IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spireon Inc., the leader in aftermarket telematics solutions for risk management and business optimization, will introduce its latest connected car solution - Kahu™ - at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo in New Orleans. Kahu is designed for dealers, providing streamlined lot management while delivering a new finance and insurance (F&I) profit center by offering consumers a modern location tracking and stolen vehicle recovery service. Additionally, Kahu empowers dealers to grow service retention with car buyers by providing accurate vehicle data for proactive maintenance reminders that can improve vehicle health and keep vehicles within warranty.

SPIREON UNVEILS KAHU, THE FIRST CONNECTED CAR SOLUTION SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR DEALERSHIPS

“New car dealer margins have been flat for several years, driving a need to create new revenue and profit opportunities,” said Kevin Weiss, CEO at Spireon. “Connected cars are changing the industry, but dealers are receiving little value from this shift. Kahu changes that dynamic, giving dealers the tools they need before, during and after the sale to grow profits and benefit from the connected car revolution.”

Kahu includes an aftermarket GPS device and mobile apps for both dealers and their customers. The solution provides these features and benefits to dealers:

• Lot Management — Dealers can easily manage inventory, track specific vehicle location, and see low battery indicators using a mobile phone or tablet, streamlining operations and creating a better buying experience for consumers. Virtual geofences and after-hours alerts allow dealers to identify and recover stolen vehicles within minutes.
• F&I Profit Center — Kahu offers dealers a high value add-on for consumers who seek peace of mind with a next generation vehicle recovery service and an arsenal of easy-to-use mobile features. From 24/7 vehicle location visibility, so consumers can track their vehicle and family at all times, to smart alerts for speeding and low battery, Kahu is an attractive add-on that safeguards consumers while driving dealer profit.
• Customer Loyalty — Kahu uses GPS-based mileage tracking to improve the accuracy of service reminders and increase service retention. Consumers benefit by being able to maximize warranty protection and ensure recommended service intervals are maintained.

“Our partnership with Spireon has paid for itself tenfold,” stated Spireon customer Jon Hansen, General Sales Manager, Burien Nissan. “Being able to offer a product that I find value in to our customers and making it a revenue generator for the dealership is really big for us. I would absolutely recommend Spireon to other dealerships.”

Spireon’s aftermarket GPS devices are installed on more than 3.5 million vehicles and offered by 14,000 dealerships across North America. With Kahu, car dealers and consumers now have access to state-of-the-art mobile location services, which protect their vehicle assets and can lead to reduced insurance premiums.

Kahu is already installed with a select group of early adopter customers, and will be generally available in the second quarter of 2017.

To learn more about Kahu at NADA please visit Spireon’s booth, #4309 in Hall E, or schedule a meeting at http://www.spireon.com/nada2017/.

About Spireon

Spireon, Inc. is the industry’s leading open connected vehicle company, providing businesses and consumers with powerful Big Data insights to track, manage and protect their most valuable assets. The award-winning Spireon NSpire open platform delivers rich information from any GPS connected vehicle or asset, converting that information into actionable insight. Headquartered in Irvine, CA, Spireon’s open connected vehicle platform now supports more than three million active subscribers across the company’s growing suite of product offerings for new and used car dealers, lenders and financial institutions, rental car agencies, insurers, consumers, and fleet, trailer and asset management companies.