Technology

CHICAGO — Automotive Internet Media announced this week that it has purchased Cartango, a female-oriented automotive shopping site. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Tony French, president of AIM, did say, "We realized there is a huge female market that is going virtually untapped. There are many sites that cater to men but Cartango is […] [Read More]

DALLAS — Executives from eLead plan to roll out a new price structure for their CRM and marketing solution. They indicated the structure will be a bundle of solutions packaged together. It's aimed at improving dealership performance and strategic relationships within every department. Because of this new plan, eLead contends that dealers can lower costs and […] [Read More]

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — HomeNet Automotive has formed a partnership with DecisionLinks — a provider of predictive lead-management solutions — that is designed to help dealers adjust their inventory to meet market demand, improve sales conversion, gain stronger leads and meet potential customers' needs more effectively. Officials said the TeaLeades program from DecisionLinks is easily integrated into HomeNet's Inventory […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Kia is apparently leading the automaker pack when it comes to Web sites. At least this is according to J.D. Power and Associates, which recently tallied the results from the first segment of its regular biannual analysis of manufacturers' home pages. According to J.D. Power's 2010 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study — Wave 1, Kia posted an […] [Read More]

DETROIT and IRVINE, Calif. — Autobytel and Autodata Solutions recently revealed a partnership that links the vehicle listing site with additional content to boost value. Now Autobytel's family of Web sites will have access to Autodata Solutions' professional still image vehicle photography and comprehensive data for U.S. vehicles. The collection contains an average of 17 interior […] [Read More]

WALTHAM, Mass. — IMN, the provider of the communication solution Loyalty Driver to more than 1,200 dealers, recently appointed a new vice president of automotive services. Moving into the role is Brian Epro, who is being asked to enhance the solution's position in the industry. Loyalty Driver launched back in 2004. Company executives noted the Epro […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — GOSO, a social media and marketing suite tailored for auto dealers, has rolled out an application programming interface that provides Web developers with a standardized process to access dealer inventories and other data. GOSO officials explained that the dealer industry has historically been "very closed" when it comes to this sort of thing. This has […] [Read More]

ATLANTA — AutoTrader.com shared the results of a recent fundraising campaign for one of its philanthropic partners, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The campaign tied to listings posted by private sellers generated $40,405, and AutoTrader.com indicated that 100 percent of that amount went to St. Jude. Site executives explained that between Nov. 16 and Dec. 31 […] [Read More]

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. — Earlier this week, DealerTrack rolled out its DealerTrack DMS Switch and Save 50 Percent Program, which claims the company can offer most dealers significant savings on their dealership management system. Basically, the program stipulates that DealerTrack can save users of competing DMS systems at least 50 percent of what they're paying for their […] [Read More]

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — DealerSocket announced Wednesday that it has wrapped up the purchase of Carmind, a company that provides dealers with online sales training tools. Carmind offers a series of multimedia courses — designed to demonstrate effective techniques — that are filmed in a dealership environment and available 24/7. Dealer customers can pick what skills they […] [Read More]