VIN Basics Blog

In previous articles of this ADAS blog series, we discussed the increasing prominence of ADAS and its impact across the auto industry, as well as some of the challenges with these advanced safety technologies. As ADAS systems continue to grow in their prominence, with a solid amount of data accumulated over the last few years to prove their efficacy, as well as their limitations, manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to improve these systems and prevent even more accidents.

This article includes some of the significant trends shaping the future of ADAS as the auto industry works to transform automotive safety and autonomous driving.

In a previous article, we discussed some of the key components of EVs and how they differ from the makeup of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

EVs continue to change the landscape of the auto industry at a rapid pace and many questions arise for consumers and businesses alike. In our previous EV article, we covered the topic of EV charging and charging infrastructure, one of the biggest factors in the adoption of EVs. As a follow-up, we thought it would be helpful to address some of the key components of an EV, as well as some of the ways in which they differ from their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. 

Electric vehicles (EVs) are continuing to grow in popularity due to their environmental friendliness, cost savings, lower maintenance, and improved performance. However, one of the greatest obstacles holding back the worldwide adoption of EVs is infrastructure limitations for charging stations, especially in the U.S.

All-wheel drive (AWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD, 4X4) systems continue to gain traction in the marketplace and, as a result, are widely available on most of today’s best-selling vehicles. However, advancing technology and OEMs’ marketing spin are making it increasingly difficult to discern between the two features, leaving everyone – from consumers to dealerships and vendors – confused about whether a given vehicle is technically AWD or 4WD.

This post has been republished with fully updated content since its original publish date in Nov 2015

Managing a fleet, big or small, is not an easy task. There are several items to account for and challenges to overcome in order to run a successful fleet. Some of these include saving money on fuel, ensuring the safety and job satisfaction of your drivers, keeping up with vehicle maintenance and repairs, etc. 

As electric vehicles (EVs) continue to be one of the hot topics for discussion in the auto industry, and more consumers consider making the switch from their traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, there are many questions that come along with EVs. Many of these questions are related to battery range and life expectancy, as well as charging infrastructure and the purchasing or leasing of EVs.

Though we were able to find many helpful resources that provide some great information on the questions included in this article, getting definitive answers has proven to be quite challenging, especially for some of the most pressing questions. In fact, researching answers to these questions has raised even more questions, which we will likely address in other articles. While we don’t have all the answers, we hope this article will help educate consumers, as well as other businesses in the industry looking to gain some EV knowledge.

While parts and accessories sales are one of the most profitable revenue streams for your dealership (along with fixed ops), it’s a highly competitive market, especially online. Online part sales are a multi-billion dollar business ($12 billion in 2019, ~$16 billion in 2020), largely dominated by retail giants like Amazon and eBay, along with major aftermarket parts retailers (Auto Zone, O’Reilly, Advanced Auto Parts, etc.)

According to Hedges & Company, in 2019, Amazon sold $8 billion in parts ($5.3 billion 1st party sales), accounting for 2/3 of all online parts sales in the US. And as of the latest study, they were on track to pass $10 billion in 2020. These numbers may be intimidating, but there is still room for your dealership to have a successful online parts business.

A couple of years ago, we wrote an article about the extinction of internal combustion engines and the rise of electric vehicles. However, there were several roadblocks that were slowing down the speed of adoption, including high battery costs, the lack of infrastructure, and the desire for bigger vehicles that didn’t offer electric alternatives at the time.

As the auto industry adjusts to business post-pandemic, it appears that electric vehicles are picking up pace again with increasingly more OEMs offering electrified options in their model lineups. The current White House administration has urged OEMs to increase the production of electric vehicles to the point where they will make up more than 50% of new vehicle sales by 2030, according to MarketWatch. In this article, we thought it would be helpful to highlight some of the prominent factors that are supporting the current rise of electric vehicles.

Beyond just misleading, limited data can harm your business. Market analyst, Gartner, found that 27% of the data in the Fortune 1000 companies is considered flawed, which they defined as inaccurate, incomplete, or duplicated. According to their research, poor quality data leads to high costs, a high customer turnover rate and excessive expenses. IBM estimates that bad data costs the US economy roughly $3.1 trillion dollars each year. They also found that 1 in 3 business leaders don’t trust the information they use to make decisions. Experian Data, in a separate study, determined that flawed data impacts the bottom line of nearly 90% of all American companies.