The Fortellis Automotive Commerce Exchange Platform Fosters Frictionless Innovation

Business Wire 24-Jan-2019 12:00 PM

With more than 700 registered users and all access fees now removed, Fortellis is poised to revolutionize the industry

The Fortellis Automotive Commerce Exchange™ platform, the world's first open, agnostic platform for the development and marketing of automotive application programming interfaces (APIs) and solutions, is now accessible to the industry without access fees, fostering frictionless innovation. It has achieved significant headway in adoption, pricing and functionality since being introduced by CDK Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDK), a leading retail automotive technology company, just 10 months ago. The promise to radically improve industry productivity with a global platform for building and integrating solutions is now a reality.

"Last year, we unveiled a vision for a platform that could overcome the historic inefficiencies of the automotive industry, allowing developers and consumers of solutions to seamlessly create and implement products that improve business processes," said Brian Krzanich, president and chief executive officer, CDK Global. "Today, Fortellis is a reality, and the more than 700 registered users and active developers are fulfilling our vision for a collaborative community of innovators."

Elimination of Fees Spurs Innovation

Fortellis is designed to bring new ideas to the forefront of the automotive industry. To help facilitate this innovation, users will not be charged developing and publishing fees. There are no fees to join, to publish APIs, gain access to basic reporting and support, or to market solutions to end users. There will be a nominal transaction fee to handle traffic going across the platform. More than 120 organizations have become active users of the platform, creating a thriving community that has contributed 90 registered solutions and 70 active sales opportunities, as well as an increasing number of APIs being published.

"While innovations are being created throughout the industry, getting these solutions to work across providers has made adoption challenging," said Ron Frey, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, CDK Global. "Fortellis provides efficiency and enables plug-and-play functionality, allowing users to select the desired solution without the hassle of custom integration."

Fortellis Marketplace Now Live

Fortellis Marketplace, a central hub where retail technology providers can sell their software applications, and dealers and OEMs can find and purchase desired solutions, went live at NADA 2019, seamlessly uniting the producers and consumers of automotive technology.

Marketplace will serve as a one-stop shop for the industry to see available solutions. Like "app" stores in other industries, it will provide the ability for developers to market their solutions by providing feature and functionality descriptions, photos, videos, pricing, support options and screenshots. The site will also provide a way for end users to provide ratings, reviews and ask questions about the solution – together providing a powerful tool for choosing the right solution. When solutions are chosen that are fully integrated through Fortellis, platform deployment will be automated.

"We are very excited about the Fortellis mission to create a seamless marketplace for Dealers," said Lance Schafer, general manager of Product and Technology, LotLinx. "Our AI-driven applications are an excellent fit for dealers looking to maximize their marketing results."

Igniting Innovation with (dev) Day

Today, the first-ever Fortellis (dev) Day, will be held at the Park Central Hotel in San Francisco, where dozens of attendees will have the chance to learn about the platform, speak with Fortellis developers and collaborate with others who are re-inventing automotive technology. A live coding portion of the event will provide the chance to code alongside Fortellis developers, bringing ideas and solutions to the next stage of development. APIs and solutions created during (dev) Day have the prospect of being active and available through Fortellis the following day.

"We're immensely excited at the potential Fortellis presents to build a community of innovators dedicated to ensuring the automotive industry meets the technological demands of the future," said Rajiv Amar, executive vice president and chief technology officer, CDK Global. "(dev) Day is an event that will grow in years to come, creating an environment where individuals from within and outside of the automotive industry can collaboratively explore the platform's full potential."

About Fortellis Automotive Commerce Exchange™ Platform

Fortellis is a technology platform that enables the automotive industry to leverage, build, innovate and integrate solutions and workflows to transform business. The Fortellis platform—with its Developer Network and Marketplace—connects software developers, OEMs and dealers so they can create new and unique experiences efficiently and seamlessly. Visit fortellis.io to learn more.

About CDK Global

With more than $2 billion in revenues, CDK Global (NASDAQ:CDK) is a leading global provider of integrated information technology and digital marketing solutions to the automotive retail and adjacent industries. Focused on enabling end-to-end automotive commerce, CDK Global provides solutions to dealers in more than 100 countries around the world, serving approximately 30,000 retail locations and most automotive manufacturers. CDK solutions automate and integrate all parts of the dealership and buying process from targeted digital advertising and marketing campaigns to the sale, financing, insuring, parts supply, repair, and maintenance of vehicles. Visit cdkglobal.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190124005264/en/