LOS ANGELES -

From the lot to the lanes, a new AutoManager app is designed to save dealers time and help them make wise purchasing choices, the company says.

AutoManager has announced the release of AutoManager.Mobile, a free mobile app for Android devices. Using a smartphone or tablet, the app allows dealers to scan a vehicle identification number, take and upload pictures of a vehicle to the dealership’s inventory and obtain Carfax and National Motor Vehicle Title Information System vehicle history reports on the spot.

“This is a shining example of how technology can really improve dealership performance,” said Kami Tafreshi, chief executive officer of AutoManager. “Think of all the time your sales staff spends off the floor and behind a computer. Now, anyone with a smartphone is going to have all that time back to engage customers and sell more vehicles.”

AutoManager.Mobile allows dealers to sort through inventory from anywhere, the company said, and uses code-scanning technology to read VINs that enter the frame of a mobile device’s camera.

Basic information about the vehicle is then downloaded, creating a vehicle a new inventory item that the company said can be quickly added to a client’s website or dealer management system. Using the same camera, dealers can take up to 60 photos of the vehicle and upload them to the Web.

“Dealers know they have to put up a lot of photos to draw attention to their vehicles, but the process can get very tedious if they use a digital camera,” Tafreshi said. “With AutoManager.Mobile, it’s as simple as possible: scan the VIN, snap the photos and hit ‘save’ from the same device. No cords, no drivers, no downloading and importing pictures.”

In the lanes, having mobile access to vehicle history reports allows dealers to pre-screen vehicles they’re considering for purchase, AutoManager said. California dealers can, for a limited time, order NMVTIS reports through AutoManager.Mobile beginning at $1 per report, the company noted.

Tafreshi said AutoManager.Mobile is in the approval phase for placement in the App Store, meaning the same app may soon be available on Apple iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.