New data demonstrates heightened awareness and increase of new customers in dealership fixed ops

IRVINE, Calif. – February 13, 2020 – By providing price transparency to consumers about dealership service departments, Kelley Blue Book continues to deliver positive results from its Featured Auto Repair Center pilot to-date, proving the power of connecting consumers to trustworthy recommendations related to servicing and maintaining automobiles throughout vehicle ownership. Kelley Blue Book’s Featured Auto Repair Center, which is part of Auto Repair Guide on KBB.com, advises vehicle owners on repair pricing and other service-related information in three main categories – recalls, maintenance and repairs – and has driven new and existing customers to schedule dealership service appointments directly online.

Since the pilot launched in September 2019, Featured Auto Repair Center has seen significant interest from its audience, showcasing the strongest success in the recall segment. In fact, the tool has received an impressive 1.7 million unique visitors per month on average and is generating continuous month-over-month growth. This includes more than 46,000 consumers clicking on the service request button and more than 50% of customers that booked appointments were new to the dealership. Additionally, the tool has seen consumers research more than 85,000 vehicles for recalls with nearly 25% completing the recall after confirming the open recall. 

These figures further demonstrate consumers’ reliance and the value placed on trusted third-party resources for advice when it comes to the servicing of vehicles. By increasing the flow of information and minimizing dealership skepticism through increased price transparency, Featured Auto Repair Center provides consumers with increased confidence that prices paid for vehicle service work are fair.

“As fixed operations accounts for a larger share of dealership revenue, it is more important than ever to engage with consumers in a transparent, easy-to-understand way to drive more customers to the service department,” said Jim Roche, vice president at Cox Automotive. “Without a trusted source, consumers lack necessary information like needed services and pricing, which they use to decide where they will service their vehicle. Through Featured Auto Repair Center, dealerships have the unique opportunity to show unconvinced customers the benefits of obtaining high quality and reasonably priced service from dealerships.”

Since its initial launch, Featured Auto Repair Center has introduced new features including trim selection to increase reliability of repair prices across repair and maintenance inquiries, regional repair pricing, capability to research recalls with a license plate number, and more.

“Dealers are in the repeat and referral business, and Kelley Blue Book’s Featured Auto Repair Center is going to ensure that dealerships are viewed as more trustworthy by promoting price transparency,” said Tully Williams, fixed operations director at The Niello Company. “Response to the program so far has been massive – we’re very impressed.”

The need for a transparent third-party tool that eases the information gap between consumers and dealers inspired Cox Automotive’s Jim Roche to add a chapter to his recent book, “Fast Break: Creating a Customer-Centric Operating Philosophy for Automotive Service.” This book guides dealers on how to increase their service market share and achieve profitable growth by focusing on a customer-centric philosophy. In today’s digital age, this is synonymous with creating a trustworthy relationship by showcasing transparency in prices and online information.

Kelley Blue Book’s Featured Auto Repair Center, within Auto Repair Guide on KBB.com, will offer both basic and premium features. Premium features include top placements in “Pick a Dealer” listings, dealership ratings, graphic representation of dealership amenities, dealership photos, service offers and more.

This product will be on sold for the first time at NADA 2020, being held February 14-17, 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. To learn more about Featured Auto Repair Center and a copy of “Fast Break: Creating a Customer-Centric Operating Philosophy for Automotive Service,” visit Kelley Blue Book at the 2020 NADA Convention and Expo, booth #2528C.

To learn more about Kelley Blue Book Auto Repair Guide, visit https://www.kbb.com/service-repair-guide/.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/kelley-blue-book/, 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. www.coxautoinc.com

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Manheim taps into an underserved area of the wholesale market to help ease fund collection and titling for dealers who sell direct.

ATLANTA – February 13, 2020 – Manheim will make it easier than ever for dealers to buy and sell direct with a new offering: Express Direct™. Direct sales, which have long been a part of the wholesale space, happen when a dealer sells specific vehicles to another known dealer.

These transactions, while convenient to offload inventory, leave the seller with extra work, from tracking the titling process to collecting funds and managing their inventory in different channels. On the other side of the transaction, buyers are sometimes challenged to floorplan the vehicles. Manheim Express can work to help take some of those headaches out of the transaction and make these deals easier than ever.

“Dealers’ wholesale strategy often includes a mix of selling some vehicles through an auction, while selling others direct,” said Derek Hansen, vice president of offsite solutions at Manheim. “Direct sales can offer dealers a way to quickly offload specific inventory but come with extra work for both sides to manage. As Manheim already excels at managing the wholesale process, from titles to funds and floorplans, it makes perfect sense for us to support direct sales and give dealers an easier way to manage all of their wholesale needs in one location.”

To sell a vehicle through Express Direct, authorized dealers will only have to use the Manheim Express app to take a picture of the VIN, answer a few questions and enter the email address of the person they want to sell vehicles to. The registered buying dealer will then receive a notification, and they can accept or decline the purchase. Manheim will manage the title transfer and will work to help ease floorplanning of the vehicle, if needed and available.

“Ultimately, we’re creating additional convenience for trusted dealers in the Manheim network,” Hansen added. “Express Direct will take the challenge out of direct transactions and give dealers yet another way to wholesale vehicles quickly and easily.”

This new offering comes on the heels of Manheim Express’ explosive growth over the last year. Over 70,000 users across approximately 18,000 dealerships have downloaded Manheim Express, and the app generated the app generated a ten-fold growth in monthly transactions from January to December 2019. The app has received a slew of recent enhancements, including integration with Manheim’s Ready Logistics transportation solution, continually expanding Concierge force, as well as new features like Audio/Video tags and interior 360s.

Interested dealers can get a preview of Express Direct in the Manheim booth (#3030C) at the 2020 NADA Show in Las Vegas February 14th-17th. The solution will be available at select Manheim locations in the coming months before becoming widely available by midyear.

About Manheim

Manheim®, the nation’s leading provider of end-to-end wholesale vehicle solutions, is celebrating 75 years as an industry innovator, driving success for clients, the company, its team members and the industry. The dream of five men who auctioned off a handful of cars in 1945 from a single-lane location in Manheim, Pennsylvania launched a company that today offers 7 million used vehicles annually and facilitates transactions representing nearly $67 billion in value with the grit and determination of 17,000+ team members. Through its physical, mobile and digital sales network, Manheim offers services for decisioning, buying and selling, floor planning, logistics, assurance and reconditioning. Operating the largest vehicle wholesale marketplace, Manheim enables clients more efficient ways to connect and transact business how and when they want. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.

Addition of SEcureMetrics F&I allows every phase of the deal to be conducted and analyzed on one platform

NORTH HILLS, N.Y. and RICHARDSON, TX., February 12, 2020 – Dealertrack announces a new ground-breaking partnership with StoneEagle F&I to bring best-in-class reporting to its industry-leading platform. StoneEagle’s SEcureMetrics F&I solution will be integrated into the Dealertrack platform, providing dealerships with detailed F&I analytics in real-time to help optimize efficiency, drive performance and maximize profitability.

“From leads to contracts to reporting, powering a more productive and seamless workflow is vital for dealers as they continue to streamline the car-buying experience for consumers,” said Cheryl Miller, senior vice president and general manager of Dealertrack F&I Solutions. “Through the new partnership with StoneEagle, dealers can start, structure, finance, transact, and now analyze a deal all within one online deal jacket, helping to eliminate costly inefficiencies and pinpoint new ways to grow profits.”

SEcureMetrics F&I is the most comprehensive and user-friendly reporting solution in the automotive retail industry. It is easily customizable and adaptable to a dealership’s unique needs and offers an intuitive and dynamic analytics dashboard interface that is tailored to the user. By leveraging multiple certified DMS integrations, the solution pulls in data from the dealership daily, enabling secure access to more accurate and actionable performance insights.

Through this solution, dealers on the Dealertrack platform can now view detailed reports, as well as specify potential deals by specific F&I manager, sales manager, vehicle make, or lender. Additionally, reports are viewable on any device and can be automated and scheduled for delivery on a daily or recurring basis to authorized recipients.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Dealertrack to equip dealers with the easy, accessible, real-time access they need to take F&I reporting to the next level and attain deeper insight into their performance and profitability,” said Cindy Allen, chief executive officer at StoneEagle F&I.

Jason Gillette, vice president of sales and marketing added, “by integrating SEcureMetrics F&I with the Dealertrack platform, dealers will be able to run over 40 F&I reports without ever having to leave the online deal jacket, empowering them to uncover new  profit opportunities that will help refine and optimize their workflow.”

For more information about Dealertrack and to schedule a demo at NADA 2020, visit https://us.dealertrack.com/ or visit us at the conference at Booth #2336C. For more information about StoneEagle F&I, visit https://www.se-fi.com/.

About Dealertrack

Dealertrack provides industry-leading software solutions that give dealerships, lenders, and partners the confidence to thrive in an ever-changing automotive market. The company’s integrated suite of powerful easy-to-use products and services 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 StoneEagle F&I

StoneEagle F&I, Inc. 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 SE-FI.com, or write to sales@se-fi.com.

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- Cox Automotive deployment of on-demand owner experiences designed to help dealers drive more customer loyalty and service revenue.

- Xtime Schedule will allow dealers to create loaner reservations and service pickup appointments that will automatically be scheduled for fulfillment by valets using the Clutch platform.

- Clutch Technologies Fleet Sync and Service Pickup & Delivery software delivers maximum efficiency of loaner fleet usage.

- Partnership lays foundation for an EV future, which may include more out-of-store service.

ATLANTA and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 12, 2020 – Clutch Technologies and Xtime are delivering even more ease and convenience to the customer service experience with a powerful integration that further supports Cox Automotive’s vision for fixed ops and dealer mobility services. In partnership with Xtime, the most fully integrated, end-to-end service experience platform, Clutch’s Fleet Sync and Service Pickup & Delivery software serve as the engine for this next-level service offering.

According to Cox Automotive’s recent Reimagining the Automotive Consumer Experience Study, consumers universally agreed – 89% – that an ideal ownership experience would include a service where a dealer picks up the vehicle in need of maintenance or repair and returns the vehicle when the work is complete.

“With the digital economy raising expectations of convenience, it’s critical for dealers to further modernize their fixed operations functionality to meet consumer demand,” said Adam Carley, vice president of product for Clutch Technologies. “This solution truly eliminates hassle for the consumer, boosting customer loyalty and driving higher retention on service.” 

Xtime Schedule and Clutch Fleet Sync

For dealers on Xtime, customers can book their service appointment at the dealership with Xtime Schedule and reserve a loaner through Clutch Fleet Sync. Leveraging Clutch’s partnership with TSD, the leading provider of loaner management software, Fleet Sync provides current and projected loaner availability within Xtime, so that a loaner reservation can confidently be made as part of booking a service appointment. When the service appointment is finalized, the loaner reservation will be created with the consumer’s information. The consumer will then receive a secure link to provide their payment card, driver’s license and insurance information, which are added to the loaner reservation.

Finally, as the appointment approaches, the system automatically assigns the right vehicle to the right customer. The dealer benefits from increased efficiency at the loaner desk and higher utilization of the loaner fleet. Consumers benefit from greater availability of loaners and a streamlined experience.  

Xtime Schedule and Clutch Service Pickup & Delivery

Scheduling a concierge pickup of their vehicle for service – with the option of a loaner to be dropped off when pickup happens – is just as simple. Dealers and consumers can add pickup to service appointments booked within Xtime’s multichannel scheduling tools. Xtime Schedule will display availability of both loaners and valets so that appointments can be made with confidence. From that point, Clutch handles the full workflow for the dealer, including scheduling concierge labor and messaging with the consumer. Through its integration with TSD Cirro, Clutch also has the ability to deliver digital loaner contracts for signature in seconds within Clutch’s Sideflip concierge app.  

In addition to driving customer loyalty, this collaboration is intended to generate extra service revenue for the dealership, with 67% of today’s consumers willing to pay a premium for a more convenient service experience. Additional revenue will be realized over time with a more efficient usage of loaner vehicles and repeat business from customers.

“Convenience is key when evaluating how to implement or enhance a dealership’s customer-centric service experience,” said Tracy Fred, vice president and general manager for Xtime. “Marrying the very best of what Xtime and Clutch have to offer provides dealers with an opportunity to standout in the market and not only attract new business but turn them into repeat customers.”

Functionality of the new Cox Automotive fixed ops solution offered by Clutch Technologies and Xtime will be available progressively over the second quarter of 2020.

About Clutch Technologies

Clutch Technologies is the leader in subscription and mobility services software to the automotive industry. Utilizing Clutch’s end-to-end platform, automotive dealers, OEM’s, car rental companies and fleet operators can increase asset utilization, offer new revenue streams and deliver innovative consumer experiences. Clutch, a Cox Automotive company, is recognized as a pioneer in the subscription category and has been chosen, trusted and recommended by more than 200 dealer rooftops and nearly 20 OEM brands across the U.S., Canada and Germany. Learn more about Clutch at www.driveclutch.com.

About Xtime

Xtime increases customer retention for automotive dealer service departments by using technology to transform the ownership experience. Improving customer satisfaction and retention drives dealer revenue and profitability. Xtime is committed to delivering the experience consumers demand – an experience which emphasizes value, convenience and trust. In 2019, Xtime booked 55 million service appointments and processed more than 100 million repair orders annually. Forty-four global OEMs have chosen Xtime to drive that same type of success for their businesses, converting more than $23 billion in service revenue last year for more than 7,300 dealerships.

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

Enhanced Functionality Brings Tools Together to Help Dealers Improve Efficiency and Overall Gross Profits During the Appraisal Process

IRVINE, Calif., February 11, 2020 – Today Kelley Blue Book announced the integration of its Instant Cash Offer tool with vAuto’s Provision tool to help dealers win more trades and maintain or improve efficiency during the appraisal process which helps overall gross profits. 

Dealers are currently facing a difficult dilemma: While inventory is entering the market and turning at a rapid rate, profit margins continue to decline. Furthermore, the average cost to market on a trade-in has risen more than 1.2 percent every year for the last three years, according to a 2019 Historical Margin Compression Study from Cox Automotive, making the fight for profitable inventory more competitive than ever. With the rise of online bidding and national competitors, dealers must utilize technology to improve efficiencies and distinguish themselves from rivals to win more trades. 

Evolving with these industry dynamics, the Instant Cash Offer integration with vAuto Provision’s appraisal report improves dealer efficiency by helping them find and improve win rates on needed trade-ins. Features of this integration include:

- An appraisal report enhanced with Instant Cash Offer information allows dealers to clearly see how effective the offers are in helping to efficiently find and maximize trade-in win rates to improve profit margins.

- Easily add or associate Instant Cash Offers to the vAuto appraisal report, bringing together valuable information about the vehicle.

- An exclusive market report containing Instant Cash Offer information gives dealers access to other offers for similar vehicles to validate the offer and provide a more comprehensive view to help dealers win the trade.

- Easily identify existing Instant Cash Offers on recommended vehicles dealers need, sourcing inventory directly from the consumers versus typical acquisition methods.

“With inventory turning at its highest rate ever, it has never been more critical for dealers to ensure no trade is missed,” said Paul Whitworth, senior vice president of inventory management solutions for Cox Automotive. “These integrations help dealers maintain a competitive advantage by increasing the flow of information from third-party sites to inventory management systems, modernizing the appraisal process and ultimately winning more trades with information from the No. 1 most trusted third-party automotive brand, Kelley Blue Book.”

Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer is offered as a standalone product and can be integrated with vAuto’s Provision. Both products are available for purchase at NADA 2020.

“We started using both vAuto Provision and Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer a little more than three years ago,” said Firas Makhlouf, chief information officer for Driver’s Village. “Instant Cash Offer is a great product, and the integration into vAuto has been tremendous. It’s very easy to populate the information and click through to see the full report with the information from Kelley Blue Book. We use the Instant Cash Offers during the appraisal because consumers see the offer is from Kelley Blue Book and know they can trust the offer.”

For more information on the Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer and vAuto Provision integration, please visit Kelley Blue Book (booth #2528C) or vAuto (booth #2316C) at the 2020 NADA Convention and Expo, or online at www.b2b.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 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. coxautoinc.com

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Enhancements introduce added efficiency, customization and visibility to the digital merchandising arena for dealers

EXTON, Pa., February 11, 2020 – As car buyers spend more time online and fewer days in-market,[i] the pressure is mounting for dealers to deliver a more tailored and engaging shopping experience that separates them from the competition. But adapting to the needs of today’s informed and tech-savvy consumer is easier said than done. While 83% of dealers believe they can increase vehicle turn if they improve digital merchandising, only 12% think their online presence is highly differentiated.[ii]

To help dealers turn this industry-wide obstacle into an opportunity and drive greater engagement online, HomeNet Automotive will unveil a new targeted digital merchandising solution as well as several enhancements to its 360-degree capture technology at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in Las Vegas on Feb. 14-17, 2020.

“As vehicle sales are increasingly being won and lost online, having a digital merchandising approach that is engaging and targeted is only becoming more critical,” said Randy Kobat, senior vice president of inventory software at Cox Automotive. “With the latest innovations from HomeNet, we’re elevating the dealer-to-customer relationship dynamic by giving dealers the essential tools they need to create deeper connections with car buyers at every stage of the shopping journey, whether it be on a third-party advertising site or dealership page.”

Bringing a new level of efficiency and personalization to digital merchandising, HomeNet’s latest enhancements include:

Targeted Promotions:

Set to debut at NADA this year, HomeNet’s all-new Targeted Promotions solution helps enable dealers to automatically generate targeted image content that is uniquely tailored to their dealership’s marketing strategy, helping establish much-needed differentiation online. Targeted Promotions includes three key features:

- Targeted Image Overlays: Dealers can automatically create custom calls to action within vehicle photos that align to their market strategy on specific advertising sites. By developing special overlays for each online destination, dealers can better track calls and leads and help guide car shoppers toward more informed buying decisions.

- Targeted Billboards: With Targeted Promotions, dealers can now insert custom designs within the photo stream to tell a stronger story about their dealership.

- Professional Services: As an added benefit, dealers also receive direct access to a dedicated team of experts at HomeNet who are focused on enhancing online listing quality and streamlining merchandising operations.

"Since we started using Targeted Promotions with HomeNet, we have experienced a significant lift in the number of calls from interested car shoppers,” said Aimee Rogers, marketing manager at Brad Deery Auto Group. “We simply added call tracking numbers to our photo overlays and have been shocked by the increase in online engagement."

SnapLot 360 Enhancements:

Introducing unprecedented automation to the digital merchandising experience at last year’s NADA, HomeNet’s SnapLot 360 solution is being enhanced for 2020 to help ensure dealers can get their inventory online and in front of consumers in a more efficient and engaging manner. According to HomeNet’s 2019 360 Consumer Study, 73% of consumers who browsed and then bought or leased a vehicle rated 360 displays as extremely or very helpful.[iii] SnapLot 360, which is an interior and exterior 360-degree image capture solution, helps dealers capitalize on this sentiment and raise visibility with car shoppers. The solution will now include the following enhancements:

- Easy Photo Capture: Dealers can now automatically extract photos once an exterior 360 is captured, eliminating the need to capture photos and 360s separately, creating greater efficiency.

- Automated Tagging: Leveraging the power of machine learning, vehicle hot spots that will draw the attention of online car shoppers, such as the wheels, headlights or trunk, are now automatically tagged.

- Reporting: Dealers can gain a better understanding of customer engagement through robust reporting capabilities, which measure merchandising performance.

For more information about HomeNet and to schedule a demo at NADA 2020, visit https://www.homenetauto.com/, or visit us at the conference at Booth #2316C.

About HomeNet

HomeNet Automotive gets inventory out of your systems and in front of online shoppers. Today’s car shoppers are researching, locating and evaluating cars online before they ever set foot in a physical dealership. Yet, dealers struggle to ensure inventory is consistently updated and distributed to all online destinations with speed, accuracy and quality. At HomeNet, we help dealers and industry partners merchandise and distribute their inventory from one unified platform and seamlessly push this information to their own website and all their third-party advertising sources. Based in Exton, PA, with offices across the U.S., HomeNet is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cox Automotive.

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

Industry leaders to deliver aftermarket presentation on any device creating one paperless workflow on one platform with one deal jacket; Dealertrack to transition from eMenu to Darwin over the next 18 months

NORTH HILLS, N.Y. and ISELIN, N.J., February 11, 2020 – Dealertrack and Darwin Automotive are partnering to introduce a new best-in-class integration between Dealertrack’s paperless credit workflow and Darwin’s aftermarket presentation. As Dealertrack winds down its eMenu offering, the new partnership will provide a seamless workflow and deliver the flexibility dealers desire.

Through this new joint F&I offering, the deal data received from Darwin will include the aftermarket products accepted and declined by the customer, such as vehicle service contracts, GAP insurance, pre-paid maintenance, complimentary maintenance, theft protection, key replacement and paintless dent repair. This information will integrate seamlessly into Dealertrack’s online deal jacket, helping to ensure deal compliance and equipping the dealership with a complete and accurate payment structure inclusive of aftermarket products. 

Dealerships will be able to present F&I add-ons via a menu presentation powered by Dealertrack’s largest aftermarket provider network and armed with the following unique, easy-to-use capabilities:

- Use Darwin’s prescriptive selling to leverage big data and personalize the F&I selling process

- Build menu presentations that automatically match payments for fewer keystrokes and greater F&I deal efficiency 

- Map to an existing sales process that helps F&I managers increase per vehicle retail (PVR) through the sale of aftermarket products on every deal

“Darwin brings the latest innovations in both analytics and mobile technology to Dealertrack’s powerhouse F&I platform,” said Cheryl Miller, senior vice president and general manager of Dealertrack F&I Solutions. “The result is fewer keystrokes and more deal data from Darwin’s final menu, telling the dealer which aftermarket products the customer wants and how those choices impact the terms of the deal. All Darwin’s information will flow seamlessly into Dealertrack’s one online deal jacket, bringing greater ease of use and more compliance confidence to every deal.” 

“Dealerships today need a connected workflow with best-in-class tools that fully integrate to provide the largest profitability opportunity in a seamless environment,” said Phillip Battista, chief executive officer of Darwin Automotive. “This Darwin-Dealertrack partnership will bring multiple leading products into one workflow, creating the most powerful F&I platform ever introduced to the marketplace. Over the next 18 months, Dealertrack eMenu customers will have the opportunity to convert to Darwin’s menu platform to take advantage of this powerful workflow.”

Dealertrack and Darwin will be available to discuss the partnership further at the upcoming National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in Las Vegas on Feb. 14-17, 2020 at Booth #2336C. 

For more information about Dealertrack, visit https://us.dealertrack.com/. For more information about Darwin Automotive, visit https://darwinautomotive.com. 

About Dealertrack 

Dealertrack provides industry-leading software solutions that give dealerships, lenders, and partners the confidence to thrive in an ever-changing automotive market. The company’s integrated suite of powerful easy-to-use products and services 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 Darwin Automotive 
Darwin Automotive currently operates in all 50 states with over 5,300 dealerships subscribed to its programs and was recently recognized by Automotive News as a 2019 All Star in Finance & Insurance. Darwin delivered 504,000 deals on its platform last month and is on track to deliver 6.5 million units for the year. More information is available at https://darwinautomotive.com, or by calling 1-732-781-9010.

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Key role designed to help dealers meet the challenges of the digital transformation era

ATLANTA – February 7, 2020 – Manheim has named Zach Hallowell as the new lead of Manheim Digital amid the company’s significant growth and innovation in the digital wholesale space. Entrusted with leading the transformational efforts across Manheim’s digital platform, M LOGIC™, Manheim Express and condition reporting, Hallowell is also focused on ensuring wholesale buyers and sellers understand the sheer magnitude of possibilities that come with the evolving wholesale landscape.

“Zach’s commitment to our clients’ success, passion for the possibilities of technology and deep background in digital remarketing made him the ideal choice to lead our digital teams into the future,” said Grace Huang, president of Manheim. “As a visionary in digital wholesale, Zach’s drive to innovate and ability to lead through change will enable Manheim to continue being the best place for dealers and consignors to do business.”

A car enthusiast since he first saw a Ferrari Testarossa at nine years old, after which he eagerly read car magazines cover to cover and loved visiting car dealerships with his dad, Hallowell’s love of cars has driven much of his storied career. Shortly after graduating from Middlebury College, he found a way to merge his love of cars and interest in technology by moving to the epicenter of tech innovation—Silicon Valley.

One of the original creators of private online wholesale stores, Hallowell also pioneered the digital grounding and upstream remarketing space. He led the team responsible for one of the first upstream lease end-of-term grounding platforms in the early 2000’s and helped design the lease grounding and upstream sales platform for captive finance companies and rental and fleet providers. His nearly two decades long career in automotive has led him to be the named inventor on numerous patents related to wholesale remarketing systems. Hallowell joined Manheim four years ago to build the company’s private store business and has held increasingly progressive leadership roles since.

“To be in this position with Manheim and the broader Cox ecosystem is equally exciting and humbling,” Hallowell commented. “When I think about what cars represent for our culture—the freedom and mobility to go anywhere at any time—and combine that with the technology resources and wherewithal here at Manheim, I know we have the opportunity to shape the future by bringing together our physical and digital assets to benefit our clients and make a real difference.”

The future is what Hallowell has a keen eye on. His appointment comes at a time when Manheim has seen exponential growth across its digital platforms—from Manheim.com to Manheim Express, Simulcast, OVE and more. In 2019, Manheim saw more than 150,000 unique monthly visitors to its digital channels, grew its Digital Blocks to 150 and sold over 2.3 million vehicles to digital buyers—nearly half of Manheim’s total. As the growth continues, Hallowell believes its critical to help dealers lean into the changes ahead.

“I’ve always been passionate about progress; what makes me uncomfortable is complacency,” he added. “We’re at an inflection point in wholesale where the pace of change and digital adoption is increasing, and I’m confident that the dealer body will be stronger as a result. It’s incredibly important for buyers and sellers alike to embrace these new opportunities to take inefficiencies out of the market, and we will take our clients beyond the traditional auction experience to something even better.”

About Manheim

Manheim®, the nation’s leading provider of end-to-end wholesale vehicle solutions, is celebrating 75 years as an industry innovator, driving success for clients, the company, its team members and the industry. The dream of five men who auctioned off a handful of cars in 1945 from a single-lane location in Manheim, Pennsylvania launched a company that today offers 7 million used vehicles annually and facilitates transactions representing nearly $67 billion in value with the grit and determination of 17,000+ team members. Through its physical, mobile and digital sales network, Manheim offers services for inventory management, buying and selling, floor planning, logistics, assurance and reconditioning. Operating the largest vehicle wholesale marketplace, Manheim enables clients more efficient ways to connect and transact business how and when they want. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.

Only 50 state solution offering new features to help seamlessly transition from F&I office to back office

NORTH HILLS, N.Y., February 7, 2020 – Dealertrack announces the launch of key new enhancements to its out of state registration and titling solution, RegUSA®. This brings next-level simplicity, reliability, customization and automation to alleviate an often complex and confusing process.

As a growing number of car shoppers move online, dealers need a solution that lets them quickly process registration and title transactions without having to master the unique requirements and business rules of each state’s DMV. From January to September 2019, out-of-state registrations rose 16% year-over-year (from 4.7% of registrations to 5.3%).¹ With 51 unique DMVs jurisdictions, 100 distinct sets of taxes and fees, 250 unique forms and 300 possible registration and title transactions,² the back-end process of finalizing an out-of-state deal can quickly become a time-consuming and costly process for dealerships without the help of the right solution.

“The shift to online car sales has opened up a great opportunity for dealers to sell to a broader market, but the burdensome task of having to navigate unfamiliar registration and titling processes has prohibited many dealers from capitalizing on this growing market segment,” said Kait Gavin, vice president of Dealertrack Titling Solutions. “With the enhancements to RegUSA, Dealertrack is helping to eliminate the guess work that can come with finalizing an out-of-state sale by giving dealers an intuitive and interactive interface that guides them through the nuances and requirements of each unique deal.”

Dealertrack’s reformulated RegUSA solution now has five new and unique feature/functionality enhancements that reimagine the user interface of the system, offer built-in safeguards to help ensure accuracy and efficiency, and replace much of the manual process that can slow down the out-of-state registration and title workflow.

1. - Intuitive Interface: Asking for only the information required for a given transaction, the system adapts itself based on the customer, vehicle and transaction information entered. Once the information is collected, it is automatically repopulated where needed throughout the registration and title process, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry and helping to ensure accuracy.

1. - Deal Comparison Based on Detailed Insight of Taxes and Fees: The updated state-specific tax and fee engine that powers RegUSA eliminates the need to manually calculate sales tax for out-of-state deals and offers side-by-side comparisons for different deal scenarios down to the county, city and municipality.

1. - Customer-Specific Checklist: Once a car buyer’s information is input into the system, RegUSA will electronically provide dealers a specific, action-oriented task list customized for each unique deal, telling them what documents are needed, when original documents and wet signatures are required and if the documents need to be notarized. Connecting the F&I staff with key documents needed by the customer helps gain all deal details for more accurate and quick deal submission to the DMV.

1. - Professional Deal Audit and Scan Services: An analysis of documentation by professional staff at RegUSA helps ensure paperwork is correct and accurate, with the ability for dealers to scan and upload missing deal documents should action be needed to finalize deals, helping ensure each deal is complete to meet state requirements for compliance and deal finalization.

1. - Real-Time Deal Status Updates: Leveraging built-in safeguards, RegUSA provides real-time status updates to help prevent deal delays and enable dealers to act on necessary items without the need to go back and forth with the RegUSA office after a deal is submitted.

“Navigating the new Dealertrack RegUSA solution is easy and it provides the correct paperwork and material for more accurate deal completion from step one to submission,” said Lauren Knorr, DMV title clerk of Pine Belt Automotive in Toms River, New Jersey. “As we complete the transaction, all necessary information, forms and documents are automatically populated which reduces data entry and makes our jobs easier. Best of all, with the new enhancements to Dealertrack RegUSA, finance can create more accurate estimates, driving a better process for everyone in the back office who finalizes the deal.”

RegUSA will be available to demo at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in Las Vegas on Feb. 14-17. For more information about Dealertrack and to schedule a demo at NADA 2020, visit https://us.dealertrack.com/, or visit us at the conference at Booth #2336C.

About Dealertrack

Dealertrack provides industry-leading software solutions that give dealerships, lenders, and partners the confidence to thrive in an ever-changing automotive market. The company’s integrated suite of powerful easy-to-use products and services 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

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¹ Based on Cox Automotive derived analysis of IHS Markit new and used vehicle registration data as of Q3 2019 where a selling dealer was identified. Used registrations include selling dealer for 31 states.     

² Cox Automotive Internal Data.

New partner integrations and enhanced capabilities deliver one paperless workflow on one platform with one deal jacket  

NORTH HILLS, N.Y., February 6, 2020 – Combining the power of the industry's most holistic F&I workflow solution with new best-in-class partner integrations, Dealertrack is continuing to set industry standards by delivering on its promise of one integrated and paperless F&I workflow. These latest partner integrations and enhancements coupled with the company’s industry leading Dealertrack platform, digital contracting capabilities and largest lender network, enable a seamless workflow mapped to a dealer’s own process, from leads to contracts.  

“At Dealertrack, we believe in the course of doing business dealers should never have to turn their back on a customer to access the information needed to structure a payment, secure financing, calculate taxes and fees, or jump between technology solutions,” said Cheryl Miller, senior vice president and general manager of Dealertrack F&I Solutions. “By leveraging the power of partnership, Dealertrack is giving dealers the flexibility and connectivity they need to drive a seamless workflow for faster funding and a renewed, more fully engaging customer experience.” 

Dealertrack will be highlighting the following new product enhancements and enriched partnerships offering best-in-class menu selling, F&I reporting, credit bureau capabilities and CRM integrations at the upcoming National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in Las Vegas on Feb. 14-17, 2020.  

- Dealertrack Partners with Darwin: Darwin brings the latest in analytics and mobile technology to Dealertrack’s powerhouse platform. The result is less keystrokes and more deal data from Darwin’s final menu, telling the dealer which aftermarket products were accepted and which were declined by the customer and how those choices affect monthly payment, term of loan and cash down. All this information will flow seamlessly into Dealertrack’s one online deal jacket to ensure deal compliance. 

- F&I Insights Reporting Powered by StoneEagle F&I: Dealertrack is partnering with StoneEagle F&I, a provider of innovative solutions for the automotive retail industry, to bring SEcureMetrics F&I to the Dealertrack platform. This partnership allows dealers to analyze the deal and see new ways to grow profits using insights that will be presented within the online deal jacket. As the industry’s most comprehensive and user-friendly reporting solution, SEcureMetrics F&I is easily customizable and will arm dealers with actionable insights to help improve efficiency, drive performance and increase potential profitability. 

- Dealertrack Partners with National Credit Center (NCC): Dealers will now have access to an enhanced financing process through an all-new partnership with National Credit Center (NCC). NCC credit bureau service will integrate directly into Dealertrack’s online deal jacket, improving the finance process for dealers to make smarter and immediate credit decisions. Key features and enhancements include Military Lending Act (MLA) inclusion on reports and Smart Default capabilities (coming in March 2020) that give deeper insights to secure better finance terms and to automatically pull an additional bureau if a higher score is available. This improved financing process increases the value dealers derive from Dealertrack’s largest lender credit application network. 

- New CRM Integrations: Committed to mapping to a dealership’s unique workflow, Dealertrack will offer enhanced integrations with several CRM providers to now push a completed credit application directly from their CRM to Dealertrack, helping save time and reducing the need for data re-entry.  
 

- Enhanced Compliance Checkpoints Throughout the Deal: Dealers can protect profits and ensure mishaps are mitigated through real-time updates and checkpoints along each step of building one complete digital deal jacket. Dealertrack’s annual Compliance Guide is also going paperless in 2020, so dealers can easily access and share updates. 

- Paperless Deal Submission: Dealertrack’s unique Digital Contracting capabilities now include local file upload so dealers can now add stips and documents in multiple ways. Additional enhancements, such as built-in verifications, live funding checklists and point-of-sale capture allow dealers to submit more accurate contracts for same day funding to a growing list of leading lenders.  

“From a customers’ viewpoint, the less time they have to spend at the dealership, the better,” said Will Pollard, finance director of Tim Short Auto Mall. “On Dealertrack uniFI, we’re now able to connect the entire deal workflow through one single platform, minimizing back and forth and enhancing employee productivity for faster funding and happier customers.” 

For more information about Dealertrack and to schedule a demo at NADA 2020, visit https://us.dealertrack.com/ or visit us at the conference at Booth #2336C. 

About Dealertrack 

Dealertrack provides industry-leading software solutions that give dealerships, lenders, and partners the confidence to thrive in an ever-changing automotive market. The company’s integrated suite of powerful easy-to-use products and services 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 

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