For more than 100 years, the environment has been polluted with vehicle emissions. I don't claim to be an environmental expert, but the toxins released from gasoline and diesel powered vehicles are not ideal. And based on recent news, it turns out that many "clean" diesel vehicles aren't all they were cracked up to be! Let's face it, at one point or another we will need to either change our driving habits or support plug-in hybrid and electric technology.
Read MoreRecent Posts
Oct 21 2015
Topics: Vehicle Shopping, Electric Vehicles
Oct 7 2015
You've built a solution that helps many companies better manage their fleet. Your customers can easily keep up with their vehicle maintenance, title renewals, and insurance policies -- among other tasks. They are even finding ways to increase fuel efficiency with your telematics reporting feature. So what else does your software need?
Read MoreTopics: VIN, Fleet Management
Sep 21 2015
It's hard to believe that INBOUND 2015 has come and gone already. HubSpot, an inbound marketing and sales software provider, has been hosting this rapidly growing conference on our turf (Boston, MA) for a few years now, with an attendance of over 14 thousand professionals this year.
This was my first year attending all three days of breakout sessions, in addition to the keynotes and newly added spotlight speakers. In this post, I've highlighted the top 10 takeaways from all the speakers I was able to catch in this action-packed week of inspiring talks, tactical training and networking.
Read MoreTopics: Conferences
Aug 27 2015
Over the years, online vehicle shopping has grown in popularity. For many consumers, it’s an easy way to educate themselves on current vehicle makes, models, and features, as well as what they should pay for each vehicle before ever stepping foot in the dealership. Still, there is plenty of room for improving the online vehicle shopping experience.
Read MoreTopics: Auto Portals, Automotive Technology, Vehicle Equipment, Dealers, Vehicle Shopping
Aug 19 2015
Over the last 5 years, there has been a paradigm shift in marketing and advertising across all industries. The "spray and pray" method, hammer everyone with promotional content and hope it sticks, is finally fading, as businesses become more strategic in their messaging.
Read MoreTopics: Automotive Data, Vehicle Equipment, Dealers
Jun 9 2015
Is there a difference between a VIN decoder and a VIN check? What information is available from decoding a VIN number? Does a VIN check provide vehicle history data? All of these are valid questions that many consumers and even automotive industry professionals are unsure about.
Read MoreTopics: Automotive Data, VIN, Vehicle Equipment, 3rd Party Mapping
May 28 2015
If you have kept up with the news or social media on any level, then the Takata airbag recall should ring a bell. It has been deemed the largest recall in U.S. history, totaling almost 34 million vehicles (1 in 4 on the road). The NHTSA has thus far listed 11 manufacturers with multiple models affected by this recall. So far the list consists of BMW, Chrysler, Daimler Trucks, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. Let's not forget about their sister companies such as Acura, Infiniti and Lexus.
Read MoreTopics: Automotive Data, VIN, Vehicle Equipment, Dealers, 3rd Party Mapping
May 26 2015
Auto Technology: Infotainment Systems
Remember the days when an 8-track player in your car, or multi-disc changer (for the millennials), was the best thing since sliced bread? Today, if your car doesn't have an auxiliary port or Bluetooth capability it would be considered prehistoric. As smartphones have become more of a standard, a simple connecting cable doesn't quite cut it anymore. Infotainment systems (information and entertainment) are the new auto industry standard.
The bottom line is that cars supporting music entertainment needs, as well as readily available information through smartphone integration is essential for many vehicle shoppers. Unfortunately, choosing a vehicle with the perfect infotainment system is more complicated than it was with previous entertainment systems.
Read MoreTopics: Mobile, Auto Manufacturers, Automotive Technology
Apr 28 2015
Mobile devices are becoming a standard means of browsing the internet, researching products and services, and making purchases online. According to Global Web Index, 80 percent of internet users own a smartphone and 47 percent own a tablet. With these kinds of statistics, you better believe that your website is receiving a significant amount of its traffic from mobile users - unless you fell subject to the latest Google algorithm update last week.
Read MoreTopics: Mobile, Vehicle, Parts & Services, Insurance, Automotive, Dealers
Apr 20 2015
Getting stranded on the side of the highway, or even worse, on a dirt road far from civilization is one of a driver's worst fears. These fears have driven many consumers to seek various roadside assistance services for peace of mind when the time arises.
Read MoreTopics: Mobile, Insurance, Roadside Assistance