TradePending, which provides vehicle valuation and merchandising software to car dealers, said Wednesday it has added former CDK Global and AutoNation executive Ron Frey and AutoHook founder David Metter to its board. Frey — who in his current role as principal at RL Frey, Inc. is working as a business and transaction advisor, automotive strategist and […] [Read More]

Spiffy didn’t have to go too far for its latest franchise launch. The on-demand car care, tech and services company said Wednesday that its newest franchise has opened in Greensboro, N.C., which is roughly an hour from Spiffy headquarters. This is the sixth franchise market in which Spiffy has opened since March. The franchise owner, […] [Read More]

Privacy4Cars announced a Series A investment round Tuesday led by FM Capital, with additional investment by Automotive Ventures. The round is the first fundraising from institutional investors for Privacy4Cars, a tech company that aims to identify and resolve data privacy issues in the auto industry. Both FM Capital and Automotive Ventures specialize in the automotive/transportation […] [Read More]

Vroom continues its expansion, with news coming Tuesday that it has opened a Phoenix Last Mile hub in Tolleson, Ariz. While the online retailer has delivered cars in the area since its 2012 founding, the hub provides a delivery experience that “more personalized concierge service where customer advocates transport cars directly to car buyers’ driveways […] [Read More]

There’s another AI in the automotive technology space. Automotive Innovations (Ai), which goes by the same acronym as artificial intelligence, launched its suite of dealership tools on Monday. According to a news release, Ai offers an all-in-one solution that can allow dealers to replace multiple tools, increase profits and get real-time visibility into their business. […] [Read More]

More assistance is in motion for Blue Oval retailers. automotiveMastermind — part of IHS Markit and a provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for dealerships — recently formed a partnership with FordDirect. As a result of the relationship, the companies highlighted that the new integrations will be offered to both current and future […] [Read More]

After landing two partnerships last summer with fleet operators, YourMechanic on Friday announced the launch of its consumer iOS and Android apps to gain more business from private vehicle owners. YourMechanic highlighted that the apps can enable vehicle owners to seamlessly order hundreds of warranty-backed auto repair and maintenance services right to their home driveways […] [Read More]

Though not without challenges, it was a strong quarter for the three major publicly traded online used-car marketplaces. Vroom posted record ecommerce unit sales and gross profits, Shift reached record revenues and unit sales and Carvana’s net income was positive for the first time ever. Here is a recap of the highlights from the three […] [Read More]

Engaged dealership personnel might be engaging with potential buyers via text message more than ever nowadays. Recognizing the growing influence of text communication in dealer/buyer engagement, Fox Dealer recently announce the acquisition of Simplext Digital immediate response solution and the formation of a partnership with LetzChat, a text-and-chat platform providing real-time translation in more than […] [Read More]

Following an April launch on the fleet side, Spiffy’s first franchise group in San Jose, Calif., is now providing on-demand car care services to consumers there. The franchise’s co-owners and operators are Alina Siert, Matt Siert, Lucille Sablan and Eric Sablan. The group also owns a LeanFeast franchise. In a news release, Spiffy said a […] [Read More]