Vinli announced today its partnerships with Meineke Car Care and Cox Automotive, which will bring connectivity and automotive service information to millions of customers across the U.S.
“So what we’re doing is we’re trying to make Vinli part of every car experience, whether you want to service a car, buy a car, buy insurance for a car, anything that has to do with a vehicle,” Vinli CEO Mark Haider told me. “We want to see how Vinli can enhance that experience for a driver.”
Its partnership with Meineke is a membership program that will be integrated into the Vinli app.
Vinli bills itself as a “leading cloud platform for bringing smart car functionality to any car on any lot, in any fleet, or in any shop.”
“We’re trying to redefine car maintenance and car service maintenance. We’re leveraging the connected car.”
Mark Haider
“We’re trying to redefine car maintenance and car service maintenance. We’re leveraging the connected car,” Haider said. “With Meinkeke we’re creating a membership program and with the membership program, you get a Vinli connected car.”
It’s designed to reduce the ambiguity and anxiety owners often experience when it comes to repairing or servicing their vehicles, Haider said.
“When it comes to car repairs and car service, consumers don’t know what’s going on with their car … [the] cost, is it something that can wait five months?” he said.
For instance, if your check engine light comes on, “the Meineke system will be integrated to tell you what’s wrong with it before you take the car in for service. It’s a diagnostic tool.”
You’ll be alerted when it’s time for a battery change or oil change, too.
“It increases the transparency of the information and convenience for the consumers.”
Mark Haider
“The whole experience around knowing what’s going on with your car and whether you need service or not you don’t need to take it to the store for that,” Haider said. It’s completely automated.”
And appointments can be scheduled through the app. Meineke will even be able to provide feedback before your car is seen.
“It increases the transparency of the information and convenience for the consumers,” Haider told Dallas Innovates.
The app will tell you what your car needs and “consumers can use the entire Vinli experience.”
The cost of the program will be announced when the program launches in October.
“It will be cheaper [Meineke membership and Vinli device] than what we’re selling it for online now,” he said.
CONNECTED DEALERSHIP PROGRAM
Also coming in October, Vinli will launch its Connected Dealership Program with Cox Automotive, a Vinli investor that has a network of 40,000 dealer clients across the U.S.
“Our partnership with Vinli is an example of how Cox Automotive New Ventures helps accelerate nextgeneration innovation ventures around the globe,” said David Liniado, Vice President of New Ventures at Cox Automotive. “We already know connectivity is the next big frontier in the automotive dealership ecosystem. Of the solutions we’ve seen, only Vinli offers the flexibility, depth and technological prowess that is needed to provide a robust solution to both dealers and consumers.”
Cox, which owns Kelley Blue Book, Auto Trader, and Manheim Auctions, will be installing a Vinli device in all of its cars, giving consumers the option to buy Wi-Fi and apps for cars built in 2006 or later.
“It goes to the dealership and from the dealership to the customer,” Haider said.
Vinli launched two years ago and began shipping its product one year ago.
“I think it’s important to reiterate that Vinli has become the largest app ecosystem in the automotive industry,” he said.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Vinli on our joint vision to connect every car on the road. The connected car market, and extensive automotive ecosystem, present a unique opportunity for TMobile to address customer’s needs by bringing yesterday’s vehicles into the modern era with incar connectivity and realtime vehicle information,” said Doug Chartier, senior vice president, IoT, Wholesale and National Retail at T-Mobile, which will be powering the system.
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