Classic vehicle insurance provider Hagerty announced Monday it is stepping into the car-rental space with the company's latest acquisition of the peer-to-peer online marketplace for classic cars: Classics&Exotics. Hagerty has relaunched this marketplace, which is boasted as the Airbnb of vintage and exotic cars, as DriveShare by Hagerty. The peer-to-peer marketplace has connected American drivers with classic cars […] [Read More]

Scalability can be a challenge for any startup, and that certainly is evident in automotive, where the business of selling cars has a lot of moving parts — both metaphorically and within the vehicle itself. With $295 million in equity funding (as of mid-July), national vehicle delivery capabilities and a 2015 purchase that drove vehicle […] [Read More]

HomeNet Automotive recently announced that it has been approved by General Motors to join its in-Market Retail (iMR) Turnkey Vendor Program. Using their iMR funds, participating GM dealers can now receive co-op reimbursement for their purchase of HomeNet’s Inventory Online (IOL) Overdrive, the company said. “HomeNet is a proven leader in helping dealers save time […] [Read More]

LotLinx recently announced a new partnership to fully link VistaDash's marketing metrics platform to LotLinx TURN, which provides dealers with metrics on targeted shoppers, total spend, sold VINS, conversions and engagements on vehicle detail pages. To help dealers make marketing decisions that improve their ROI and digital ad spend, LotLinx customers now have access to VistaDash metrics via […] [Read More]

Carvana has grown its Tennessee footprint with the recent additions of both Chattanooga and Knoxville markets. The online used-vehicle retailer announced Wednesday that Chattanooga- and Knoxville-area residents can now browse Carvana.com to finance, purchase and trade in old vehicles. After making a purchase, customers can arrange for vehicles to be delivered as soon as the next […] [Read More]

Element Fleet Management recently introduced Connected Data, a new service for fleet performance insights that streams vehicle data from both OnStar and other connected car systems in non-GM vehicles. Connected Data gives fleet managers the ability to tailor analytics to meet common reporting and regulatory needs, according to Element. The new service offers dealers a […] [Read More]

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems recently unveiled a new texting engine built into its dealership management system designed to help dealers quickly communicate with customers. Sales and service departments can use the new texting engine for a variety of customer experience related functions, according to Auto/Mate. "Auto/Mate’s Texting is simpler and far less expensive than most tools currently […] [Read More]

A new online review monitoring service, LotRep.com, designed to help dealers accurately monitor and track online consumer reviews in real-time via multiple platforms, launched Thursday. The site’s software allows dealerships to efficiently and effectively manage online reviews, according to the company. "Online reviews have changed the way business is done in this day and age. […] [Read More]

In buying Carlypso, Carvana got that homeowner’s toolset you might find at the hardware store — the one with all those extra pieces you need for the next job around the house. Carlypso began as a peer-to-peer car-selling service, eventually becoming a managed marketplace where consumers could access wholesale vehicles directly, Carvana explained in a […] [Read More]

automotiveMastermind has been named a finalist for three 2017 Software-as-a-Service Awards’ in categories for Best User Experience, Best Data-Driven SaaS Product and Best SaaS Product for Sales and Marketing. Now in its second year of recognizing innovation in software, the SaaS Awards program accepts entries from both the U.S. and across the globe.   SaaS Award […] [Read More]