Just five years after selling its first used vehicle in Atlanta, Carvana has added an additional vehicle pickup option to complement its Car Vending Machines.  Carvana is now also offering vehicle pickup via Carvana Curbside, the company’s new smaller format purchase fulfillment concept. Following the success of an early iteration in Atlanta, the company announced Wednesday […] [Read More]

In this episode, Joe talks with Rod Buscher, founder and chief executive officer of Blinker, a peer-to-peer online auto app that allows consumers to use their smartphones to buy, list and finance vehicles. Buscher was also a founder of the John Elway Dealerships, where he worked in partnership with the Denver Broncos legend before the […] [Read More]

Online auto lease concierge service Carlease has raised $3.5 million in an initial funding round led by venture capital firm Lightbank, along with a group of auto industry veterans that includes Mitch Golub, Kayne Grau and Justin Mahlik. Golub is the former president of Cars.com, while Grau (also a former Cars.com executive) and Mahlik are […] [Read More]

Oracle Data Cloud has chosen a total of nine Tier 3 auto marketing agencies to qualify for a new advanced data training program and receive an Oracle Data Cloud’s Auto Elite Data Marketer designation. The program is designed to help agencies use digital data to effectively allocate their marketing resources, the company said. Oracle’s selected […] [Read More]

In addition to announcing new launches in California and Florida on Tuesday, Colorado-based peer-to-peer car sales app Blinker also introduced a new partnership with Ally to offer vehicle protection products. This expansion follows Blinker's recent move into Texas in March. The company first joined the peer-to-peer car sales space two years ago in its home state of Colorado […] [Read More]

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced Monday that its team of five software developers came in first place and won a grand prize of $3,000 participating in the Hack Tech Valley Hackathon competition held at Schenectady County Community College in New York. Sixteen teams of coders had 24 hours to come up with an innovative software application […] [Read More]

ELEAD1ONE introduced on Monday its DealBuilder online car-buying application that enables salespeople to be completely mobile while guiding customers through the car-buying process. The new app can be used in-store with DealerBuilder Showroom, or on a dealer’s website with DealBuilder Online to show inventory, confirm quotes, communicate with managers, fill out credit apps and scan […] [Read More]

As a long-time car enthusiast, I can’t help but get excited by all the attention being lavished on the automotive industry right now. There are times as a venture capitalist, however, when I wonder if the spike in financings and associated high valuations are signs that we are in a bubble that’s about to burst. […] [Read More]

In addition to efficiency gains, Grappone Automotive Group's Mark Brown says Roadster's Express trade tool has brought its stores increase opportunity for customer loyalty. “They really appreciate the fact that we give them a firm offer that is competitive and relevant to the third-party resources that are out there in the world and are accurate,” Brown, the group’s […] [Read More]

The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association said Thursday that ACV Auctions is now a bronze-level national corporate partner of the organization. This follows news from earlier this month, when ACV announced a $31 million round of Series C venture funding that will allow it to double its footprint and expand coast-to-coast by year’s end. In […] [Read More]