OAK BROOK, Ill. -

vAuto has added two new features to its Provision inventory management system that it believes should give dealers a shot-in-the-arm for finding inventory.

Explaining the upgrades in more detail, officials noted that Provision now includes vehicle query features, as well as inventory segment grading.

“The expanded Provision functionality is part of our mission to provide innovative, industry-leading technology and tools that deliver ongoing value and benefits for dealers,” stated vAuto president Keith Jezek. “These updates also underscore vAuto’s commitment to our customers, many of whom have collaborated with our development team to make Provision even more valuable for their dealerships.”

Discussing the vehicle query function more specifically, Jezek added: “This enhancement offers two key benefits. First, with this new Provision enhancement, dealers can genetically engineer their inventory to possess the characteristics that matter the most, like high demand, high profitability and yes, even recent sales history. Second, it’s a significant time-saver as dealers can focus their vehicle acquisition efforts on the types of vehicles they care about most.”

As for the inventory segment grading, Provision already had an A-F grade system, but now it can be broken down further in terms of how aged the units are. (0-15 days on lot, 15-30 days on lot, etc). Officials said these segmented grades “enhance Provision’s inventory summary reports and offer dealers a quick-look method to identify and address issues that may impede the velocity of their sales and inventory turns by segments.”

Offering the dealer perspective, Trent Waybright — who is the director of used-vehicle operations for the Kelley Automotive Group in Fort Wayne, Ind. — had this to say: “Literally, there has never been anything like this for used inventory management. Today, we’re able to know exactly what to buy, how much to pay and where to source the vehicles with exact precision. All of this is done with three simple clicks of a mouse.”