Dealers can now manage inventory and reconditioning through one, integrated workflow in vAuto Provision

Oakbrook Terrace, IL. – September 19, 2019 –vAuto announced today a first of its kind integration that brings the used vehicle inventory management process full circle, offering dealers a more holistic approach to getting a car from acquisition through the reconditioning process and front line ready.

Every day a used vehicle sits in service or waits on a vendor for reconditioning, dealers lose out on opportunities to increase turn, while the holding costs weigh heavy on their profits. To complicate matters further, dealers have no easy way to track reconditioning efficiency without adopting additional tools, creating a workflow spanning multiple systems and logins. Without this crucial connection between reconditioning and inventory management, the already razor thin margin for error becomes even more challenging for dealers.

By bringing together iRecon and Provision, dealers will now be able to closely monitor, update and execute the reconditioning process, while leveraging vAuto’s industry-leading data to make more informed decisions on used car inventory. This ultimately creates one connected view of the entire inventory management process, giving dealers a leg up in the increasingly critical used-vehicle market.

“Decreasing profitability is drastically affecting how dealers remain successful in a tightening automotive market, meaning every sale counts more than ever,” said Randy Kobat, senior vice president of vAuto, HomeNet, Rates & Incentives and Dealertrack DMS. “With consumers dictating the retail price and how much it costs to acquire a car determined by the competition in the wholesale market, dealers can only truly control profits internally. By streamlining the reconditioning process, dealers have an unprecedented opportunity to reduce the holding costs and time it takes to move a vehicle from just arrived to front line ready.”

“Dealers can no longer afford to think about reconditioning and inventory management in separate siloes. The time it takes to switch from platform to platform is eating into efficiency and hindering a full view of operations,” said Mike Boyd, senior director of business enablement and founder of iRecon. “This new integration from iRecon and Provision gives dealers the accessibility and information they need to more effectively navigate the entire used car operation, helping get more vehicles on the market faster.”

With this integration, dealers using vAuto’s Provision can create and monitor their reconditioning plan, gain insight into the current status of any vehicle going through the reconditioning process, directly link into iRecon and review needs attention call outs. iRecon and Provision tested this concept with dealer clients, and they are finding early success leveraging the integration. 

“By integrating iRecon into our Provision platform, our team can now more effectively track every vehicle from one central location, no matter the step in the reconditioning and inventory management process,” said Dan Garwatoski, used car manager, Nissan North in Columbus, Ohio. “This offers a better estimate of when each vehicle will be ready for our lot, helping to easily manage inventory turn rates and allowing our dealership to account for holding costs properly.”

iRecon will now be available to dealers as both a standalone product as well as part of vAuto Provision. For more information on the integration, visit https://www.vauto.com/franchise/used/products/irecon/.

About vAuto

vAuto® provides innovative technology, tools and business intelligence to thousands of dealerships across the United States and Canada, helping them compete more effectively and increase new/used vehicle sales volumes and profits. Founded in 2005, vAuto revolutionized dealers’ used vehicle operations with the groundbreaking Provision® suite of tools. Leveraging The Velocity Method of Management®, pioneered by vAuto founder, Dale Pollak, Provision helped dealers adopt a more transparent- and turn-focused approach to used vehicle acquisition, appraising, pricing and merchandising based on real-time, local market supply-and-demand data. vAuto’s solutions also include Conquest, a new vehicle inventory management and pricing system, and Stockwave, which enables dealers to efficiently find and purchase vehicles from leading wholesale sources via a single platform. In 2018, vAuto released the Provision ProfitTime metric and methodology to help dealers maximize inventory turn and gross profit based on the investment value or profit potential of each vehicle. The same year, the company expanded its integrations with Cox Automotive’s HomeNet unit and acquired iRecon, an online reconditioning workflow platform. The moves extend vAuto’s efficiency-focused used vehicle management solutions into vehicle merchandising and reconditioning.

Headquartered near Chicago, Illinois, vAuto is a Cox Automotive™ brand.

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. www.coxautoinc.com

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Grant Will Help Renovate Spectrum's Community Center

Spectrum Youth & Family Services was awarded a $50,000 grant award by the James M. Cox Foundation of Cox Enterprises to renovate a space in its Pearl Street building that will result in two-stories and 1,500 square feet of space for youth services. Reconstructing the space known as "the Vault" is a critical endeavor for Spectrum. Currently a storage unit, the renovated Vault will be used for counseling, case management, tutoring and employment support. Additionally, Spectrum will renovate its Drop-In Center to create a more youth-friendly, trauma-informed space for its clients.

Dealer.com, a Cox Automotive company, has a long history of partnership with Spectrum Youth & Family Services and recommended the organization for the James M. Cox Foundation grant. The Foundation focuses its charitable efforts on conservation and environment, early childhood education, and empowering families and individuals for success and health.

"Dealer.com is a proud supporter of Spectrum Youth & Family Services," said Wayne Pastore, general manager at Dealer.com. "This grant will provide them with the resources needed to finish their new community space."

For nearly a decade, Dealer.com employees have participated in Spectrum's annual fundraiser – Sleep Out – where volunteers sleep out in the cold, a show of solidarity for the youth Spectrum serves. Their efforts have raised more than $170,000 for Spectrum over eight years.

"Dealer.com has been a valued partner for many years in our work to improve the Burlington community," said Mark Redmond, executive director, Spectrum. "We're ecstatic to receive a James M. Cox Foundation grant award. We can't wait to get started on redesigning the Vault and our Drop-In Center."

Founded in 1970 as a community shelter, Spectrum has been recognized in the Burlington area and on a national level for its work supporting the city's runaway youth by offering housing, employment, education, mental health and substance abuse counseling and life skills coaching.

"Spectrum's work is extremely valuable to the Burlington community," said Pastore. "Dealer.com and Cox Enterprises believe all young adults and youth deserve the shelter, care and guidance that are at the core of Spectrum's mission."

To learn more about Spectrum Youth & Family Services, please visit http://www.spectrumvt.org/. Additional details on the James M. Cox Foundation, and how to apply for a James M. Cox Foundation grant, can be found at www.coxenterprises.com/corporate-responsibility/james-m-cox-foundation.

About The James M. Cox Foundation

The James M. Cox Foundation is named in honor of Cox Enterprises' founder and provides funding for capital campaigns and special projects in communities where the company operates. James M. Cox was Ohio's first three-term governor and the 1920 Democratic nominee for president of the United States. The Foundation concentrates its community support in several areas including: conservation and environment; early childhood education; empowering families and individuals for success; and health.  

About Dealer.com

Dealer.com provides an integrated platform of advertising, website and managed services products which allow OEMs, dealer groups, retailers and agencies to leverage advanced digital technology and data to better engage and connect with their customers. The company practices a deep commitment to its culture of innovation, with a focus on health and wellness, making it one of the most desirable places to work, and a valuable partner for automotive retailers. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.dealer.com.

Improved Consumer Experience Increases Transparency, Efficiency

IRVINE, Calif., September 18, 2019 – Kelley Blue Book is making the trade-in and car-buying process more transparent and efficient for both consumers and dealers with the launch of its newly redesigned Instant Cash Offer consumer experience and updated Instant Cash Offer Dealer Admin Tool. Both enhancements provide a modernized look and feel to create a more seamless and enjoyable online-to-in-store car-shopping experience for both sides of the transaction.

The all-new Instant Cash Offer consumer experience further strengthens the already popular tool, which boasted a 41 percent year-over-year increase in the number of offers generated in 2018. Using Kelley Blue Book’s industry-leading valuation data, the tool enables car owners to receive a valid cash or trade-in offer from a dealer on their current vehicle by entering details online, as well as locate and identify the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for their desired replacement vehicle.

Updates to the Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer consumer experience include:

• - A modern, user-friendly vehicle condition assessment, eliminating consumer confusion by using clear visual examples and removing complicated automotive jargon to keep users engaged throughout the process. As a result, the tool provides a more accurate assessment and eliminates on-the-lot friction, resulting in a better customer experience.

• - A new Instant Cash Offer Certificate that highlights easy-to-follow next steps, ultimately driving more consumers to dealer lots to redeem their offer and replace their old vehicles.

• - The new Instant Cash Offer consumer experience is intuitive and mobile-friendly, attracting the next generation of car shoppers with the online shopping experience they demand.

The newly enhanced Instant Cash Offer Dealer Admin Tool allows dealers to better manage offers, strategically organize multiple vehicle searches through a more efficient layout, easily track offer status and next steps, and most importantly, provide a new side-by-side offer assessment page, enabling dealers to show customers any updates made to their original offer after their on-site interactive walk-around.

In today’s technology-enhanced market, consumers want a fast and easy path to get the information they need to make confident decisions. The new Instant Cash Offer consumer experience enhancements improve consumer experience and allow dealers to create, structure, and negotiate more transparent, efficient deals for all parties involved.

“When it comes to selling or trading in a vehicle, dealers and consumers ultimately want a fast, hassle-free process to reach terms where everyone receives a quality deal,” said Colin MacGillivray, vice president and general manager of Kelley Blue Book Dealer Solutions. “The modernized Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer consumer experience and Dealer Admin Tool create a more transparent, streamlined and accessible experience during the complex car-buying process.”

To learn more about Kelley Blue Book’s Instant Cash Offer, or receive an Instant Cash Offer demonstration, visit www.b2b.kbb.com.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kbb_com/ (or @kbb_com).

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides market-reflective values on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Kelley Blue Book® Price Advisor tool, which provides a range for what consumers can reasonably expect to pay for a vehicle in their area. Car owners looking to sell immediately can also get a redeemable, transaction-ready offer with Kelley Blue BookSM Instant Cash Offer. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book is a Cox Automotive brand.

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

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Redwood City, CA, September 16, 2019 — In a world where email is just one of many channels consumers use to communicate, dealers who neglect one or more channels risk losing potential business that can further accelerate dealership profitability. To reclaim these missed opportunities, Xtime is launching Text Marketing, an add-on available to clients using Xtime Invite.  Xtime’s Text Marketing feature can help dealers diversify their outreach strategy and cut through the marketing noise to better engage with customers through their often preferred mode of communication.  

Today, customer engagement preferences have become more complex with the rise of multiple communication channels. Text communication is on the rise and marketers can no longer rely on email alone to connect with consumers outside of the dealership.  According to Gartner, texting response rates have soared to 45 percent. The 2019 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey study shows that texting is gaining traction amongst all age groups, making it an even more important marketing tool for dealers. 

Noting the shift towards text, some dealers have turned to impromptu methods of communication, such as personal cell phone use or other texting solutions, which miss the opportunity to be fully integrated with service scheduling systems or CRMs. This in turn compromises dealership business processes and customer experience. Additionally, ad hoc texting solutions may not adhere to the strict rules and regulations outlined by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and other federal and state laws, exposing dealers to risk of steep penalties for non-compliance. 

“Dealers have a hard time getting vehicle owners to respond to marketing communication, even when it includes convenient links and advantageous offers,” said Tracy Noonan Fred, vice president and general manager of Xtime. “Research shows 89 percent of consumers prefer to communicate with organizations via text, so being able to text straight from the SMS platform is an optimal way for dealers to capture a consumer’s attention and begin a conversation that leads to new business.” [1]

Xtime Text Marketing offers a new channel to increase customer engagement and conversion through an Xtime Spectrum integrated and TCPA compliant solution. Its benefits include: 

• - In-Message Scheduling: Ability to send targeted texts that link to Xtime Schedule and pass through relevant data 

•  
• - Targeted Marketing:  Flexibility to create and execute a variety of  marketing programs

• - Regulatory Compliance: Assistance with adhering to strict text marketing rules and regulations with an engaging opt-in auditable process for communicating with customers via text

• - Audience Builder:  Acquire, retain, and build a text marketing audience with multiple customer touchpoints that encourage customer opt-in throughout Xtime Spectrum  

“The results we’ve seen from Xtime Text Marketing have been very exciting and impactful on our business,” said Luke Ammann, Service & Parts Director, Kastner Honda. “Since launching, it’s clear that everyone involved prefers to communicate via text and the response has been positive to the point that we’re currently working on opting in even more customers.”

Text Marketing is the first of several new add-ons and enhancements that are part of Xtime’s larger mission to help foster customer retention, loyalty, profitability and growth for dealerships -- even during times when sales volume is down. The feature is available immediately to all U.S. franchise dealers as an add-on to the Xtime Invite product.

[1] Taft, R. (2018, September 5). OnSpot Social. Retrieved from http://onspotsocial.com

About Xtime
Xtime is the leading software solution for automotive dealer service departments, increasing retention and revenue with technology and industry experts that help dealers meet changing customer expectations. As an advanced solution that connects the entire service drive and provides exceptional support, Xtime is committed to helping dealers deliver the ultimate service experience with transparency, convenience, and trust. Xtime is a Cox Automotive™ brand.

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. www.coxautoinc.com 

Burlington, Vt., Sep. 13, 2019 – Dealer.com, a Cox Automotive brand, announced today its selection as a website and digital advertising provider for General Motors. Through the Website Choice program, General Motors dealers can leverage Dealer.com’s premier digital marketing solutions, including the latest innovations that are dedicated to forging the shortest and most personalized path to customer engagement and dealership growth.

“Dealer.com is thrilled to offer General Motors an industry leading end-to-end digital marketing solution built on our 21-years of technology investment and unmatched insights into automotive shopper behavior,” said Wayne Pastore, general manager, Dealer.com. “We are proud to be selected as a GM vendor partner and look forward to providing its dealers with data-driven technology and expertise that meaningfully connect dealers with today’s digital consumers.”

Dealer.com’s digital storefront offers dealers participating in the Website Choice program superior content, tools and professional services to address the challenges facing dealers and their customers.  The website platform delivers personalized experiences that attract, engage, and help convert online shoppers at every stage of their journey.  The unique combination of people, expertise, data, innovation, and partnerships with both OEMs and Internet properties give Dealer.com clients a strategic advantage in the execution of content, digital creative, SEO, advertising, and social strategies. The partnership with General Motors will help bring unsurpassed business intelligence, insights, and expertise to digital dealerships.

About Dealer.com
Dealer.com is the premier digital marketing solution for the automotive industry. Providing an integrated platform of Websites, Advertising, Digital Retailing and Managed Services, Dealer.com allows OEMs, dealer groups, retailers and agencies to leverage advanced digital technology, data and insights to deliver the shortest, fastest and most personalized path to customer engagement. The company practices a deep commitment to its culture of progress, with a focus on community, health, and wellness. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.dealer.com.

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. www.coxautoinc.com

ATLANTA, Sept. 16, 2019 — Whether a new-car shopper’s motivation for buying an electric vehicle (EV) is environmental, political or financial, choices abound now more than ever before in the marketplace. With more than 50 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery-electric vehicle (BEV) models available today, many new-car shoppers need help navigating the terms to master and information to digest among the choices in this continuously growing vehicle category. With that in mind, the editors at Autotrader recently scored currently available new vehicles that feature a plug, ultimately naming the 12 Best Electric Vehicles for 2019.

“There are a lot of very good electric vehicles available at a wide variety of price points today, and the technology for EVs continues to grow and evolve,” said Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader. “EV shoppers should remember that despite an often-higher initial purchase price when compared to gasoline-powered cars of the same size, for the most part, EVs are more rewarding to drive and require less maintenance than a traditional automobile.”

Beyond the plug-in qualifier and 2019 on-sale date, Autotrader editors considered some objective factors including maximum range, electric-only range (for PHEVs) and price. Other factors, such as drivability and value, were a bit more subjective in nature. Categories were scored on a 1-to-5 scale, with 5 being the high score. Vehicles were not ranked in this list because the group of considered vehicles is so diverse, consisting of PHEVs and EVs, luxury and non-luxury, as well as cars and CUVs. Every pick earned a combined average score of at least 3.8 out of a possible 5.

Autotrader’s 12 Best Electric Vehicles for 2019

*Prices include the factory delivery charge and represent the base manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the specific model listed. Some vehicles still qualify for all or a portion of the government’s $7,500 tax credit, but Autotrader editors did not include that information in their decision-making process (because it can change during the year based on volume). Range estimates are the government’s and are not based on Autotrader’s findings.

To learn more about Autotrader’s 12 Best Electric Vehicles for 2019, including full editorial commentary on each vehicle and details about available inventory, visit https://www.autotrader.com/best-cars/12-best-electric-vehicles-2019-281474979952885.

View EV and hybrid models available in your local area here: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Hybrid/. For more information and news from Autotrader, visit press.autotrader.com, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Autotrader_com (or @Autotrader_com), Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/autotrader_com/ (or @autotrader_com), like our page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/autotrader/, and add us on Snapchat (@Autotrader_com).

About Autotrader
Autotrader is the most recognized third-party car listings brand, with the most engaged audience of in-market car shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for today’s empowered car shopper looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotrader’s comprehensive marketing and retailing solutions allow consumers to build their deal online, and guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience. Autotrader is a Cox Automotive™ brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit http://press.autotrader.com.

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

TROY, MI – NextGear Capital and Cox Automotive donated a Chevy Malibu to Troy, Michigan’s local American Red Cross chapter on behalf of Otto Hahne of City of Cars. Otto was recognized as the 2019 National Quality Dealer at the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) Convention this past June in Las Vegas. The award honors dealer nominees representing their state associations from across the country. The National Quality Dealer has come to embody all that it means to be a dealer who is committed to quality, excellence, outstanding customer service, and committed to making their community a better place for everyone.

“One thing I love about being a part of NextGear Capital and the broader Cox Automotive family is that, even after 120 years, it’s still a family-owned private company, that continues to dedicate time and resources to causes and organizations that its team members believe in. Otto and his dealership exemplify what it means to be a dedicated community partner and their values align with those of Cox Automotive. It brings me great joy to present Otto and his team at City of Cars with the National Quality Dealer Award and celebrate them today,” said Bob Earle, senior director of performance management.

Otto accredited the honor to the hard work, dedication and passion his team puts forth every day. “I wouldn’t be here today without my wife Jerrianne and our incredible team. They have embraced the way I wanted the business to operate and have trusted myself and each other throughout the years. I am truly grateful to have such a supportive and customer-focused group of people with me every day.”

Bob Blumenfeld, COO of the Michigan Region for the American Red Cross and Dee Dixon, the chief development officer for the National Office in Atlanta were both in attendance. The Chevy Malibu will be the ninth emergency vehicle donated to the American Red Cross through a Cox Automotive company. By early next year, Cox Automotive will have donated 12 emergency vehicles to the American Red Cross. Since 2015, Cox Automotive has donated more than $1M to the American Red Cross in support of disaster relief. Each year, the American Red Cross responds to nearly 62,000 disasters around the country— from home fires and tornadoes to severe winter weather, hurricanes and floods.  

About NextGear Capital
NextGear Capital, a Cox Automotive company, is the industry’s leading comprehensive provider of lending products, providing flexible lines of credit for dealers to purchase New and Used inventory at over 1,000 auto and specialty auctions and other inventory sources throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland. Follow NextGear Capital on social media at @nextgearcapital.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Dealertrack’s Accelerated Title solution gives Virginia dealers faster vehicle payoff and title release on top of existing expedited registration and title processing

Groton, CT - September 12, 2019 – The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association (VADA) has expanded its preferred endorsement of Dealertrack Registration and Title Solutions to include Accelerated Title in a continued effort to improve efficiency and bring a more modern, streamlined and electronic registration and title process to Virginia dealers.

As dealers continue to battle with margin compression, they look to their technology partners to provide new ways to maximize efficiency and cut costs. On average, dealers pay a holding cost of $32 per day, per vehicle that sits idle on their lot.¹ In addition, long-standing proprietary research found that vehicles with titles at auction are nearly two times more likely to sell on the first pass through an auction lane than those without titles.² 

With Accelerated Title, dealers who take in trade-in vehicles are able to obtain instant payoff quotes, see title images, pay off loans with the click of a button and receive the title in as quickly as four to six days. This unique technology removes the need for dealers to hand write and mail checks overnight, and then wait for the delivery of the title, which according to industry standards could take 12 to 18 days or more.³ Dealertrack’s unique lender and dealer solution substantially speeds up the standard payoff and title release process by up to 70 percent.³

“As competitive and economic pressures rise, dealers are looking for new ways to add value and efficiency to protect their bottom line and exceed rising customer expectations,” said Kaitlin Gavin, vice president and general manager of Dealertrack Registration and Title Solutions. “Through modern yet easy-to-use technology, Dealertrack’s one-of-a-kind tools will help Virginia dealers meet these needs and facilitate a transparent and expedited title process for vehicles taken in on trade as well as those sold in and outside of state borders.”

“Expanding our preferred endorsement to Dealertrack’s Accelerated Title closely aligns with our mission to create an opportunity-rich environment for Virginia dealers to grow their businesses while providing optimal experiences for consumers,” said Don Hall, president and CEO of VADA. “We are pleased to share this news with our members, as this endorsement solidifies our commitment to providing industry-leading solutions that ease all aspects of the car buying and selling process.”

¹ Manheim Online Dealer Community survey 2016.

² Source: 2014 (2X) & 2018 (1.6X) Manheim Auction "Impact of Delayed Titles at Auction".

³ Based on average industry timeframe for vehicle title release and vehicle payoff process of 18+ days, as determined by Dealertrack data.

About Dealertrack

Dealertrack provides industry-leading software solutions that give dealerships and lenders the confidence to thrive in an ever-changing automotive market. The company’s integrated suite of powerful but easy-to-use products helps dealerships and their lending partners grow by increasing efficiency and improving decision-making. Dealertrack is part of the Cox Automotive family, a company that is transforming the way the world buys, sells, owns and uses cars. Dealertrack—along with its unmatched network of dealership and lending partners—is improving the car buying experience by embracing the technologies that will shape the future of automotive retail. For more information about Dealertrack, visit www.dealertrack.com.

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. www.coxautoinc.com

Atlanta, GA. - September 10, 2019 – With new-vehicle sales declining, it’s more important than ever that dealers seize the opportunity to close every deal. To do so means providing a flexible, customer-friendly car buying experience, which in today’s automotive market, requires dealers to source up-to-the-minute information across industry channels. Recognizing this challenge and in an effort to give dealers and OEMs the best data possible, Cox Automotive Rates & Incentives (CAR&I) is announcing the introduction of three new enhancements that will generate a more consistently accurate industry indicator of retail buying motivation available on a monthly basis.

First launched as its own brand in 2016, CAR&I is the powerful combination of two of Cox Automotive’s well-known operations: Dealertrack Rates & Residuals, a data provider for lease and residual value calculation, and AIS Rebates, a reader-friendly guide to incentivized manufacturer offers. Both brands demonstrated decades of success before joining forces to power CAI applications and external client needs. Today, CAR&I is the industry’s only source for reliably precise data, currently feeding more than 86,000 dealer applications per month.

The breadth and depth of CAR&I’s incentive database, containing more than 10 million individual data points collected across all industry verticals, is unparalleled. Moreover, the speed of publishing, continued advancements and reduced time to market are all best in class within the industry. Now, the addition of three new enhancements will enable CAR&I to outperform its own high standards, much to the benefit of dealers, customers and OEMs. 

1. - Automation of Data Input: facilitates added speed and accuracy of information release by allowing dealers and software integrators to publish and update new incentives quicker for more precise and up to date offers and discounts
2. - Dynamic Transaction Templates: reformatting data allows for real-time deal scenario-building, enabling the consumer to transact 100% online with incentives that are specific to their household, vehicle and location with full compliance
3. - Advertised Specials: full set of OEM compliant tier I and II advertising offers used in digital advertising and competitive research making it easy to implement single integration for all OEM’s including factory and dealer disclaimers

Thanks to these enhancements, CAR&I has new capabilities to systematize data faster and with improved accuracy. With the advent of digital retailing, speed and accuracy of information are non-negotiable for customers,” says Brad Korner, CAR&I general manager. “In a climate where the impact of a missed sale is so great, every deal is critical and having the information you need to close every deal at your fingertips is essential.”

New Incentives Insights Offered by the Cox Automotive Rates & Incentives Team
Using insights gleaned from its unmatched data set, the CAR&I team has begun providing insights to help dealers make smarter, more informed rates and incentive decisions. Whether it’s closing a key deal in the showroom or devising franchise-wide inventory strategy for next quarter, the CAR&I team is helping provide the insights necessary to succeed. Visit Cox Automotive’s website to see the latest from the CAR&I team at www.coxautoinc.com/rates-incentives/. The team’s insights, the volume of OEM programs, guaranteed vs. conditional offers, best payment criteria and improved capabilities help provide a much-needed advantage during a slow sales cycle when, more than ever, each and every sale counts. 

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. www.coxautoinc.com

App will provide dealers greater control with offer management and personalized vehicle recommendations

ATLANTA (September 5, 2019) – Since launching its buyer experience in January 2019, the Manheim Express app raised the bar on digital wholesale buying by offering dealers a more efficient purchasing process. Today, Manheim is excited to announce that the buyer experience just got even better. Thanks to the launch of two new features, dealers will be able to enjoy AI-driven vehicle recommendations and the convenience of managing offers directly within the Manheim Express app. Both upgrades are part of Manheim’s ongoing efforts to harness the power of data and technology to put more confidence-boosting tools in dealers’ palms.

“The goal of the Manheim Express buyer experience is to empower dealers to make fast, yet confident purchasing decisions, and we continue to up the ante on how we help them achieve that,” said Derek Hansen, vice president of Offsite Solutions at Manheim. “Managing offers in the app will give dealers increased flexibility to conduct business wherever is easiest for them, and personalized vehicle recommendations uses the latest AI technology to highlight vehicles that fit their inventory mix.”

The buyer experience inside the Manheim Express app was part of the $100 million investment Manheim committed to its digital marketplace throughout 2019. The company’s goal was to boost the development of new technological tools and services to help dealers reduce waste, turn inventory faster, buy vehicles with increased confidence and improve dealer profitability.

Now, the buyer experience inside the Manheim Express app will get two more improvements, fueled by dealers’ evolving needs as they increase use of digital wholesale platforms:

Recommended Vehicles
Fueled by M LOGIC, a suite of decisioning products from Manheim, deeply personalized vehicle recommendations in Manheim Express will allow dealers to see up to 50 vehicles that are predicted to fit their specific needs under the new ‘Recommended’ tab. To accomplish this, M LOGIC’s machine learning uses data across Manheim's digital and physical properties to identify dealer preferences based on location and vehicle attributes. The ultimate goal of this data-driven AI is to help buyers find relevant inventory quicker and easier through the Manheim Express app. A similar feature has been recently added to the Manheim Market Report valuation tool.

Manage Offers
With in-app access to offer management, dealers can directly manage offers without needing to access a desktop computer. Dealers will be able to retract offers, make a new offer or accept, submit and reject counteroffers—all within the app.

These additions to the in-app buyer experience, available in September, will buoy the success Manheim Express and its users have already seen. Since its launch one year ago, Manheim Express has been downloaded by nearly 60,000 users representing 18,500 dealerships across the country.

For more information about Manheim Express, visit ManheimExpress.com.

About Manheim (www.manheim.com)

Manheim® is North America's leading provider of end-to-end wholesale solutions that help dealer and commercial clients increase profits in their used vehicle operations. Through its physical, mobile and digital sales network, Manheim offers services for inventory management, buying and selling, floor planning, logistics, assurance and reconditioning. With its omni-channel approach, Manheim Marketplace enables wholesale vehicle clients more efficient ways to connect and transact business how and when they want. Approximately 17,000 team members help Manheim offer 7 million used vehicles annually, facilitating transactions representing nearly $61 billion in value. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim North America is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.