John Sternal's Blog (490)

New Survey Data From EVAI Show Fleet Managers Face Continued Challenges in Leveraging TCO Metrics With Auto Dealer Partners

Jackson, Wyo. – (April 1, 2025) EVAI, a pioneering company specializing in advanced data analytics and AI-driven solutions for fleet management, today announced results of its latest industry survey revealing significant insights into the use of total cost of ownership (TCO) metrics and the current state of electric vehicle (EV) adoption among vehicle fleet managers. The online survey, presented to more…

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Added by John Sternal on April 1, 2025 at 1:04pm — No Comments

Interactive EQ launches Auto IEQ - AI-based Talent Assessment Platform Custom-Built for Auto Industry Needs

Interactive EQ, an interactive talent assessment platform that combines AI and interactive videos to measure emotional quotient (EQ), launched its Auto IEQ product for dealers/retailers, service providers, and OEMs.

 

LOS ANGELES, Mar. 25, 2025 -- Interactive EQ launches Auto IEQ - AI-based Talent Assessment Platform Custom-Built for Auto Industry Needs.

 

Former Tekion leader solves for measuring intangible skills by…

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Added by John Sternal on March 25, 2025 at 2:04pm — No Comments

The Looming Threat of Deepfakes: A New Era of Auto & Financial Fraud

In recent years, while AI has empowered dealers and lenders to enhance their businesses, it has also provided fraudsters with sophisticated tools to perpetrate financial fraud.  

 

One of the most concerning developments is the use of generative AI techniques, including deepfakes, to create counterfeit documents. Deepfakes, short for "deep learning fakes," enable fraudsters to convincingly manipulate images and texts of key loan documents, making detection increasingly…

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Added by John Sternal on March 25, 2025 at 9:26am — No Comments

What’s Preventing More Auto Retailers From Additional Cyber Defense?

Sure, technology is rapidly advancing the automotive retail and lending industries, but this evolution has also brought about new challenges in the areas of cybersecurity. The ransomware event of the summer of 2024 made many headlines, and since then the entire industry is taking a closer look at digital security.

 

Even with this increased awareness, a recent online survey conducted in November 2024 has shed light on the alarming gaps in cybersecurity practices among auto…

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Added by John Sternal on March 25, 2025 at 9:25am — No Comments

Modernizing Inventory Management: How Machines Can Outperform Human Dealers

As the automotive dealership industry has long relied on human intuition and historical sales data to guide inventory management decisions, dealers continue to face a constant balancing act: having the right mix of vehicles to meet customer demand without overstocking models that might sit unsold for months.

Traditionally, dealers have relied on experience, gut instincts, and past sales performance to determine which vehicles to order, how to price them, and when to move them…

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Added by John Sternal on March 18, 2025 at 12:58pm — No Comments

What’s Still Needed To Truly Maximize Digital Deal Jackets

Today's leading auto retailers widely recognize the significance of digital deal jackets in their operations. These comprehensive electronic records have transformed legacy dealership processes, covering all aspects of vehicle sales. However, just utilizing a digital deal jacket isn’t enough, especially since only 20% of dealers said they utilize a digital copy of a person’s driver’s license – even with a digital deal jacket.

 

The Federal Trade Commission's Safeguards Rule has…

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Added by John Sternal on March 10, 2025 at 1:59pm — No Comments

Why Fraud Is No Longer Preventing Dealers & Lenders Access To Private Seller Inventory

The auto industry has long been plagued by the persistent issue of fraud, especially with used vehicle transactions. For years, auto dealers and their lender partners have been hesitant to acquire used inventory directly from private sellers in the private marketplace. This reluctance stemmed from the lack of access to robust identity verification and fraud prevention tools, which left dealers and lenders vulnerable and exposed to fraudulent transactions.

 

Private…

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Added by John Sternal on March 10, 2025 at 11:01am — No Comments

Lotlinx’s Lance Schafer to Speak at Auto Intel Summit on AI-Powered Dealerships

How Machine Learning and Vertical AI are Reshaping Inventory Management and Sales Strategy

DETROIT (March 4, 2025) Artificial intelligence is no longer an emerging technology in automotive retail—it’s a necessity. As dealerships face increasing pressure to optimize inventory, reduce risk, and drive profitability, AI and machine learning are providing new ways to automate…

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Added by John Sternal on March 4, 2025 at 12:54pm — No Comments

The Leading Role Digital Platforms Will Play In Helping Dealers Source Quality Used EVs

The electric vehicle (EV) market continues to show continued growth, driven by consumer demand for environmentally friendly transportation options and supported by government incentives. As of the fourth quarter of 2024, used EV sales have surged by 62.6% compared to the previous year, making them a highly sought-after commodity for auto dealers looking to bolster their inventory1.

 

EV share of the total light-vehicle market reached 9.9% in December 2024, a…

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Added by John Sternal on February 26, 2025 at 12:21pm — No Comments

Understanding How The U.S. Treasury Views The Use of AI in Auto Retail & Finance

On December 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a comprehensive report examining the applications, benefits, and challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the financial services sector. This report expands on the Treasury's previous research, including its March 2024 analysis of AI-related cybersecurity risks, and incorporates insights from over 100 stakeholders who responded to the June 2024 Request for Information (RFI). By delving into emerging trends, challenges,…

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Added by John Sternal on February 25, 2025 at 3:35pm — No Comments

PROTECTIVE ASSET PROTECTION UNVEILS ITS 2024 F&I ANNUAL UPDATE REPORT

ST. LOUIS - (February 18, 2025) – Protective Asset Protection, a leading provider of F&I programs and services, announced today its highly anticipated 2024 F&I Annual Update Report. The comprehensive report offers valuable insights into the current state of the automotive industry, focusing on F&I product trends and how dealers are maximizing F&I product options to continually address consumer affordability challenges.…

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Added by John Sternal on February 18, 2025 at 9:39am — No Comments

BotDoc.io Unveils Alarming Cybersecurity Trends in Auto Dealership Industry

Monument, Co., February 5, 2025 - BotDoc.io, a leading provider of secure file transfer and identity verification solutions, today released the results of a comprehensive 2025 Auto Dealership Cybersecurity Survey. The findings reveal critical gaps in the industry's cybersecurity and data security preparedness, serving as a wake-up call for dealerships nationwide.

 

Data Protection Among Largest Gaps

The online survey, conducted in…

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Added by John Sternal on February 12, 2025 at 10:57am — No Comments

PrivateAuto Partners with Recurrent to Empower EV Owners with Seamless Vehicle Listing Options

New Partnership Allows Recurrent Users to Effortlessly List Their Electric Vehicles for Private Sale on PrivateAuto’s Secure Platform  

Alpine, Utah – (February 11, 2025) – PrivateAuto, the only end-to-end transactional marketplace for private-party vehicles, today announced its partnership with…

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Added by John Sternal on February 11, 2025 at 11:20am — No Comments

DEALNOW.COM INTRODUCES INSTANT LOAN LOOKUP AND PAYOFF SOLUTION TO SIMPLIFY INVENTORY ACQUISITION FOR DEALERS

New Solution Enables Private Seller ‘Inventory Acquisition, Made Simple’ 

 

Alpine, Utah – (January 28, 2025) – DealNow, the first-of-its-kind service that enables secure and seamless online transactions for any vehicle –including cars, RVs, boats, and other recreational vehicles– today announced the launch of its new Instant Loan Lookup and Payoff…

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Added by John Sternal on January 28, 2025 at 10:57am — No Comments

Wolters Kluwer Releases Fourth Quarter Data For Its Auto Finance Digital Transformation Index

NEW YORK – January 28, 2025 – Adoption of digitized contracting and documentation workflows by auto retailers and their lending partners that foster back-office efficiencies saw a noticeable jump, according to analysis by Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions from its Q4 Auto Finance Digital Transformation Index. While Q4 adoption compared to Q3 was down slightly…

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Added by John Sternal on January 28, 2025 at 10:01am — No Comments

Botdoc Partnership with 700Credit Enhances Credit Pull Capabilities in Botdoc Connect Platform for Dealers

Monument, Co., January 17, 2025 - Botdoc, a leading provider of secure file transfer and operational efficiency solutions, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with 700Credit, a premier provider of credit reporting and compliance solutions for the automotive industry. This partnership will integrate 700Credit’s services into Botdoc Connect, enabling auto retailer users to perform both soft and hard credit pulls directly within the platform during the car sales…

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Added by John Sternal on January 17, 2025 at 9:35am — No Comments

Botdoc Launches Botdoc Connect: Advanced Secure Document Exchange Solution for Auto Dealerships

Monument, Co – (December 10, 2024) – Botdoc, the global leader in Secure Digital Transport (SDT) technologies, today announced the launch of Botdoc Connect, a digital first solution that makes the process of sharing sensitive information quicker, safer, and more convenient- by automatically populating the buyer's information securely into the dealership’s CRM.

 

Botdoc enables dealerships to safely collect and share sensitive customer information easily with…

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Added by John Sternal on December 10, 2024 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Working Together: How Auto Industry Players Are Fighting Back Against Digital Fraud

Three dealers had fallen victim to the same sophisticated fraud scheme in just one week. The story spreading through dealership break rooms across the country is becoming all too familiar. A new wave of digital payment fraud has hit the auto industry hard, with a particularly nasty scheme targeting Chinese-speaking communities through WeChat. But this time, industry veterans are taking a different approach to fighting back.

 

The Fraud Scheme That's Costing…

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Added by John Sternal on December 10, 2024 at 9:28am — No Comments

Safeguarding Customer Data: The Critical Role of Encryption in Automotive Retail

The automotive industry faces unprecedented challenges in protecting customer data privacy. As vehicle transactions increasingly move online and dealerships collect more personal information, the need for robust security measures has never been more critical. Central to this process is the use of encryption in safeguarding customer data in automotive retail to avoid privacy breaches, and how dealerships can implement encryption to protect their customers and…

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Added by John Sternal on December 4, 2024 at 10:44am — No Comments

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