RICHMOND, Va. –  CarMax’s omni-channel experience, which lets consumers buy used cars online, in-store or a blend of both, is now nationwide. The largest retailer of used cars in the U.S. said Thursday it has finished rolling out its omni-channel capabilities, a process it started in late 2018 with the launch of omni-channel in Atlanta. “Our omni-channel experience is built to provide a personalized, multi-channel experience that empowers customers to buy a car on their terms,” CarMax president and chief executive officer Bill Nash said Thursday during the company’s earnings call… Read More »CarMax completes national rollout of omni-channel experience

LOS ANGELES –  Electric vehicle designer and manufacturer Fisker says its first dedicated engineering and technology center, to be located in the Mission District of San Francisco, will be the focal point and development center for the company’s software and vehicle electronics. That includes in-car and Fisker data center elements. The company’s chairman and chief executive officer Henrik Fisker said development of the company’s first vehicle is “progressing at speed,” and the company is scaling accordingly. “We are now establishing the facilities that can support our expansion,” Fisker said in a… Read More »With first vehicle ‘progressing at speed,’ Fisker to open technology center

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  Mike Bliss says car keys are now “more complex than ever.” Bliss is vice president of sales and marketing at automotive key replacement company, Car Keys Express, and he said consumers are facing difficulty in finding retailers that cut keys, “especially high-security, laser-cut keys.” Because of that, Car Keys Express has released a mobile application that it says creates fully operational car keys through the use of consumers’ mobile phones. “Our new app puts key replacement — literally — in consumers’ hands,” Bliss said in a news release.… Read More »Consumers can now use phones to make car keys

TORONTO –  Technology provider Dealer-FX says interacting in a self-serve, mobile-centric capacity is “increasingly important to vehicle owners.” The company, stating it is designing services “with that exact approach in mind,” has enhanced its end-to-end service suite, which includes self-service for the consumer. The company’s newest addition is “payments,” and that addition gives consumers an increased ability to choose how they interact at every step of the service process. That can take place by text, on a mobile device, on a website, in person or over the phone. Dealer-FX’s service technology… Read More »Dealer-FX service suite enhancements boost customer self-service

SAN FRANCISCO –  Shift’s merger and journey toward becoming a publicly traded company on Nasdaq first announced back in June took an important step forward on Thursday. The vehicle ecommerce platform announced that the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by Insurance Acquisition Corp., to the previously announced business combination with Shift has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. According to a news release, Shift has commenced the process of printing and mailing the definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the special meeting of Insurance Acquisition’s stockholders to… Read More »Shift merger registration statement becomes effective with SEC

Friday, Sep. 25, 2020, 10:23 AM ATLANTA –  Safe-Guard Products International hired a chief information security officer this week. Taking this position for the provider of third-party private label protection products for the automotive, RV, marine and powersports industries is Michelle Stewart, who brings more than 15 years of information security experience with her to Safe-Guard Products. Prior to joining Safe-Guard, Stewart spent time at RentPath, Elavon — which is part of U.S. Bank — The American Cancer Society and AirTran Airways. At each of those operations, she worked to create… Read More »Safe-Guard hires chief information security officer

CARY, N.C. –  Earlier this month, news arrived that six repossession and recovery agencies serving auto-finance clients in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico were merging to form ART Asset Adjusters. Chief executive officer Dan Johnson joined this podcast episode to discuss how the merger came together and how ART Asset Adjusters plans to operate going forward. To listen to the entire conversation, click on the link available below, or visit the Auto Remarketing Podcast page.  Download and subscribe to the Auto Remarketing Podcast on iTunes or on Google Play.  Source Article

SANTA MONICA, Calif. –  Dealers that utilize TrueCar now have more tools from the provider to use — for free. TrueCar announced on Thursday that it is offering complimentary access to its Payments and Trade Retail Solutions tools for network dealers. The company said the tools are available for onboarding starting now to franchised dealers and are planned to roll out to independent dealers by the end of the year. Participating retailers will be part of TrueCar’s Access Network, and will receive badging on the TrueCar marketplace highlighting to consumers that… Read More »TrueCar rolls out free access to 2 tools designed to accelerate online sales

CARY, N.C. –  In addition to other tailwinds, two of the drivers for rising new-car sales in the third quarter actually came from the used-car market. Edmunds is predicting 3.85 million new-car sales for Q3, which would beat the second-quarter tally by 30.6%, despite falling 11% year-over year. In a news release, Edmunds executive director of insights Jessica Caldwell said among the factors lifting new-car sales were higher used-car prices and strong trade-in values, among other market factors. “Third-quarter sales make at least two things apparent: Most of the doomsday scenarios… Read More »2 trends in pre-owned help to lift new-car sales

DALLAS –  EFG Companies is fully aware that operators likely are tracking every penny that flows through their businesses nowadays. As a result, this week the company bolstered its formal fraud detection program for dealers, creating significant roadblocks against fraud and theft while protecting dealer reinsurance positions. EFG highlighted its multi-point program now includes: — Real-time call and repair order monitoring and auditing— In-depth training— Proprietary claims system lockdown protocol— Cutting-edge virtual claims inspections EFG said these measures are all designed to save the dealership more than $100,000 annually in fraud… Read More »EFG reinforces reinsurance program that could save dealers $100K annually