Airbag control unit (ACU) defect that causes the safety devices to fail affects airbags also supplied to numerous other vehicle manufacturers, including Toyota/Acura, Honda, FiatChrysler/Dodge/Jeep, and Mitsubishi

On April 29, 2019, Lieff Cabraser and Baron & Budd filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in California on behalf of consumers across the U.S. against Hyundai Motor America, Kia Motor America, and ZF-TRW Automotive Holding Corp. over defective vehicle airbags that fail to operate during crashes due to electrical overstress (“EOS”). As detailed in the Complaint, a defect in the application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) built into the airbags causes a failure in the Airbag Control Unit that prevents the airbags and the seat belt pretensioners, both vital to maximizing safety in a vehicle crash, from deploying. As the Complaint further alleges, ZF-TRW, Hyundai, and Kia became aware of the ACU defect as early as 2011, but did nothing to protect consumers or warn of the product dangers until 2018.

As the Complaint states, “From 2011 through 2015, ZF-TRW, Hyundai, and Kia investigated airbag non-deployments in several Kia and Hyundai vehicles but failed to inform NHTSA that there was an issue until the end of 2015. Even after advising NHTSA in 2015, each of these companies downplayed the severity and frequency of these non-deployment crashes. It was not until February and June of 2018 that Hyundai and Kia, respectively, issued product recalls as to a small segment of their vehicles.”

Throughout this nearly decade-long period, unsuspecting U.S. consumers purchased vehicles with defective ACUs which create a dangerous condition that gives rise to a clear, substantial, and unreasonable danger of personal injury, indisputably posing a grave and wholly unnecessary safety risk.

As the Complaint notes, “ZF-TRW, Hyundai, and Kia put profits ahead of safety by continuing to equip vehicles with ACUs year after year, even though they knew or should have known those ACUs were defective. Despite the number of airbag failures, injuries, and deaths caused by the ASIC Defect, ZF-TRW, Hyundai, and Kia were slow to fully investigate the problem and slow to report the danger to drivers and passengers of all ACU equipped vehicles. Only after several deaths, injuries, and investigations did Hyundai and Kia choose to recall a fraction of their vehicles equipped with the ASIC Defect.”

“This is not just fraud but also an astonishing breach of the public trust,” notes Lieff Cabraser partner David Stellings, one of the lawyers who filed the class action lawsuit. “Airbags and seat belts exist for only one reason: to protect passengers from being hurt in a crash.  The defective ZF-TRW airbag and seatbelt system Hyundai and Kia installed in their cars do exactly the opposite – they stop working when the car crashes.  Millions of drivers and passengers are at risk of being injured or killed.”

The Complaint notes that as a result of this misconduct, Plaintiffs and members of the proposed Classes were harmed and suffered actual damages; they did not receive the benefit of their bargain, and instead purchased or leased vehicles that are of a lesser standard, grade, and quality than represented, and did not receive vehicles that met ordinary and reasonable consumer expectations regarding safe and reliable operation. Purchasers or lessees of the affected vehicles paid more, either through a higher purchase price or higher lease payments, than they would have had the ASIC defect been disclosed. Plaintiffs and the Classes were deprived of having a safe, defect-free airbag installed in their vehicles, and ZF-TRW, Hyundai, and Kia unjustly benefited from their unconscionable delay in recalling its defective products, as they avoided incurring the costs associated with recalls and installing replacement parts for years.

Vehicles in the Lawsuit

“Class Vehicles” refers to the Kia Forte 2013; Kia Forte Koup 2013; Kia Optima 2013-2019; Kia Optima Hybrid 2012-2016; Kia Sedona 2014; Hyundai Sonata 2013-2019; and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 2013-2019. (The defective ZF-TRW airbags were also supplied to other vehicle manufacturers, including Toyota/Acura, Honda, FiatChrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep, and Mitsubishi.)

The class action lawsuit states claims that include fraud, fraudulent concealment, violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, unjust enrichment, violation of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act for Breach of Implied Warranty of Merchantability, and violation of the California Unfair Competition Law. The lawsuit seeks class certification as well as remedies in the form of an order enjoining  Hyundai and Kia from further deceptive distribution, sales, and lease practices with respect to the affected vehicles, an award to plaintiffs and the class members of compensatory, exemplary, and punitive damages, and an award for the return of the purchase price of the affected vehicles.

About Lieff Cabraser

Recognized as “one of the nation’s premier plaintiffs’ firms” by The American Lawyer, Lieff Cabraser is a national plaintiffs’ law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Nashville. We have successfully prosecuted scores of product defect class action lawsuits against many of the largest U.S. manufacturers and corporations. Working with co-counsel, we have achieved judgments and settlements in these cases in excess of $19 billion for consumers. Learn more at lieffcabraser.com.

About Baron & Budd

Established more than four decades ago to fight for workers injured by asbestos, Baron & Budd has expanded to confront not only the asbestos industry but also other societal threats such as water contamination, unsafe pharmaceutical drugs and devices, financial industry fraud, and automobile recalls. Baron & Budd has been named repeatedly to “The Plaintiffs’ Hot List” of exemplary plaintiffs’ firms in the United States by The National Law Journal. Legal 500 has repeatedly honored Baron & Budd for being one of the top two law firms in the U.S. for toxic tort claims.

Source/Contact

Nimish Desai
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
ndesai@lchb.com
415 956-1000

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – April 30, 2019 – CDK Global, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDK), a leading retail automotive technology company, today announced that Mahesh Shah, 43, has joined the Company as executive vice president, chief product and technology officer (CPTO). Mahesh officially began this role on Monday, April 22, and will be based in the organization’s new San Jose office.

”Bringing more than 20 years of technology industry experience, I am thrilled to welcome Mahesh to CDK,” said Brian Krzanich, president and CEO, CDK Global. “I am confident that he has the talent, expertise and fresh perspective necessary to lead our innovation and R&D roadmap as we continue to pursue a growth strategy and modernize the industry’s core technologies.” 

As CPTO, Mahesh will accelerate innovation, research and development, and building and testing for our product portfolio. Mahesh joins CDK from DXC Technology, where he most recently served as senior vice president and general manager of applications and global business process services.

“CDK is in a unique position to bring innovative technology that will solve the evolving automotive industry’s broad challenges, as well as the distinct obstacles facing our customers,” said Shah. “I have a great deal of trust in and respect for Brian Krzanich, and I am honored and eager to work under his leadership to develop technology that enables CDK to create great experiences for our dealer partners, OEMs and their customers.”

Prior to DXC Technology, Mahesh spent 16 years, in various roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) including building a consulting organization focused on M&A, serving as chief information officer, vice president, Product R&D and IT, and executive director, Security Product Management and Development, to name a few. 

Early in his career, Mahesh was also a senior consultant for IBM Global Services, where he managed large-scale technology projects for many Fortune 100 companies. Mahesh earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in management information systems from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, and his Masters of Business Administration degree from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. He has served on the board of advisors for several technology startups.

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About CDK Global
With more than $2 billion in revenues, CDK Global (Nasdaq: CDK) is a leading global provider of integrated information technology and digital marketing solutions to the automotive retail and adjacent industries. Focused on enabling end-to-end automotive commerce, CDK Global provides solutions to dealers in more than 100 countries around the world, serving approximately 30,000 retail locations and most automotive manufacturers. CDK solutions automate and integrate all parts of the dealership and buying process from targeted digital advertising and marketing campaigns to the sale, financing, insuring, parts supply, repair, and maintenance of vehicles. Visit cdkglobal.com.

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Roxanne Pipitone

847.485.4423

Roxanne.pipitone@cdk.com

Investor Relations Contact: 
Katie Coleman

847.485.4650

katherine.coleman@cdk.com

Partnership and DMS platform integration enable independent dealers to seamlessly create and syndicate virtual vehicle walkarounds

SYRACUSE, NY and CANTON, NY – April 23, 2019 – Frazer Computing, Inc., the leading provider of Dealer Management Software (DMS) for independent auto dealers, and SpinCar, the global leader in digital automotive merchandising software, today announced a partnership that brings the opportunity for personalized digital merchandising to more than 20,000 independent used car dealerships in the US. Dealers using the Frazer DMS can now benefit from a direct integration with SpinCar’s digital merchandising platform to seamlessly create and syndicate virtual vehicle walkarounds, photos and videos to their own dealer websites, as well as to a number of leading third-party marketplaces, including Cars.com, Autotrader and Facebook. Existing Frazer customers can contact their regional Frazer representative to activate SpinCar’s suite of digital merchandising solutions and data-powered innovations.

Since 1985, Frazer has provided full-featured Dealer Management Software to independent used car dealerships across the nation. The company has become a trusted partner to dealers of all sizes, and its Dealer Management Software is currently used by more than 20,800 dealers across all 50 states to manage all facets of their business. Frazer’s inventory management, sales processing and full accounting suite help independent dealers grow their businesses and increase productivity.

SpinCar’s digital merchandising platform enables auto dealers to deliver more personalized interactions at every touchpoint. By bringing interactive vehicle walkarounds and feature walkthroughs to automotive retail websites, dealers are able to recreate the in-person sales experience for online car shoppers. These personalized online experiences generate greater shopper engagement and proprietary first party behavioral data that helps them build trust with consumers. SpinCar’s newest product, Feature Tour, helps dealers educate online car shoppers with personalized, multimedia experiences that showcase the unique features of a vehicle that are most relevant to each individual consumer.

“SpinCar has established itself as the leading provider of digital merchandising capabilities to the auto industry, and this partnership provides us with the opportunity to deliver even greater value to the thousands of used car dealers that trust Frazer to power their businesses,” said Mike Frazer, President, Frazer Computing, Inc. “We look forward to working with SpinCar to help independent used car dealers drive superior business results through more engaging online experiences and more personalized interactions at every touchpoint.”

“Independent auto dealers play a major role in the used car market, and Frazer is a key enabler of their success,” said Devin Daly, SpinCar CEO. “With more than 90% of consumers starting their car buying journey online, personalized digital merchandising is critical to building trust and engagement with shoppers before they ever set foot in a physical dealership. As the market for used cars becomes increasingly competitive, independent dealers need to continue to take advantage of new technologies to differentiate themselves. We are thrilled to be partnering with Frazer to bring these advanced digital merchandising capabilities to independent dealers around the country.”

About Frazer

Frazer is a leading provider of Dealer Management Software for independent used car dealers. With over 20,000 active users, Frazer provides a full-featured, affordable DMS that is easy to use, completely reliable and backed by exceptional customer support. To learn more about Frazer, visit Frazer.com.

Jake Morley
Frazer
+1 888-963-5369

About SpinCar

SpinCar offers automotive dealers, OEMs and online marketplaces the industry’s most advanced platform for digital automotive merchandising. The company’s full suite of data and technology solutions builds greater trust between buyers and sellers by enabling more personalized interactions across the entire car shopping journey. To learn more about SpinCar, visit SpinCar.com.

One of the main reasons DrivingSales exists is to optimize a dealership’s greatest asset: it’s people.  We really enjoy it when we hear of individuals growing in their careers and improving their dealerships.

At DrivingSales Presidents Club 2019 we presented our first Automotive Excellence Award.  This award is designed to recognize an employee that is advancing not only their career, but their dealership as a whole.  We had three criteria. First, we wanted to find someone that is creating measurable impact and change. Second, leadership only matters if you bring along a team.  This individual must impact people around them. Finally, impact on one’s self. We owe it to the people we work with to improve ourselves.

Our winner?

James Cornelison, General Manager at Jack Burford Chevrolet in Richmond, Kentucky.

In an extremely competitive market, James has transformed his dealership culture.  The store has changed so much so that people who have left the organization are asking to come back.  They sense the difference. This transformation has resulted in increased sales, but that’s only part of it.  James has got his Dealer Principal re-energized and excited to be in the car business again.

“James has become my right and left arm” said John Burford, Dealer Principal, “and has taken us to a different level.  I have customers tell me the difference in your store from a year and a half ago to today; it’s an entirely different store. It’s fun. I went from thinking I don’t want to work today to getting up early.”

“You can be in the best market in the world,” James continued, “but if you don’t have the right attitudes and the right people, and if your management team is not doing the things it takes every single day, it’s not going to work long-term.”

In Seth Godin’s book Linchpin, he talks about how to become someone that is vital and essential to an organization.  He wrote, “Perhaps you need to get in touch with what it means to feel passionate. People with passion look for ways to make things happen…The combination of passion and art is what makes someone a linchpin…”

It’s refreshing that in the mature industry of automotive retail, we can still find individuals that make this kind of an impact.  Congratulations James Cornelison!

I could make a case that the Service Advisor is the most important job role in the dealership.  We’ve all heard that sales sells the first car and service sells the rest, and the Service Advisor is the linchpin that makes this possible.  In many cases, customers aren’t excited to bring their car in. It could mean hundreds of dollars (or more) in repair costs. Your job is to maximize profit for the dealership and delight the customer so that they want to come back and do business with your store again.

Let’s discuss some of the keys to selling service.  These three critical keys aren’t steps in a process.  Rather, they are built into your entire interaction with a customer.  There are more than these three, but mastering the following keys will increase your engagement and interaction with customers.

The first key is start positive and end positive. When presenting repair recommendations to a customer, start with the green.  Follow that with recommendations, and finish with a positive statement. For example, “Mrs Smith, I have great news.  Overall your vehicle is in really good shape. The brakes are in good condition. You’ve taken really good care of your car.  As you can see this report card shows mostly green. I wanted to bring to your attention, the tires are really worn. I’ve priced some options for you, and replacing them will dramatically help improve the vehicle performance.  Once the tires are completed, Mrs Smith, your vehicle will be back in great condition and back to all green on the report card.”

Next, focus on the customer. They can tell when you’re in it for the money or when you’re there to help.  Never put the money before the customer. Most importantly, focus on the customer and not the car.  This is difficult to do, but will drastically improve your results.

What do I mean?  Let’s talk about transactional versus relationship selling.

Transactional selling is short-term.  The advisor is primarily concerned with the transaction and selling the product with little or no emphasis on the customer needs.  It is based on price and money, with little regard for loyalty.

Relationship selling in long-term.  It involves building a relationship and getting to know the customer.  You focus on their wants and needs. It’s more about lifetime customer value and less about one-time RO value.  This fosters loyalty.

Finally, plant a seed and create a need.  This can impact your current RO, but more importantly future opportunities with the customer.  For example, “when was the last time you performed a coolant flush?” or “ when was the last time you had the air filter replaced?”  By asking this simple question your customer will establish their own need. It also lets them know they may need to be thinking about that coolant flush or air filter.

When selling service remember to start and end positive, focus on the customer, and to plant a seed and create a need. When you are able to consistently achieve these three key touchpoints you will not only be a better Service Advisor, you will create trust with the customer. This will enable you to achieve your end goal, which is to create customers for life.

Powerful integrations provide more opportunities for consumers and Automotive Dealerships to connect, communicate, and drive lead conversion

Orlando, FL (April 8, 2019) — Gubagoo, a leading provider of conversational commerce solutions for Automotive Dealerships and OEMs, today announced that their flagship ChatSmart advanced live chat solution now features integrations with three leading technologies: Google Messaging, Car Wars’ call tracking tool and HubSpot’s marketing automation application. These integrations build upon ChatSmart’s existing portfolio of more than 80 integrations.

Google Messaging is a new method for consumers to send messages to businesses from Google search results, Google ads and Google Maps. Consumers who search for a dealership on Google or in Google Maps can initiate a conversation with the dealership with click-to message on Google organic search results, Google ads, and within Google Maps. Gubagoo’s team of trained chat specialists will handle chat responses on behalf of the dealership, with the dealership staff having the ability to jump into the conversation using the Gubagoo Live web and mobile app.

Gubagoo’s integration with Hubspot’s marketing automation application allows for Gubagoo leads to automatically populate into HubSpot, where dealers can then create and execute marketing campaigns targeted to these leads. Details added to HubSpot include contact information as well as make, model and year of vehicle of interest and lead type (sales or service).

“Setting up the integration between Gubagoo and HubSpot was easy and painless. We were literally set up in a few days which illustrates the high standard of service that Gubagoo provides,” said Josh Pogue, Digital Marketing Manager for Weins Canada. “The integration allows us to leverage HubSpot’s marketing automation capability to run custom campaigns and provide source attribution on Gubagoo leads as soon as they come in. I am confident we’ll be able to convert even more Gubagoo leads into sales and with a lot less effort.”

Dealerships that use Car Wars for SMS and call tracking can now text enable all existing dealership phone numbers, making it easier for consumers to text with the dealership through Gubagoo’s communication platform. Additionally, with enhanced visibility into Gubagoo SMS conversations, Car Wars can provide analytics and tracking on SMS in addition to phone calls. All text exchanges will be available in the Gubagoo Live platform and in the dealership’s CRM.

"Both phone calls and text messages play a vital role in the customer experience and how they interact with dealerships, and we're seeing a huge rise in the number of texts that come through the local and toll-free lines Car Wars tracks for dealers,” said Justin Sarnowski, VP, Product, Car Wars. “Many of our dealers were raving about Gubagoo and wanted all texts to live in the platform they were already using, so we got together with Gubagoo to build an integration that tracks texts through Car Wars tracking lines but drives communication through Gubagoo's conversational commerce platform."

“These powerful new integrations open up more opportunities for consumers and dealers to connect and establish a relationship,” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo. “As a company focused on innovation we are constantly looking for leading technology and tools we can integrate with that will provide immense value and convenience to dealers.”

Gubagoo’s live chat, text, and digital retailing solutions currently feature more than 80 powerful integrations which include Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat, Google, and more.

The Google Messaging, Car Wars and HubSpot integrations are accessible today for all Gubagoo ChatSmart users.

Gubagoo will giving live product demonstrations of its conversational commerce solutions at the Digital Dealer Conference & Expo, held at the Orange County Convention Center on April 9-11 in Orlando Florida. To sign up for a demo, visit https://get.gubagoo.com/dd26/ or email buy@gubagoo.com.

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About Gubagoo

Gubagoo is the leading provider of conversational commerce solutions for Automotive Dealerships and OEMs. In 2018, Gubagoo was recognized by Deloitte as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America. Dealerships use our powerful messaging and digital retailing solutions to activate the online car buying and servicing experience from their website, SMS, Facebook and Google Messaging. Our fully managed omni-channel live messaging service instantly connects consumers to Dealerships anytime and anywhere through live chat, text, video, Facebook Messenger, and other digital messaging channels, converting high quality leads and appointments for Dealerships 24/7/365.

At the core of our solution is Gubagoo’s patented behavioral and scoring algorithm which makes each human interaction more intelligent and highly personalized, and contributes to superior lead conversion.

More than 4,500 Dealerships, including some of the world’s largest dealer groups and OEMs, rely on Gubagoo to sell more cars and create more satisfied customers. For more information, visit www.Gubagoo.com, e-mail hello@gubagoo.com or call 855-359-2573.

For more information: Karen Makedon Senior Director of Marketing Gubagoo Inc. 855-359-2573 media@gubagoo.com

• The annual Outstanding Business Leader Awards program recognizes leaders in the American free-enterprise system. 
• Selection is based on personal achievement and how the recipient typifies the unique philosophy of Northwood University.
• Cox Automotive President Sandy Schwartz is one of seven leaders that will be honored at the 39th Outstanding Business Leader awards gala hosted by Northwood on March 16.

ATLANTA, March 14, 2019 – Cox Automotive President Sandy Schwartz has been named a 2019 Outstanding Business Leader honoree by the Northwood University Board of Trustees. 

Conceived by Dr. Arthur E. Turner, co-founder of Northwood University, and established by the Northwood University Board of Trustees in 1981, the annual Outstanding Business Leader Awards program recognizes leaders in the American free-enterprise system. 

Selected based on personal achievement, each awardee typifies the unique philosophy of Northwood University. Criteria used in the selection of awardees include contribution to the philosophy of private enterprise, support of the integration of business and the arts, contribution to education, economic innovation, creative marketing ideas, community involvement, religious leadership, philanthropic contributions and business success. 

In a statement congratulating Schwartz on being a 2019 honoree, Dr. Keith Pretty, president and CEO, Northwood University, wrote: “Since first vested in 1981, the [Outstanding Business Leader] Award has gone to some of the most extraordinary leaders in enterprise in whose company and association we believe you belong.” 

Schwartz’ career at Cox spans three decades where he has led both Cox Media Group and Cox Automotive, subsidiaries of family-owned Cox Enterprises, and been a key member of the leadership team that has grown the private company to $20 billion revenue and 60,000 employees. 

Schwartz helped build the unrivaled Cox Automotive portfolio by nurturing organic growth at Autotrader and Manheim, seamlessly integrating software start-ups such as vAuto and Xtime, as well as orchestrating the $4 billion acquisition of Dealertrack and Dealer.com. Along the way, he has fostered a family-first ethic and an Open, Honest & Direct culture that routinely ranks Cox Automotive among the best places to work. 

In addition to a successful business career, Schwartz has participated in extensive community service, including leadership positions at the A.C. Green Youth Foundation and the American Red Cross of Metropolitan Atlanta. 

Schwartz is one of seven leaders that will be honored at the 39th Outstanding Business Leader awards gala hosted by Northwood on March 16. Joining the incoming honoree class will be more than 200 people, including past honorees, board members, Northwood students as well as family members and friends of Northwood. 

Visit www.northwood.edu/obl to learn more about the honorees.  

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using cars easier for everyone. The global company’s 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto® and Xtime®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion.

coxautoinc.com

About Northwood University 

Northwood University is committed to the most personal attention to prepare students for success in their careers and in their communities; it promotes critical thinking skills, personal effectiveness, and the importance of ethics, individual freedom and responsibility. 

  Private, nonprofit, and accredited, Northwood University specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education at a full-service, residential campus located in mid-Michigan. Adult Degree Programs are available in multiple states and online. The DeVos Graduate School offers day and evening programming in Michigan and Texas, and online. The Michigan-based Alden B. Dow Center for Creativity and Enterprise provides system-wide expertise in family enterprise, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and new business development. International education is offered through study abroad and in Program Centers in Switzerland, China (Changchun and Wuxi), and Sri Lanka.       

  For additional information regarding Northwood University, go to www.northwood.edu. 

Do you want to disrupt or be disrupted?

A key difference between a fad and a trend is time. Fads are a form of behavior that are intensely followed by people for a short period of time. Trends get stronger over time and tend to remain.

Differentiating between the two is a difficult endeavor.

With trends such as digital retailing starting to gain traction in the auto industry are you doing everything possible to ensure you are on the forefront?

Blockbuster is the example everyone uses when talking about disruption.  Their failure wasn’t that they didn’t see Netflix coming. Their failure was that they weren’t able to act at the right time.  They had the opportunity to buy a young Netflix for only $50 million, and they turned it down because they had something else in play, but because they couldn’t capitalize on this trend, we’re following the countdown to the last Blockbuster location.

Using your 20-group will be a great indicator of where you could/should be. To get to where you want to be having a pulse of the market, ideas, and goals. In addition, you need to get a fresh perspective on what you can do to capitalize on emerging trends and be the first.

DrivingSales Presidents Clubyou will hone your dealership strategy with other top performing dealers in the nation.

Join us and see what’s next.

Crafting employee training will enable you to give your staff tools to be successful. Monthly or quarterly training schedules will help your team grow and keep retention rates high. Create an employee training calendar to get everyone on the same page. 

Combines leading F&I menu solution and provider network to increase aftermarket sales opportunities

DALLAS – March 11, 2019 – StoneEagle F&I and F&I Express have agreed to integrate their solutions to provide dealers seamless access to the industry’s largest network of aftermarket providers, making it easier and simpler to present and sell value-added options to car buyers.

Dealers using StoneEagle F&I’s SEcureMenu, a fast, user-friendly sales tool for aftermarket products, will now be able to digitally access F&I Express’ network of more than 160 aftermarket product providers, representing a wide range of offerings including extended warranties, maintenance plans and GAP insurance. The integration will enable StoneEagle F&I users to take advantage of F&I Express eRating and eContracting, speeding the sale and reducing errors by digitally processing aftermarket products.

With margins tightening and sales flattening, aftermarket products provide a way for dealers to maintain profitability and strengthen long-term customer connections. However, a strong network of providers is critical to give customers options that work for their needs and budgets. A simple and efficient sales process is also key. Car buyers are already frustrated with the time spent negotiating or doing paperwork at the dealership, with less than half satisfied with how long the process takes, according to the 2018 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study.

“The StoneEagle F&I integration with F&I Express is a huge milestone because it enables our dealer clients to provide their customers with fast, easy access to every major product provider,” said Buddy Rosenberg, senior director of product innovation for StoneEagle F&I. “It opens new opportunities for our dealers to provide their customers with more choice and less frustration by using a seamless, digital F&I process for aftermarket products.”

The collaboration brings together two major powerhouses in the F&I process to improve the car-buying experience for all parties involved — dealers, aftermarket providers and consumers. It also enables the F&I Express provider network to reach StoneEagle F&I’s client base of more than 5,000 dealers throughout North America.

“We have a deep respect for the StoneEagle F&I team, and how they serve their dealers and partners in our industry,” said Gary Peek, vice president and general manager of F&I Express. “The relationship allows F&I Express to extend our solutions to more dealers so that we can help them increase sales, efficiencies and customer satisfaction — all adding up to a better, more profitable car-buying process.”

About F&I Express

F&I Express, a Cox Automotive company, has been dedicated to leading the aftermarket industry into the digital age with innovative technology solutions. With solutions that cut costs, educate consumers, improve compliance and increase efficiency for dealers, agents, providers, and lenders, F&I Express offers a process for eRating and eContracting for aftermarket products on one platform. The Express Recoveries solution is an optimized eCancellation solution for lenders, providers and dealers to streamline the cancellation and recoveries process in an efficient and compliant manner. Express Digital Media gives digital retailers the power to educate car shoppers online with accurate and dynamic aftermarket rates and digital content. For more information about our innovative solutions, please visit fandiexpress.com or follow us on Twitter @fandiexpress.

About StoneEagle F&I

StoneEagle F&I provides innovative F&I solutions and legendary customer service to the retail automotive industry. Through its industry-leading Metrics, Menu and F&I Administration solutions, StoneEagle F&I makes it possible for users across every facet of the F&I value chain to increase productivity, improve efficiency, and accelerate profitability. StoneEagle F&I’s products meet the needs of thousands of dealerships, general agencies, F&I product providers, and OEM’s throughout North America. For more information visit http://se-fi.com.