January 10, 2018 — Spireon Inc. is demonstrating a vehicle subscription concept it is dubbing Drive On Demand at the International Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Calling it a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) technology, the company says the new solution will allow new car dealers to select specific vehicles in their… Continue Reading
January 9, 2018 — The Asbury Automotive Group acquired Terry Lee Honda in Avon, IN this week and renamed it Hare Honda. The acquisition follows Asbury’s purchase of Hare Chevrolet in Noblesville, IN in 2017. The two acquisitions indicate Asbury, the country’s seventh largest dealer group with more than $6.5 billion in annual revenue and… Continue Reading
January 8, 2018 — Fueled by continuing rumors of a potential sale, CDK Global shares hit a 52 week high this morning and is now trading above $72.50 a share. Shares have jumped more than $10 since mid-November when reports first broke that CDK again was exploring a possible sale. The reports continued in late…
DETROIT, Nov. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — AUTOVATE 2017, created by The Banks Report and hosted by CarStory, will feature seven early stage startup companies during its debut event Dec. 7-8, in Austin, TX. The Startup Showcase will allow attendees to learn more about these breakthrough technologies through presentations and panel discussions with industry experts. “We created AUTOVATE to bring together the influencers and… Continue Reading
DETROIT, Nov. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Debuting Dec. 7-8 in Austin, TX, is AUTOVATE 2017, a unique event for dealer executives, investors, entrepreneurs and auto manufacturers. Created by The Banks Report and hosted by CarStory, AUTOVATE will focus on advanced technology solutions driving the automotive retail industry forward, including the innovators behind the solutions, decision-making dealer executives, and investors funding growth in the industry. “AUTOVATE is a… Continue Reading
November 21, 2017 — Kia Motors introduced “Kian” this week, an extension of its chatbot NiroBot, which launched last year during the Super Bowl. Kian is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant designed to help shoppers wade through the data stacks of information in the car buying process – from pricing, payments, special offers, vehicle images, competition,… Continue Reading
November 21, 2017 — Earlier this week, Indiana-based Kelley Automotive Group announced plans to purchase Tomkinson BMW. The acquisition will expand Kelley’s employee base to more than 600, and add BMW to its selection of brands which include GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, and Volvo. Other than more staff, the addition of another brand, and a… Continue Reading
November 16, 2017 — CallRevu, a dealership call management software firm founded by Chip King and David Boice in 2010, will announce later today that it has entered into an investment relationship with Serent Capital. As part of the investment in CallRevu, Serent is acquiring the interest held by marketing agency Team Velocity, which is… Continue Reading
November 7, 2017 — Score this as a big win for Reynolds and Reynolds and CDK Global in the antitrust lawsuit filed against them by Authenticom. Late yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit out of Chicago vacated the preliminary injunction the lower district court in Wisconsin had awarded Authenticom in…
November 1, 2017 — Today’s announcement that private equity firm Primus Capital completed an investment in fusionZONE Automotive indicates the second tier of dealership website and digital marketing firms is gaining traction on the two giants in the space — Dealer.com and CDK Global. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Primus generally keeps… Continue Reading
