TROY, Mich. -

One of this year’s Emerging 8 honorees now has new ownership.

On Wednesday, J.D. Power announced it has acquired Superior Integrated Solutions/Darwin Automotive, a leading provider of F&I software used by dealerships.

The company highlighted in a news release that the acquisition enhances the value J.D. Power can provide with its data, analytics, and software components to auto dealers, original equipment manufacturers, third parties and consumers as the industry continues to employ new technologies to improve the consumer experience.

The announcement also indicated Superior Integrated Solutions/Darwin Automotive senior leadership and its 88 employees will join J.D. Power and will form the base of a new dealership technologies division.

“We are focused on maximizing the value of our extensive data and analytics assets by connecting the key components of the auto industry supply chain from OEMs to dealers to consumers and empowering each link in that chain with critical intelligence, streamlined workflows and user-friendly software,” J.D. Power president and chief executive officer Dave Habiger said in the news.

“By partnering with Phillip Battista and his amazing team at Superior Integrated Solutions/Darwin Automotive, we will be well-positioned to help auto dealers maximize profits while delivering a world-class customer experience,” Habiger continued.

J.D. Power said Superior Integrated Solutions has been a leader in F&I software and digital retailing with more than 7,700 dealers using its technology.

Its Darwin Automotive platform is an F&I menu software application, supporting both showroom and digital sales with highly personalized, customer-focused tools to select vehicle financing and protection options. The technology leverages data and predictive analytics to customize customer offers based on a range of criteria including specific vehicle information, overall deal structure and the situation for each individual customer, creating the optimal F&I package.

Widely adopted by the largest dealer groups in the United States, J.D. Power pointed out the Darwin Automotive platform is used in one-third of all new-vehicle transactions today.

“The auto industry is undergoing a historic transformation that will put powerful customer analytics and highly customized, multi-channel solutions at the center of the vehicle purchase experience,” said Battista, who is chief executive officer of Superior Integrated Solutions/Darwin Automotive and will become president of dealership technologies at J.D. Power.

“J.D. Power is an iconic brand that drives consumer confidence worldwide and the combination of the J.D. Power brand and our technology will be a game-changer for the industry affecting everyone from online consumers to dealers to OEMs to insurers,” Battista continued. “We are thrilled to be working with J.D. Power and look forward to even bigger and better innovations to come.”

Portico Capital Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to Superior Integrated Solutions/Darwin Automotive with respect to this transaction.