Ravin AI, which provides artificial intelligence-powered visual inspection services, said Wednesday that Hertz is piloting the company’s AI technology in Sweden and Norway. The collaboration is designed to improve the “efficiency, objectivity and standardization” for Hertz’s inspections and improve the customer experience. “We’ve tested different technologies that focus on automation and vehicle inspection, and Ravin […] [Read More]

Two major developments connected with Automotive Ventures’ Steve Greenfield surfaced on Tuesday and Wednesday, less than a week ahead of NAVIcon and Used Car Week in San Diego. First, Greenfield and three other industry entrepreneurs launched a tool that can track more than 140 of the top dealer groups in the United States. Then, the […] [Read More]

CarNow announced a new senior vice president of sales on Friday. Hired for the role is Eric Kaser, who was VP of sales at Ungerboeck and DealerSocket before coming aboard at CarNow. His background also includes time with Reynolds and Reynolds. “I am excited to join CarNow where the culture is strong, the platform is […] [Read More]

AutoLeadStar, a digital customer data and experience platform, has landed a $40 million round of funding led by Riverwood Capital and with existing investors participating, as well. The company provides artificial intelligence-powered marketing automation technology to dealerships and OEMs. Nearly 1,000 dealerships in the U.S. and Canada use AutoLeadStar’s software. “The customer car purchasing experience […] [Read More]

Repairify said Wednesday it has launched and subsequently operated a two-sided sublet repair marketplace — Repair OnDemand — that is designed to connect sublet repair professionals with fleet owners, auctions, dealerships and independent repair facilities. There are more than 16,000 sublet auto repair professionals available through the platform, which has seen its network grow. “Our […] [Read More]

Urban Science rolled out a new tool this week that is designed to answer one of the most intriguing questions during your regular sales meetings. The company launched SalesAlert, what Urban Science called an “industry first” solution that can notify dealers when a sales lead has purchased a vehicle from another dealership. Urban Science explained […] [Read More]

The TrueCar+ online car-buying platform, which launched in Florida, is expanding to additional states in the Southeast: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, TrueCar said Thursday. The online platform has also gained new capabilities such as F&I and accessories menus, communications tools, nationwide delivery and other perks. “This expansion demonstrates our commitment to […] [Read More]

STELLA Automotive AI is seeing more demand for its high-end conversational artificial intelligence technology, so the company made corresponding personnel moves on Wednesday. STELLA announced the expansion of its operations team with the promotion of Joshua Capps as its new director and Noah Pollack as technical support manager.  The company highlighted that Capps, originally hired […] [Read More]

Perhaps 2022 is just the year of the acquisition — from auctions to artificial intelligence software providers to dealerships. The latest move arrived on Tuesday, as Impel, a provider of digital automotive engagement software and data, announced that it is acquiring CarLabs.ai, a U.S.-based provider of conversational AI products for the automotive industry. Impel highlighted […] [Read More]

Two dealership service providers now are working together to help managers get their inventory to stand tall on the front line faster. Dealer Image Pro, a leader in professional photo, video, and interactive 360-degree software for dealerships, announced it has integrated its Photo Assistant and Autoport software with Rapid Recon’s reconditioning workflow software to improve […] [Read More]