Walls still don’t talk. But connected cars do, and they have a lot to say. Sophisticated technologies that promise to produce safer, more fuel-efficient vehicles equipped with consumer-pleasing conveniences are also capable of revealing personal information, such as where a driver’s been, their telephone contact list, how fast they drive and whether they use their […] [Read More]

According to a news release distributed on Friday, digital speech analytics expert Tony Colan has joined the Proactive Dealer Solutions team as director of enterprise sales. Proactive Dealer Solutions (PDS) uses deep machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics that can discover patterns using voice recognition to communicate more effectively with automotive consumers and […] [Read More]

Automotive compliance expert Max Zanan wants to help dealerships and their owners and principals learn about store employees who might be syphoning funds or doing other unethical or unscrupulous activities. This week, Zanan rolled out the Dealership Fraud Hotline, a new kind of whistleblowing automotive platform and hotline that can make it easier for dealership […] [Read More]

Car shoppers of today are searching online for a new vehicle at all hours of the day, every day, and customers expect instant responses from dealerships. With Facebook Marketplace, letgo and other social platforms, dealerships have opened new channels to connect with these customers. But as a result, many dealerships have trouble keeping up with car […] [Read More]

PureCars has new ownership. The company, which provides marketing automation and business intelligence software for the car industry, said Tuesday that Diversis Capital and Stage 1 Ventures are new strategic investors.  This purchase by Diversis and Stage 1 is part of PureCars' spinoff from Raycom Media, which has merged with Gray Television.  “Over a decade ago, […] [Read More]

The Appraisal Lane launched its consumer app for iPhone earlier this year, allowing consumers to tap into its live community of appraisal experts to receive a guaranteed cash offer for their used car in 30 minutes or less. Now, the company has launched the Android version of the app for consumers. After downloading The Appraisal […] [Read More]

Consumer engagement technology company Digital Air Strike says a new integration between its artificial intelligence-powered real-time messaging product, Response Path and Kelley Blue Book helps streamline the vehicle-sales process. The company says the integration gives car buyers all the information they need to purchase a vehicle through Response Path on a dealership’s website. Through Kelley Blue […] [Read More]

Guided retailing product provider ActiveEngage is partnering with TradeVue to add TradeUp to its digital retailing services. The companies said TradeUp allows dealers to manage and designate the range communicated to the buyer through person-to-person chat, giving dealerships more control over trade-in profits. The companies describe TradeUp as a versatile trade tool that they say […] [Read More]

Participants of a new certification program from automotive industry software company DealerSocket will have the opportunity to become certified on one or all of the company’s products, including CRM with its customer-retention tool RevenueRadar. The program will begin at DealerSocket’s User Summit, which will take place Aug. 21 to 23 in Anaheim, Calif.   For […] [Read More]

Projected growth in plug-in electric vehicles means challenges and opportunities for distribution utilities, according to Navigant Research. If PEVs are not managed intelligently, they can threaten overall grid reliability. But if they are aggregated and optimized with smart controls, they can offer grid services under new business model platforms such as microgrids and virtual power […] [Read More]