It is time to break out your game board once again and play “link the subsidiaries.” I heard this one recently from a Cox person at a conference. I don’t know if they have it in production yet, but it sure sounds good.
If you authorize vAuto to source new inventory as it sees fit, then it can connect to Manheim and automatically place the orders. As soon as the gavel goes down, Dealer.com can pick up images and data from Manheim and immediately begin merchandising the vehicle. Cox also owns the logistics company that hauls the vehicle, so they can report when it will arrive on the lot.
So, you could conceivably have a customer walk in to buy a vehicle that is arriving today, with the entire sourcing cycle untouched by human hands. In fact, this sounds a little like what I described in Cox Automotive Home Game. No mention (yet) of the COXML message format.
Update: Details here from Mark O’Neil. The chain goes: vAuto, Stockwave, Manheim, NextGear, and then Dealer.com.
Virag Consulting 