Here’s some trivia for you. If you took all the drivers trading in hybrids and electric vehicles this year, what type of vehicle did about 22 percent of those folks end up buying in return? If you said “a new SUV,” you’re correct. This somewhat surprising statistic was shared recently by Edmunds.com, whose analysis illustrates […] [Read More]

Net Driven has been purchased by Internet Brands, an online media and software services organization that focuses on the automotive, health, legal, home and travel fields.   Acquiring marketing firm Net Driven further solidifies Internet Brands’ presence in the automotive market, which already includes companies such as Autodata solutions, Chrome Data and CarsDirect. "Net Driven's […] [Read More]

Selling cars becomes more and more like running an electronics store every year with the massive amounts of in-car technology becoming prevalent. Cars today can do things like tell you where to go, control the temperature, beam your favorite songs from space and protect you from that car in your blind spot that you missed […] [Read More]

Cars.com announced Tuesday that it has rolled out a new Service & Repair feature that aims to guide consumers through this process of vehicle ownership. The online feature is designed to help “remove the stress and fear of the unknown associated with automotive service and repair,” Cars.com said in a news release. The tool’s features […] [Read More]

DMEautomotive is being purchased by Solera Holdings. An agreement was announced Wednesday morning for Solera to buy the Florida-based company that provides risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace. “Combining DMEa’s proprietary technologies with Solera’s existing portfolio will enable Solera’s customers to increase customer retention and drive loyalty through […] [Read More]

DealerSocket highlighted a new integration with MyDealerLot (MDL), a provider in the application of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies for automated guest recognition and vehicle tracking. The company explained this integration enhances the customer experience within the sales and service departments. The tool can strategically alert the sales and service staff that a customer has […] [Read More]

Gubagoo announced Monday the upgrades to its ChatSmart platform interface for dealers. The enhancements highlighted by the company for its “smart” chat platform include advanced Google Analytics integration and further device support, which now works on computers, tablets and phones. ChatSmart has also added SMS text-to-chat functionality, which opens up direct communication on mobile devices and […] [Read More]

Tablet users aren’t hard to spot if you’ve flown commercially recently or visited a local coffee shop. But a new survey by Auto/Mate Dealership Systems says the penetration of dealerships leveraging these devices still isn’t too high. At least not yet.  Auto/Mate determined that only 20 percent of dealerships use mobile tablets in their sales and […] [Read More]

VinSolutions launched a new equity mining tool for dealers on Tuesday, which aims to capitalize on the growing importance of customer data. Target, the new tool in the VinConnect customer relationship management (CRM) solution, works to allow dealers to mine their customer databases in an effort to find more sales opportunities and convert them, using […] [Read More]

Automotive strategic information and insight provider IHS Automotive announced its Integrated Lead and Incentive Management solution that has launched in partnership with HookLogic. The solution aims to help OEM national sales companies improve their web-based lead performance and incentive management as part of its larger audience analysis, targeting and activation service. According to the company, […] [Read More]