VIN Basics Blog

This post has been updated since its original publish date in February 2017

Imagine a future where, with the push of a button, your customers could summon a mechanic right to their own driveway or even forecast an impending vehicle failure with a tiny implant into their engines brain. In our rapidly evolving, tech-transformative universe these possibilities are not only on the horizon of the automotive world, they have arrived on the doorstep.

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Topics: Mobile, Parts & Services, Automotive Technology, Roadside Assistance

Automakers have made great strides in increasing vehicle safety. Today's car shoppers will find many different advanced safety technologies, such as lane assistance technology, that are designed to reduce accidents and protect drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Since automakers each have their unique branding for these safety features, it’s easy for vehicle shoppers, and even dealers and service providers, to get confused when comparing vehicle models across multiple brands. For example, while some safety features will simply alert drivers when required to adjust, others will actively take measures to mitigate collision with semi-autonomous functionality.

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Topics: Automotive Technology, Vehicle Shopping

“Fixed ops departments account for the bulk of dealership’s profits.” Sound familiar? How about, “A healthy and profitable fixed ops department means a healthy dealership.” You’ve heard it all before. Yet, growing your service clientele, let alone retaining your existing clientele, is easier said than done.

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Topics: Parts & Services, Automotive Technology, Dealers

Vehicle technology is not only becoming more widespread and more affordable each model year, but increasingly more complex. And with that, it can be difficult for vehicle shoppers --and even vehicle marketers-- to distinguish between the common technologies on offer. This could be attributed to the marketing names given by the OEMs or their nuances in functionality.

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Topics: Automotive Technology, Vehicle Shopping

The NHTSA has been providing valuable crash testing ratings since 1978 that are based on front-impact crashes, side-impact crashes, and rollover resistance (added in 2011). In recent news, however, there could be some added categories to these crash test ratings.

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Topics: Safety, Insurance, Automotive Technology, Vehicle Equipment, Vehicle Shopping

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.

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Topics: Automotive Technology, Vehicle Equipment, Vehicle Shopping

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.

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Topics: Auto Portals, Automotive Technology, Vehicle Equipment, Dealers, Vehicle Shopping

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.    

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Topics: Mobile, Auto Manufacturers, Automotive Technology

Paying for a service based on usage is not a new business model, as we’ve seen it used with cellular and internet service providers, but is now growing as a popular automotive insurance option available through several insurance providers. Usage-based insurance (UBI), also known as pay-as-you-drive (PAYD), uses key metrics such as accrued mileage and driving behaviors to determine insurance rates for individuals or businesses.

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Topics: Automotive Data, Insurance, Automotive Technology, Vehicle Equipment

The process of underwriting for auto insurance policies involves many steps and needs to account for a number of risk variables. The vehicle specifications are just one piece to consider when assessing risk. Some others include client demographics, geography, and driving history. 

As the variety of available vehicle safety equipment continues to increase, so does their effect on insurance risk ratings. It’s important that underwriters utilize the right resources to help them understand the options available, thereby saving them time and increasing process accuracy.

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Topics: Automotive Data, Safety, Insurance, Automotive Technology, Vehicle Equipment