DALLAS — Mobile WiFi provider Vinli has reached agreements with Cox Automotive and Meineke Car Care to offer Cox's 40,000 dealer clients the ability to sell connected car capabilities to their customers as an aftermarket product, the companies announced this week.

The partnership with Cox Automotive, the company stated, will introduce the Connected Dealership Program. The program, which will consist of three customizable components, will be offered to Cox Automotive’s dealer network as a complete lot-management solution and as a connected car offering that can be sold to vehicle buyers, the company stated.

The Lot Management Solution will provide dealers with the ability to see the location of vehicles on the lot, as well as monitor battery levels, fuel levels, inventory reconciliation and gain added security through geofencing and a mobile-enabled dashboard.

Users can then take advantage of the system's Retail Connectivity Solution, which will allow dealers to provide customers with an aftermarket connectivity package that will give any vehicle made after 1996 connected car features such as in-car WiFi, teen driver monitoring and lost vehicle location.

The system also offers a Retention Solution, as it can be integrated with with Xtime Service Telematics to automatically communicate with customers about their vehicle needs. These capabilities allow dealers to create marketing programs designed to get customer to return to the dealership for service, according to the company.

“Our partnership with Vinli is an example of how Cox Automotive New Ventures helps accelerate next-generation innovation ventures around the globe,” said David Liniado, vice president of New Ventures at Cox Automotive. “We already know connectivity is the next big frontier in the automotive dealership ecosystem. Of the solutions we’ve seen, only Vinli offers the flexibility, depth and technological prowess that is needed to provide a robust solution to both dealers and consumers.”

Through the partnership with Meineke, however, car owners will be able to get real-time alerts — from oil change reminders to check engine lights — and then schedule an appointment at their nearest Meineke Car Care Center. Fleet operators, according to the company, will also be able to track vehicle performance and location in real time.  

“We see Vinli as a perfect fit for the innovative way Meineke approaches car care,” said Danny Rivera, president and CEO of Meineke. “Their open platform will introduce new ways to empower car owners on the road, no matter what car, or for what purpose, they drive.”