According to VinSolutions' CRM Usage Report, a study co-released by DealerKnows on Tuesday, the average dealer struggles to use their customer relationship management effectively in several key areas. The recent survey on the automotive industry's overall CRM usage and its impact on dealership performance showed that CRM usage is closely tied to overall dealership success. DealerKnows […] [Read More]

Under a new partnership between the two companies announced Tuesday, Hertz will use Shift’s online vehicle sales platform to sell its fleet vehicles directly to consumers. A pilot program was held in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. “It was just over two years ago we started helping Shift customers buy and sell their […] [Read More]

On Monday, Helion Automotive Technologies announced a list of five technology priorities for auto dealerships looking to improve operational efficiencies in 2017. The provider of information technology solutions for auto dealers said appropriating budgets to address the areas of internet bandwidth, wireless, incoming call flow, security and software licensing will help support the upcoming year’s […] [Read More]

A new automotive startup known as Prodigy emerged out of Silicon Valley on Monday, saying it will provide dealerships an end-to-end, tablet-based sales platform. The company says it provides dealerships “a chance to fight back and adapt to rapidly changing car-buying habits,” amid an atmosphere of tighter regulation, online vehicles sales platforms and changed behavior […] [Read More]

On Thursday, PureCars announced that it is a Bing Ads Select Partner, and now joins a number of other small and medium-sized business partners in the advertising industry that have demonstrated expertise in driving growth using the Bing Ads platform. “We are honored that Bing recognizes us as a valuable partner for their automotive clients,” […] [Read More]

When Dev Bhatia goes to pick up his children, there’s no need to lay on the horn or text back-and-forth. Dad pulls the car into the driveway and the kids automatically receive a notification on their phone. This happens through the use of connected-car technology from CalAmp, where Bhatia is senior director of product management. […] [Read More]

Beepi has merged into a new venture led by TrueCar founder Scott Painter and two former Tesla executives that will bring dealers into the fold, according to a news release provided Wednesday by public relations firm Kel & Partners. TechCrunch was first to report the news on Wednesday, indicating that Beepi had merged with the to-be-launched […] [Read More]

Artificial intelligent devices like Amazon’s virtual assistant smart speaker, Echo, makes it easier for consumers to purchase items from its online store, paving the way for future online vehicle shopping and research using virtual personal assistants. Information that is spoken to software on a device that processes the natural and conversational voice of users are […] [Read More]

Insurance claims management solutions provider Crawford & Company has bought an 85-percent membership interest in WeGoLook, an on-demand field inspection and verification services provider whose offering includes automotive. Boards of directors at both companies have approved the $36.125 million deal announced Tuesday, which is subject to certain conditions. Closing is expected to be in January. […] [Read More]

Donlen announced Tuesday that its next generation Vehicle Optimization Model (VOM), delivers enhanced functionality and features an upgraded user interface that makes analyzing and presenting results of fleet vehicle comparisons easier. “Donlen’s new and improved Vehicle Optimization Model provides our customers with the ability to change a variety of input parameters to enable powerful “what-if” […] [Read More]