FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — RouteOne has partnered with two new companies to further enhance its dealer offerings. 

In one of the partnerships, RouteOne announced it is now incorporating Carfax Vehicle History Reports into its company's Web-based platform.

This can give dealers access to their Carfax accounts from multiple operating points within the system.

"We are very pleased to announce this integration with Carfax," said Mike Jurecki, chief executive officer of RouteOne.

"Dealers will be able to run reports directly from within RouteOne, eliminating double entry and use of multiple systems, saving them time and money," he added. "Offering access to Carfax on the RouteOne platform provides dealer employees, especially those in used-vehicle departments, an invaluable tool when it comes to completing deals efficiently."

For those dealers who do not currently have Carfax accounts, RouteOne said they now can sign up from within the system.

"Previous studies prove that running Carfax reports at acquisition helps dealers sell cars faster and for more money," said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax.

"From acquisition to retail to financing, Carfax reports play a crucial role in the dealer's sales cycle," he explained. "This enhancement helps RouteOne users find the cars their customers want and market them more effectively."

RouteOne Brings Auto Financial Group into the Fold

Auto Financial Group has joined up with RouteOne to provide dealers an additional financing avenue for car buyers.

AFG is an online provider of residual-based financing products for more than 200 credit unions, and the partnership is designed to help RouteOne dealers streamline the connection of buyers and financers through AFG's DrivingSense program, according to the companies.

"We are happy to be able to respond to our dealers' requests for a residual-based program and offer AFG's Driving Sense," said Jurecki.

"AFG is a solid choice for dealers, credit unions and customers, and we welcome them to our platform," he stated.

DrivingSense is AFG's financing product that combines the "advantages and flexibility" of vehicle ownership with the benefits of leasing to credit unions and their members, AFG company officials said. The program is intended to reduce financial risk to credit unions by guaranteeing a predetermined residual value of a vehicle through third-party insurance.

Additionally, AFG is paid a low administration fee for each loan through the program, allowing the credit union to earn the interest.

Through the use of its CarBuilder calculator, credit unions can build a vehicle quote for its members at a lower payment, flexible two- to six-year terms with the benefits of ownership at loan maturity through a "lease-like" option of surrendering the vehicle as opposed to paying the final balloon payment, according to AFG officials.

"We are excited to work with the leader in dealer portals and RouteOne's 21,000 participating dealerships," AFG president Richard Epley commented.

"We believe that our product will make an important difference for RouteOne's dealers, especially during these challenging economic times," he concluded.

For more information, visit www.routeone.com.