Impel, the global leader in digital automotive engagement software and data, announced that it is acquiring CarLabs.ai, a US-based provider of conversational AI products for the automotive industry. CarLabs digital assistants are used by leading automotive OEMs and dealers to drive greater engagement across the customer lifecycle. The acquisition brings additional product capabilities, AI services, and resources to Impel and builds on the company’s May 2021 acquisition of Pulsar AI.
Founded in 2016, CarLabs provides artificial intelligence products that enable automotive OEMs and retailers to engage customers with automated, contextual two-way conversations that drive greater sales and service revenue. The company’s solutions optimize content delivery and business performance by leveraging machine learning and advanced statistical models based on more than 5 years of serving international auto OEMs and enterprise dealer groups.
“We’re thrilled to welcome CarLabs to the Impel family, and we look forward to integrating their innovative technology capabilities to generate even greater levels of digital engagement and business results for automotive OEMs and vehicle retailers of all types,” said Devin Daly, Impel Co-Founder and CEO. “This acquisition will accelerate our product development and innovation efforts to meet the growing need for exceptional end-to-end omnichannel experiences across the entire customer lifecycle.”
The CarLabs acquisition comes at a time when service revenue and customer loyalty has become more critical than ever to dealer profitability. Supply chain challenges and tighter labor markets have pushed a growing number of retailers to implement automated communication capabilities in order to increase Fixed Ops revenue. By continuously mining vehicle purchase data and service records, AI-powered solutions unlock new profit opportunities for dealers by engaging customers with highly relevant service messages and reminders at precise moments of the ownership lifecycle. The addition of CarLabs technology and API integrations to Impel’s Service AI offering will create the industry’s most complete solution for automated service drive communications.
Carolina Coral Ayala Garcia, Senior Digital Specialist at KIA Motors México, said, “For the past several years, Kia has made significant investments in digital capabilities designed to deliver an enhanced experience along the entire shopper journey. We’ve been fortunate to work with innovative technology companies like CarLabs that have enabled our digital transformation. They have been an indispensable partner, providing us with leading-edge AI capabilities that have helped us engage and educate consumers while at the same time strengthening our brand in an increasingly digital-driven world.”
“Impel is the preeminent digital engagement provider in the industry with thousands of satisfied customers around the world. We share a passion for creating seamless omnichannel journeys that deliver customer delight while driving increased business results and efficiencies at scale,” said Martin Schmitt, CarLabs Co-Founder and CEO. “Automotive is ripe for intelligent automation, and together with Impel we’ll be able to accelerate efforts to deliver AI-powered applications that transform the experience for customers and dealers alike.”
Michael Quigley, Impel Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, added, “As the world’s foremost automotive digital engagement company, ongoing innovation and continuous growth are a key driver of our success. We are always on the lookout for leading-edge companies and emerging technologies to accelerate our efforts, and we couldn’t be more excited about the additional capabilities that CarLabs brings to our organization and to our technology platform.”
