He knows the housing market and house music. He knows cars and The Cars. An economist who moved from the real estate market to the automotive market — while moonlighting as a DJ — Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke is among our first-ever honorees in the Automotive Intelligence Awards: Industry Analysts program. Smoke joins […] [Read More]

A vehicle shipping marketplace received a $12 million investment this week. Carpool Logistics announced it has raised $12 million in Series A growth capital in a round led by Wavecrest Growth Partners, with participation from CarMax, Impel founders Devin Daly and Michael Quigley, and auto industry veteran David Metter. Carpool said the new funding will […] [Read More]

GoTo has launched a new version of its artificial intelligence-powered communications platform that’s purpose-built for automotive dealerships. The cloud communications and IT provider said GoTo Connect for Automotive is designed to give dealerships a single platform that offers CRM integrations, real-time multi-rooftop reporting and modern communication channels to optimize dealership outcomes by allowing customers to […] [Read More]

Ship.Cars is ramping up security. The software provider for car hauling companies has introduced new security measures that aim to protect carriers from the threat of fraud in auto transportation, including password requirements, mandatory two-factor authentication, proprietary fraud detection tools and continuous carrier USDOT authority monitoring. The company also unveiled plans to develop a new […] [Read More]

CarData and Velocity Automotive Marketing are expanding their partnership into Southern California with the acquisition of Tristar Digital Services. CarData, a provider of vehicle inventory photography, said the strategic acquisition strengthens its reach and “enhances its ability to deliver high-quality automotive photography and digital merchandising solutions to dealerships throughout the region.” “Our mission has always […] [Read More]

Automotive Ventures general partner Steve Greenfield works with a wide array of investors and start-up companies. Greenfield can now add Assurant Ventures to his list of industry collaborations. The venture capital investment arm of Assurant on Wednesday announced an investment in Automotive Ventures’ Mobility Fund II. The fund focuses on identifying and supporting innovative early-stage […] [Read More]

Experian is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its Innovation Lab in North America, a cornerstone of the company’s long-time commitment to innovation around data and technology. Over the past decade and a half, Experian highlighted the lab has helped drive transformative advancements that have reshaped industries, including the introduction of no- and low-code AI solutions […] [Read More]

Point Predictive is gaining significant fraud-prevention traction among dealership groups, too. The provider of artificial intelligence solutions for consumer lending announced a pair of dealership groups have implemented BorrowerCheck across their dealerships to enhance their fraud prevention and strengthen lender relationships. The new users include Bayway Auto Group, one of Houston’s automotive dealer groups, and […] [Read More]

As part of the inaugural Automotive Intelligence Awards, Cherokee Media Group is honoring a select group of Emerging Companies that improve a specific aspect of the automotive industry through technology. Industry leaders see these four honorees as being on the cusp of automotive innovation and tech development. They’re all “on to something” that could turn […] [Read More]

Allen Dobbins is back in the automotive software space. On Tuesday, Dobbins led the launch of Emotive ERP, an all-in-one software platform specifically designed for independent auto finance companies Having previously built and orchestrated operations at AutoStar Solutions, Sigma Payment Solutions and SecureClose, Dobbins highlighted that Emotive ERP can eliminate outdated, fragmented systems that slow […] [Read More]