MotorCloud said in a news release. “Then we add in inventory feeds direct from dealers all over the country. We aggregate all listings and include them in your search results.”

The company said the user experience is easier, faster and more complete, because users don’t have to bookmark multiple sites, input searches on different platforms and “cobble together the results” to understand the market.

MotorCloud says its market analytics and pricing technology has previously been only available to dealers, but now it has put it to work for the user.

“They can rest assured they’ve shopped all the cars in the market, and their vehicle analysis is based on the entire market picture, when they do a MotorCloud search,” MotorCloud said.

MotorCloud said sellers will like its pay-as-you-go model, noting that to engage with buyers, the site needed to be attractive to sellers, as well. Dealers can list their car on MotorCloud.com for free and can pay for sponsored listings to land at the top of search results.

Also, dealers only pay for buying action on their cars: vehicle views, click throughs, leads, and phone calls.

That means no contracts or set up fees, and their account credits never expire. With the service, dealers looking to supplement their own inventory at a cut rate often make rapid cash offers.

The company said its MotorCloud app is a fast way to list a vehicle for sale. Users can scan it, snap photos, and upload a price — or shop listings in their area. By scanning a VIN or license plate, they can see all similar cars in their search radius.

Because of all those attributes, MotorCloud describes itself as “the inevitable next step in the unfolding of the Internet as a force to benefit users everywhere.”

Texas is the latest state for CarMax’s home delivery and expedited pick-up capabilities. In Texas, customers can now choose to experience the entire car-buying process from home and get delivery of the vehicle, with the ability to test drive prior to purchase.

Texas joins Florida, Georgia, Maine and North Carolina, as well as select cities in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York and Virginia, for CarMax’s personalized car buying experience.

CarMax plans to take the new capability nationwide, with plans for the majority of CarMax customers to be able to use the service by February.

“This is the future of car buying,” CarMax president and chief executive officer Bill Nash said in a news release.

The company’s new personalized experience is now available in the following Texas areas: Houston, Dallas, Austin and Waco/Killeen. It is also available in Lubbock, Tyler and Corpus Christi, but home delivery is not yet available in those areas.

The “experience” will also launch in San Antonio in late October and also in El Paso and McAllen/Pharr, with home delivery not currently available in the latter two areas.

CarMax said specific offerings can vary by city. But its customers in these areas can now complete the entire car buying process from home. That includes financing, trade-in and paperwork without having to visit the store. They can receive delivery of their vehicle directly to their home or workplace, and they can test drive before purchasing.

Customers can now also perform a combination of online and in-store shopping. For customers who choose to complete some of the car-buying process from home, that includes expedited pickup at the store.

At any point in the purchase and financing process, customers can receive help from CarMax associates in-person and by phone, text or email.

“We’re delivering on an unmet customer need for a car buying experience that is flexible, convenient, and completely tailored to each customer,” Nash said. “This experience has been well-received by our customers who are excited about buying a car on their own terms.”

Ryan Davis says his company built its inventory finance business line Float by BacklotCars to be “a more transparent and flexible way to pay for inventory.”

“The ability to give dealers a more personalized experience will help us further our mission to make wholesale easy,” Davis, who is BacklotCars’ co-founder, said in a news release.

On Monday, BacklotCars announced what it describes as “dealer-driven improvements” to Float.

The company says it is following current users’ feedback and using upgraded technology to now tailor plans on a more individualized basis.

Now, when a BacklotCars user applies for Float, the company will look at an applicant’s credit quality and financing needs to personalize a flat-fee structure.

Approved dealers pay one flat fee on purchases every 45 days or daily.

Float says that with no interest or surprise fees, along with “fewer curtailments,” it focuses on a transparent fee structure.

Since it started its financing unit in 2016, BacklotCars has financed thousands of purchases on the marketplace. The company says that after recent rounds of funding, it has aggressively expanded Float​.

Float by BacklotCars says its penetration rate has doubled within the marketplace, with monthly originations multiplying by five year-over-year.

In 2019, BacklotCars has seen rapid expansion, with operation now in more than 30 states. Float by BacklotCars works with users in many of those markets.

Auto dealers, auto finance companies, and rental car companies can transact through BacklotCars without having to go to physical auctions, according to the company. It says its end-to-end service provides vehicle inspections, transportation and inventory finance services for dealers.

“Building Float in the early stages of the marketplace has been an advantage to both BacklotCars and our dealers,” Davis said. “The feedback and data we have gathered the last three years informed the improvements we have made and plan to make throughout the rest of the year.” 

Cars.com says it is continuing its “clean SEO strategy” and mobile-first product development approach, and because it says the majority of car shoppers are browsing on the go, Cars.com continues to invest in mobile.

Cars.com, a digital marketplace provider, says that investment is fueling its audience growth, and the company announced on Monday that it saw record traffic across its network.

In August of this year, Cars.com reported more than 50.3 million car shopper visits. That was a 26.8% increase over the same time last year and the highest ever for the business, according to Cars.com, which sourced Cars.com internal data, Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics, August 2019.

Cars.com chief executive officer Alex Vetter said his company’s strong traffic numbers can help dealers drive retail sales heading into the fourth quarter. He added that Cars.com shoppers have an average purchase horizon of 50 days.

 “Targeting a qualified population of car shoppers who are in market and ready to buy will deliver significantly higher sales conversions for retailers, and much more cost effectively than paid search and other marketing channels,” Vetter said in a news release.

Also on the topic of mobile, Cars.com sourced “App Annie Data, August 2019” in reporting that its focus in that area has resulted in the No. 1 downloaded app in the car-shopping category.

The company also reported that its shopper leads from its consumer audience and direct web transfers into the dealers’ websites showed a 10% year-over-year increase, according to Cars.com internal data, Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics, August 2019.

In addition, the company said technology such as AutoCorrected and buyer connections from social selling services such as Cars Social has resulted in increased gross profitability and faster turn for its dealer customers.

"We’re shifting even more dollars towards growth,” Vetter said. “The investments we’re making are focused on technology, media and data to drive unrivaled efficiencies for the auto industry and our partners,” Vetter said.

Tennessee has been a location for Carvana’s online used car buying services since 2014 and launched what Carvana describes as the world’s first fully automated, coin-operated car vending machine in Nashville in 2015.

On Tuesday, Carvana continued its Tennessee history, bringing its services to customers in the Clarksville, Johnson City and Kingsport areas. With the Tennessee news, Carvana now offers as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery in 141 U.S. markets.

“We want to bring ‘the new way to buy a car’ to as many people as possible, and expanding as-soon-as-next-day delivery to Clarksville, Johnson City and Kingsport gets us closer to that goal in a state we have called home for nearly five years,” Carvana founder and chief executive officer Ernie Garcia said in a news release.

The Tennessee move continues Carvana’s recent busy schedule of activity, including the opening of a North Carolina inspection and reconditioning facility along with the unveiling of a car vending machine in the Los Angeles area and the launch of as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery to residents of Oxnard, Calif. 

The stories continue coming in regarding the auto industry’s efforts to recruit technicians. This time, it’s CarMax pulling out all the stops, with the used-car retailer undertaking what it describes as the biggest technician and detailer hiring effort in its history.

To help the company increase its production of vehicles for retail to customers to support the company’s continued growth, CarMax announced a nationwide plan to hire more than 850 technicians. CarMax said its highly trained associates will mostly work on reconditioning vehicles and preparing them for sale.

At 17 U.S. CarMax stores, the company will team up with job site Indeed to hold hiring events on Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. CarMax says it will interview candidates and in some cases offer jobs on the spot. The company said job seekers can also apply for positions at jobs@carmax.com.

Automotive technicians, painters and detailers, and inventory associates are among the available positions.

CarMax said the following markets have the most available open positions and will host hiring events on Thursday. For more information and to RSVP to the hiring event, interested candidates can view the locations’ websites:

— Mobile, Ala.: Mobile CarMax at 965 East Interstate 65 Service Road South.
— Los Angeles: Palmdale CarMax at 405 Technology Drive, Palmdale, Calif.
— Sacramento, Calif.: Sacramento South CarMax at 8185 E Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento.
— San Francisco: Pleasanton CarMax at 2750 Stoneridge Drive, Pleasanton, Calif.
— Chicago: Schaumburg CarMax at 250 E Golf Road, Schaumburg, Ill.
— Kansas City, Kan.: Kansas City CarMax at 6801 E Frontage Road, Merriam, Kan.
— New Orleans: – Kenner CarMax at 1601 32nd Street, Kenner, La.
— Boston: Westborough CarMax at 170 Turnpike Road, Westborough, Mass.
— Baltimore/Washington, DC: Laurel CarMax at 8800 Freestate Drive, Laurel, Maryland.
— Wilmington, N.C.: Wilmington CarMax at 6030 Market Street, Wilmington, N.C.
— Rochester, N.Y. – Rochester CarMax at 3600 W. Henrietta Road, Rochester, N.Y.
— Portland, Ore. –Clackamas CarMax at 13750 SE Johnson Road, Milwaukie, Ore.
— Columbus, Ohio – Sawmill CarMax at 2700 Farmers Drive, Columbus.
— Philadelphia – Lancaster CarMax at 1457 Manheim Pike, Lancaster, Pa. and Newark CarMax at 2070 Stafford Way, Newark, Del.
— Dallas/Fort Worth – Garland CarMax at 12715 Lyndon B Johnson Freeway, Garland, Texas.
— Kenosha, Wisc. – Kenosha CarMax at 8200 120^th Ave., Kenosha.

CarMax is a partner of TechForce Foundation, a national non-profit focused on supporting aspiring transportation technicians.

“We applaud CarMax’s commitment to long-term careers in the transportation trades,” TechForce chief executive officer Jennifer Maher said in a news release. “CarMax’s training and educational reimbursement programs, as well as their support of the TechForce mission, show how much they value their technicians. Their ranking among the Best Companies to Work For is clearly well deserved.”

“Our technicians have the opportunity to continuously increase their technical expertise by working on a variety of vehicle makes and models,” said CarMax vice president of regional service operations Tyrone Payton. “We have some of the best work environments in the industry: well equipped, climate-controlled facilities with state-of-the-art tools and technologies.”

Payton added, “There is a growing deficit of automotive technicians in this country and we are taking action to be part of the solution. Automotive technicians have fantastic career opportunities and are part of a changing industry where they can work not only on the mechanical parts of the vehicle, but also with the technology systems that are advancing every day.”

Matt DeLorenzo says now is a great time for vehicle buyers to get a strong deal on models “calling it quits for 2019.”

DeLorenzo is senior managing editor for Kelley Blue Book, which has just completed a marketplace analysis showing which 2019 models — such as the 2019 Chevrolet Cruze — are heading into retirement. KBB also created a list of which all-new and redesigned vehicles are worth the wait and “set to make a splash for 2020”

But first, KBB showed models that will soon retire, stating that “now is an exciting time to be car shopping.”

“When a vehicle has reached the end of the line, car manufacturers and dealers are eager to make way for new inventory,” DeLorenzo said in a news release. “While the production runs of these vehicles are coming to an end, all 10 are still available on manufacturers’ websites, and many are being offered at closeout deals.”

The 10 vehicles headed for retirement are:

— 2019 Buick Cascada
— 2019 Cadillac ATS Coupe
— 2019 Cadillac CTS
— 2019 Chevrolet Cruze
— 2019 Chevrolet Volt
— 2019 Ford Fiesta
— 2019 Ford Taurus
— 2019 Lincoln MKT
— 2019 Volkswagen Beetle
— 2019 Volkswagen SportWagen

On the Chevrolet Cruze, KBB commented that production of the car has closed at GM’s Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant, “but there are still plenty of Cruze models in dealer stock looking for buyers.”

Also, more than 45 all-new and redesigned SUVs, cars and trucks are available for the 2020 model year, according to Kelley Blue Book. KBB editors drove most of them and named their favorites.

“It seems like with each passing model year, there are more great choices in the new-car market than ever before,” DeLorenzo said.  “There are several new cars for 2020 that we think are worth the wait. Each of our new favorites for 2020 stood out among the crop because they offer excellent value and reliability, or because they are breakthrough vehicles within their specific segment.”

Kelley Blue Book’s 10 favorite new-for-2020 cars are:

— 2020 Kia Telluride
— 2020 Chevrolet Corvette
— 2020 Jeep Gladiator
— 2020 Hyundai Palisade
— 2020 Toyota GR Supra
— 2020 Subaru Outback
— 2020 Kia Soul
— 2020 Ford Explorer
— 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE
— 2020 Lincoln Corsair

Alan Fong looks forward to developing technology that he hopes “takes Dealer-FX to the next level.”

"Dealer-FX is poised to disrupt the automotive industry and drive the transformation that OEMs and dealers are looking for,” said Fong, who has joined customer experience management and intelligent delivery platform provider Dealer-FX as chief technology officer.

Fong is one of three appointments that Dealer-FX announced in a news release on Tuesday, and the company said the appointments are “a clear sign of Dealer-FX’s commitment to their dealer and OEM clients.” The company said it also “continues to invest and innovate in the future of customer experience technology.”

The other appointments are Bill Lucchini as chief operating officer and Lindsay Sparks as board member.

Fong will work to boost innovation, research, development, building and testing for the ONE Platform offering as chief technology officer. He most recently served as chief technology officer for Fleet Complete.

Fong’s more than 20 years of technology leadership and execution experience includes time building and developing high-growth technology companies in industries such as automotive, healthcare, telecom and enterprise workload management.

Dealer-FX said Fong’s “progressive” software industry responsibilities have involved creating product value by understanding customer problems. The technology products that he built resulted in improved business outcomes and “hyper-growth,” according to Dealer-FX.

The company also said Fong is involved in the “startup ecosystem,” advising and mentoring startups and helping them “focus to build for customer value and prepare to rapidly scale.”

As for new Dealer-FX chief operating officer Lucchini, his more than 25 years of business strategy, management, and operational experience include his most recent position leading the cloud security business unit at enterprise-grade security product provider Sophos.

Prior to his time with Sophos, Lucchini was with OnForce as chief operating officer, with responsibility for day-to-day customer operations, product development, and marketing. He started his career holding various leadership roles for several businesses at Intuit. Those business included QuickBooks Online, the Mid-Market Division, the Intuit Partner Platform, and QuickBase.

As chief operating officer for Dealer-FX, Lucchini will help Dealer-FX evolve and scale with the growth of its customer base. Dealer-FX said Lucchini’s track record with other fast-growth businesses will help Dealer-FX “stay ahead of the growth curve.”

"I am excited and honored to help lead the organization to its next phase of innovation and operational excellence,” Lucchini said.

As for Sparks, Dealer-FX describes him as a “seasoned senior executive.”

Sparks brings experience in building and running various types of businesses. He is a former Microsoft officer and is also a multi-time founder and chief executive officer. His experience has involved scaling and guiding businesses to increased returns. He also strategically guides large investment firms and other companies.

Serving on the Dealer-FX board, Sparks will advise the Dealer-FX executive leadership team, helping team members develop the company’s overall business and technology strategy. Currently an executive director at HGGC, he serves on the boards for Carson-Dellosa Publishing LLC and Bluecat Networks.

“Dealer-FX is transforming the customer experience through innovative technology and extensive OEM and third-party integrations,” Sparks said. “I look forward to working with the team at Dealer-FX.”

“Bill, Alan and Lindsay each bring a wealth of experience in helping to evolve business models and scale technology platforms which will help Dealer-FX accelerate our rapid growth by delivering innovative products for our customers," Dealer-FX president and chief executive officer Gary Kalk said. “I am delighted to welcome them to Dealer-FX at this important stage of our evolution.” 

Preferred Warranties Inc., also known as PWI, was established in 1992 and offers extended service contracts to more than 3,000 independent automotive dealers.

The company, which is a business unit of KAR Auction Services, has expanded into the Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Alabama and Mississippi markets.

PWI has also placed dedicated sales consultants in those locations. The company said the staffing buildup includes two Los Angeles market sales consultants, along with one in Minneapolis and one who covers Alabama and Mississippi.

The sales team buildup comes after PWI recently appointed Allison Marley as vice president of sales.

Marley said extended service contracts bring peace of mind and inspire customer confidence. They also serve as a strong revenue generator for dealerships, she said.

“The additional revenue generated from writing extended service contracts is critical to the overall health and wealth of a dealership, and we’re pleased to offer our dealers a wide variety of programs to drive overall profitability and value for their customers,” Marley said in a news release.

PWI president Edmund Field said the company is growing and is a national organization. He said the expansion “supports our growth strategy of ensuring we have boots on the ground in all the states we operate in.”

“We’re focused on developing the South and West markets, providing our dealers with experienced automotive remarketing professionals to work with them and find solutions that meet their unique needs and the individual needs of their customers,” Field said.

Part of Autotrader’s new marketing campaign takes the viewer back to the Nordic Bronze Age. At that time, Autotrader says, sled owners felt the same way many do today about overpaying for their vehicle.

In the ad, the hero unexpectedly appears, using Autotrader to find the right vehicle at the right price and driving a solid off-road truck into the arctic elements.

The main message of the ad: “Finally, it’s easy.”

Highlighting moments in transportation history, the campaign aims to show how simple the car-shopping process can be. The company wants people to see that thanks to the Autotrader marketplace, second-guessing the deal is now a thing of the past. 

The campaign aims to show that from times of sleds, horse-drawn carriages and up to today’s modern vehicles, people have always been challenged to find the best deal for their mode of transportation. Autotrader says it is taking a “satirical play on the once-treacherous task of car buying” and is working to make history relevant and enjoyable.

With the launch of the “Finally, It’s Easy” national campaign, Autotrader seeks to bring excitement and ease back into the car-buying experience. To create what it describes as “a hilarious new advertising campaign,” Autotrader worked with global creative agency, 72andSunny New York and Emmy-nominated director, Derek Waters.

The “Finally, It’s Easy” campaign launches today and will appear nationally on cable, network and streaming television platforms. It will appear in major programming such as the Major League Baseball playoffs, NFL Monday Night Football and the kickoff of the NBA season. Taking a digital-first approach, the campaign will appear on social media, paid search, custom sponsorships, content on Roku and Twitch, and other platforms.

Autotrader vice president of marketing Greta Crowley said car buying should be an exciting experience. But it can often be strenuous, she said.

“Our new campaign brings the fun and personality back into car shopping,” Crowley said in a news release. “We want the journey of finding the right car for you to be just as enjoyable as your time in it.”