E-NEWSLETTER

Innovative Aftermarket Systems will now rep LoJack's vehicle recovery and early warning systems through its network of general agents, the two companies announced yesterday.

Tags: general agents, Innovative Aftermarket Systems, LoJack

IAS announced that it will release SmartOffer, an e-mail-based F&I presentation program designed to allow dealers to present and sell product to Internet customers.

Tags: F&I presentation, IAS, Internet, Internet leads, Internet sales, Internet shopper

Mazda North American Operations announced the launch of the "MyMazda" service app for Android-compatible devices.

Tags: Mazda, mobile applications, mobile solution, parts and service

Retail automotive industry veteran Ron Fortt announced the launch of Automotive Retail Solutions, an independent consulting and training company providing products and services to the automotive industry.

Tags: Automotive Retail Solutions, business development center, extended warranties, parts and service, service contracts, training, windshield protection

AutoTrader.com announced that it experienced a record number of unique visitors to its site during February despite the shortened month.

Tags: AutoTrader.com, Web traffic

DealerTrack will host several DealerTrack University webinars on best practices in the areas of mobile, leasing and compliance this month.

Tags: Compliance, DEALERTRACK, leasing, mobile applications, mobile solution, training, vehicle leasing

Stone Meta Media is offering auto dealers four tips on how to ensure that their digital presence puts them at the consumer’s moment-of-truth, the critical decision point when their desire for a new vehicle emerges.

Tags: digital marketing, Internet leads, Internet sales, Internet shopper, Stone Meta Media

ADP Dealer Services announced that ADNT Inc., MaximTrak Technologies and Time Highway have been approved to join the ADP Third Party Access Program.

Tags: ADNT, ADP Dealer Services, dealership management system, MaximTrak, TimeHighway

AutoSoft Inc. announced the addition of the Kia VIN Inquiry Interface to the AutoSoft DMS, allowing Kia dealers to view and retrieve KMA vehicle service history from within the service module.

Tags: AutoSoft, dealership management system, Kia, Vehicle History Reports

Safe-Guard Products International LLC announced that it has joined the DealerTrack Aftermarket Network.

Tags: aftermarket products, DEALERTRACK, F&I products, Safe-Guard

A report by Change Sciences Group revealed that some banks and other financial services firms are using social media to change their image.

Tags: Banks, finance, lender, Social Media

Digital marketing solutions provider AULtec Inc. has acquired North Carolina-based e-autobusiness, a company specializing in customer acquisition and retention solutions for automotive retailers.

Tags: AULtec, CRM, customer retention, Customer Service, Software

ADP Dealer Services and its Digital Marketing group have acquired Autotegrity from Link Ventures and Cogo Labs to expand a facility that’s focused on optimizing the online shopping experience for consumers.

Tags: acquisition, ADP Dealer Services, marketing, Web Marketing

The Obama Administration unveiled a proposed “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” in a federal report last Thursday. It's part of a blueprint to ramp up consumer privacy protections on the internet, but it could also add additional requirements for dealers when it comes to protecting customer data.

Tags: data protection, dealership management system, legislation, Obama administration, TrueCar

Auto Point Inc. and SureCritic announced a partnership to offer auto dealers a new solution for managing their online reputations.

Tags: AutoPoint, online reputation management, SureCritic

MaximTrak Technologies announced the launch of MobileTrak, a mobile F&I menu that works on the Apple iPad and Android devices and features reporting capabilities and a connection to the company’s e-contracting platform.

Tags: E-CONTRACTING, iPad, iPad Business Applications, MaximTrak, mobile applications, mobile solution, Mobile Website

Auto Point Inc. and TimeHighway.com announced a partnership to give service customers the ability to schedule an appointment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from their computers or mobile devices.

Tags: AutoPoint, parts and service, TimeHighway

The Impact Group announced its latest certified interface, a direct integration relationship between ADP DMS systems and the Fusion F&I menu platform, as well as TFS’s FS Presentation.

Tags: ADP Dealer Services, dealership management system, The Impact Group

AutoFerret.com announced that its Automated Virtual Assistant has sent its five millionth message to auto dealership customers.

Tags: AutoFerret, lead management

Auto Point Inc. was selected by General Motors as a Customer Sales and Service Retention (CSSR) Plus-up Vendor for an important segment of GM customers.

Tags: Auto Point, customer retention, General Motors

After reviewing data in January from eight randomly selected users of its Automated Virtual Assistant, AutoFerret.com found that its artificial intelligence technology averaged a closing rate of 28.7 percent.

Tags: AutoFerret, closing rates, lead generation

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced it has added Automated Dispatch and Electronic Repair Order functions to the fixed-operations module in its dealership management system software.

Tags: Auto/Mate, dealership management system, DMS, fixed operations, repair orders

Michael Maledon, president and CEO of Chandler, Ariz.-based Inilex Inc., traveled to last weekend’s NADA convention to showcase his company’s SkyLINK device and SkyLINK Protect service, which he described as the “next generation” of vehicle-recovery and –tracking technology.

Tags: Inilex, vehicle recovery, vehicle tracking solutions

FordDirect announced the launch of its new website solution for Ford and Lincoln Dealers, DealerConnection Elite.

Tags: automotive SEO, dealer websites, Ford, FordDirect, Internet leads, inventory, lead generation, Lincoln, mobile solution, Web tools

FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised dealers, launched DealerConnection Vehicle Showroom (VSR). The solution is based on SiSTeR's Technologies' VSHOC and Publisher platform.

Tags: Ford, FordDirect, Lincoln, online reputation management, Social Media