This week included a pair of significant, technologically driven moves by the Blue Oval to capitalize on possibilities for electric vehicles as well as cloud connectivity. On Wednesday, Rivian announced an equity investment of $500 million from Ford. In addition to the investment, the companies have agreed to work together to develop an all-new, next-generation […] [Read More]

At NADA Show 2019 earlier this year, we caught up with Jessica Stafford, who is senior vice president and general manager of Autotrader. She explains how the conversation around digital automotive retail has "shifted" from a year ago and why digital retail was such a big theme at the NADA convention. Plus, Stafford talks about Autotrader's […] [Read More]

Many people know LoJack as a stolen vehicle recovery company. Now, LoJack’s parent company, CalAmp, is partnering with Trophy Automotive Dealer Group to launch two LoJack products that CalAmp says will improve inventory management and provide customers with advanced connected car, driver safety and security services. Trophy will launch LoJack LotSmart and LoJack SureDrive across […] [Read More]

Thanks to a new partnership announced Tuesday, a consumer who leases a vehicle through the Honcker on-demand leasing platform will able to sell his or her existing vehicle to Carvana. Honcker has integrated the online used-car retailer’s proprietary technology into its platform, allowing consumers to receive an offer on their existing ride through Carvana and set up […] [Read More]

Shift, an automotive ecommerce retailer, has expanded its operations into Portland, Ore., and Sacramento, Calif., where consumers can now access its car-buying and car-selling services. The move into Oregon, specifically, will utilize Shift’s ongoing partnership with Lithia Motors, a publicly traded dealership group in Medford, Ore. Shift now has nine operational markets, as Portland and […] [Read More]

What third-party site provides the most valuable leads for car dealers? In this industry, that’s a million-dollar question. But it’s a riddle that one company, in particular, is trying to figure out. Driven Data, which offers a customer data platform for the auto industry, has released the Classified Lead Quality Index, which through aggregated statistics […] [Read More]

Consider these two models of automotive retail. First: a pure online model, where the shopper selects a car online and buys it sight-unseen. The second and more traditional: A shopper goes to a physical store and selects from hundreds of vehicles on site. Shift, an automotive ecommerce retailer, doesn’t believe either end of that spectrum is […] [Read More]

Cox Automotive is leading a $30 million investment round in San Francisco-based Fyusion, a company in the 360-degree and 3D imaging technology space. The investment aims to “accelerate the digital buying and selling experience, bringing it closer to a live interaction,” Cox Automotive said in a news release announcing the investment. Other participants in the […] [Read More]

Members from the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI) and representatives from major technology companies and automakers convened at IBM’s China Headquarters in Shanghai on Wednesday to discuss the way forward to accelerate the development of connected cars and autonomous mobility solutions. Organizers explained the first APAC MOBI Colloquium set out to explore the current state […] [Read More]

Automotive logistics company ACERTUS has promoted John Heimann to chief information officer. Heimann was previously ACERTUS associate vice president of information technology.  In the new position, Heimann will direct the overall strategy of the company’s IT function, with a goal of helping the company stay ahead of industry trends. ACERTUS co-founder and chief executive officer […] [Read More]