CADA-backed technology helps dealerships manage their lots and recover stolen vehicles
With the rising tide of stolen vehicles plaguing dealerships across the country, dealers need help protecting their inventory and recovering stolen vehicles. Garage insurance providers are demanding it.
“CADA is working hard in Ottawa to have the government introduce legislation that will stem the tide of stolen vehicles leaving the country,” said Tim Reuss, CADA President and CEO. “By introducing this new service, we are now also taking action at the dealer level to reduce theft. We are responding to the needs of our dealer members.”
It’s an added bonus if dealers can also sell the auto theft recovery devices they install on their inventory through to the retail customer and make a margin on the product.
That’s the vehicle inventory protection and business opportunity now being offered by the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) through a newly-launched branch of its CADA 360 programs: CADA 360 Security Services.
“It’s not often that the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association throws its support behind a specific product or service,” said Michael Psotka, CADA’s CFO and Director of Member Services. “But after months of reviews and evaluations of several of the leading available products, and with input from our CADA 360 Garage Insurance Committee, the Association has decided upon a product that we feel best satisfies the needs of our member dealers. It will help our member dealers manage their dealership inventory and help recover stolen vehicles quickly and effectively.”
CADA is working with Kudelski IoT’s RecovR product to launch a white label program under the banner of “CADA 360 – Security Services” to fulfill the market need. “RecovR is a product from the Kudelski Group, a very large security technology and services group based out of Switzerland with 32 offices around the world. They currently secure more than 1,000 dealer rooftops across North America, establishing themselves as a leading player in the Lot Control / Theft Recovery industry (www.recovr.biz). CADA is happy to help introduce their product to the Canadian market,” said Psotka.
Psotka said that when it comes to helping dealers recover stolen vehicles, one of the distinguishing features of the RecovR product is that it uses GPS, cellular, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to help locate and recover vehicles. “It ensures robust protection by using four different methods in case vehicles don’t have GPS line of sight or thieves attempt to jam or disable one of them,” said Psotka.
Psotka said it was important for CADA to offer a product that would get the blessing of garage insurance providers. “The insurance companies deal with this from a lot control perspective. These devices basically control inventory on your lot, and they also then become a theft recovery device.”
In an interview, Paul Embrack, National Underwriting Manager at HUB International, a CADA 360 Garage Insurance provider, said CADA has found a solution for dealers that works at a national level.
“By introducing this new service, we are now also taking action at the dealer level to reduce theft. We are responding to the needs of our dealer members.”
— Tim Reuss, CADA President and CEO
“We wanted to ensure two things,” said Embrack. “One, that it protects the dealer’s inventory, first and foremost — and two — that it’s an accepted, recognized product that will benefit the dealers and ultimately benefit the end user — their customers.”
“Although there are multiple products out there, CADA as the voice for dealers have done their due diligence and have chosen RecovR as the product that they’ll go forward with. HUB worked with CADA during the vetting process. I know they did a lot of analysis in making their decision, and did a careful study of this market.”
The technology platform works on several levels. The first step is to place the small wireless device — about the size of a deck of playing cards — somewhere on the vehicle. This can be done easily and quickly with no need to hook into the vehicle’s battery or wiring. The battery in the device is expected to last up to five years.
When activated, each device can then be tracked in near real-time via the RecovR web portal that dealerships can also use to geo-fence regions such as their dealership, or an area around their dealership to allow for things like test drives. When vehicles go outside the geo-fence outside of defined business hours, alerts to management or staff are triggered and the vehicles can be located, and the tracking information can then be easily shared with police to help recover the vehicles. The RecovR portal is also mobile friendly so staff can use their phones to find vehicles on the lot.
Psotka says the system helps dealerships do more than recover stolen vehicles, because it works as a lot management tool to help dealers keep tabs on all their inventory movement in real time, including service loaners and demo vehicles.
The pricing model will also be very attractive to dealers, said Psotka. “One pricing option will allow for zero upfront capital costs with a 40% sell through requirement.” This is a significant competitive advantage over much of the competition, he said. “And the sell-through of the product to new car buyers ensures a new revenue generation opportunity for dealers as well.”
CADA 360 expects to be able to announce full program details shortly. Contact CADA or RecovR to be first on the contact list.
As with all CADA 360 programs, they are “Built for Dealers, by Dealers.” “This is a perfect illustration of how CADA 360 programs flow back to you,” said Psotka.
