VIN Basics Blog

If you've seen Scion's latest ad campaign for the iA and iM featuring James Franco, Jaleel White and Car Dealership Tubeman, then you may have noticed that they are really pushing their business model of a single-trim approach. The campaign's tagline states, "standard features that actually come standard." With Scion, there is no such thing as à la carte -- except for a few accessory add-ons -- and it's been that way since they started in 2003. 

Why is it that just Scion limits all of their vehicle models to a single trim and standard equipment? Could this strategy work for other manufacturers (OEMs)?

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. 

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?

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.

Auto Technology: Luxury Vehicle Features

Luxury cars offer the latest in automotive technology combined with the next-generation on-demand features that savvy car shoppers want. Whether in the market for a new luxury vehicle, or merely daydreaming about features for their next car, we're willing to bet that these top 7 luxury features in the auto industry will impress many consumers and perhaps be considered for their next vehicle purchase.

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.

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.

An Interview with Connie Keane of Motor Matters

DataOne Software recently interviewed Connie Keane, president of AutoWriters Associates, Inc. and owner of Motor Matters. Motor Matters and DataOne have been partners for quite some time, with DataOne offering Motor Matters vehicle overviews and weekly automotive articles as part of our digital media & editorial product for dealers. Connie and her team of writers have been serving the automotive industry for a number of years now and are known for creating engaging content for all types of vehicle buyers.

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.

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.