Connected Dealer Services
Connected Dealer Services provides vertically integrated connected vehicle technology — GPS hardware, proprietary CAN Bus software, and mobile apps — to 2,800+ automotive dealers across franchise, independent, BHPH, and lender segments via its Advantage GPS, Elo GPS, and CarRx sub-brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersIrvine, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Connected Dealer Services does
Connected Dealer Services (CDS), LLC is a privately held California company founded in 2016 and operating as a subsidiary of Procon Analytics. It provides connected vehicle technology to automotive dealerships across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, serving more than 2,800 dealers and having connected more than 6 million vehicles. Its platform combines GPS tracking hardware, proprietary CAN Bus technology, 4G LTE cellular connectivity, cloud-based software, and consumer mobile applications to deliver real-time vehicle location, diagnostics, odometer data, stolen vehicle recovery, battery health monitoring, and service marketing tools. CDS operates three wholly-owned sub-brands targeting distinct segments: Advantage GPS for BHPH dealers and subprime lenders, Elo GPS for independent dealerships, and CarRx for franchise dealerships.
The company's CAN Bus technology processes over 2 billion events per month and enables true odometer mileage reporting on 2021+ vehicles, a differentiator versus competitors relying on GPS-estimated mileage. CDS monetizes through a mix of hardware sales and recurring monthly subscriptions tied to installed devices, plus F&I add-on revenue at the dealership point of sale, and reports over 20% year-over-year revenue growth under President Shane Wilson. Go-to-market combines a U.S. agent partner network with exclusive territories and a direct enterprise sales motion supported by phone, email, and website demo forms; the new Irvine headquarters (expanded to roughly three times the prior facility) consolidates engineering, training, dealer support, and fulfillment. CDS holds multiple industry recognitions including the Direct Marketing Association Diamond Award (four consecutive years) and the 2023 Auto Dealer Today Dealers' Choice Award, and is led by a team with prior experience scaling automotive IoT operations, including two prior unicorn exits credited to COO Kristen Hale.
Connected Dealer Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Connected Dealer Services
- Legal name
- Connected Dealer Services, LLC
- Website
- https://connecteddealerservices.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Connected Dealer Services provides vertically integrated connected vehicle technology — GPS hardware, proprietary CAN Bus software, and mobile apps — to 2,800+ automotive dealers across franchise, independent, BHPH, and lender segments via its Advantage GPS, Elo GPS, and CarRx sub-brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Connected Dealer Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Connected Vehicle Technology / Automotive Telematics
- NAICS
- Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fleet Tracking, Mapping & Real-Time Location Services (RTLS) (TLAEAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vehicle Diagnostics, Predictive Maintenance & Remote Monitoring (TLAEAFAE), Telematics, GPS Tracking & Connected Fleet Services (THADAKAF)
Keywords
Where Connected Dealer Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irvine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Connected Dealer Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware-Enabled Subscription: GPS hardware devices installed in vehicles with recurring monthly subscription fees for connected services including vehicle tracking, health monitoring, and recovery services.
- Hardware Sales: Sale of GPS tracking hardware devices for vehicle inventory management and consumer add-on products at point of sale.
- Value-Added F&I Products: Connected vehicle technology sold as add-on in F&I office, with proven track record of boosting dealership revenue by average of $1,200 per vehicle retail. Creates new profit center for dealers.
- Service Retention Marketing: Platform enabling proactive maintenance reminders and service marketing that drives customers back to dealership service departments, generating additional service revenue.
- Agent Recurring Revenue: Agents earn recurring monthly revenue stream once they secure dealer contracts, with exclusive territories providing steady income.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Custom enterprise pricing for dealerships |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Connected Dealer Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Connected Dealer Services provides a vertically integrated connected vehicle technology platform combining GPS tracking hardware, proprietary CAN Bus technology, a 4G LTE cloud platform, and consumer-facing mobile applications. Through its sub-brands Advantage GPS, Elo GPS, and CarRx, the company delivers real-time vehicle tracking, true odometer mileage reporting, vehicle health monitoring, stolen vehicle recovery, geofencing, and service marketing tools to automotive franchise, independent, and BHPH dealerships across the United States. The platform processes over 2 billion events per month and has connected more than 6 million vehicles across 2,800+ dealers.
Product overview
Connected Dealer Services is a parent company operating a vertically integrated connected vehicle technology platform with multiple sub-brands targeting distinct dealership segments: Advantage GPS serves BHPH dealers and subprime lenders; Elo GPS supports independent dealerships with GPS tracking, lot management, and consumer mobile apps; and CarRx serves franchise dealerships with a combined lot management, theft protection, service retention, and service marketing platform. The company also operates an Agent Program that partners with automotive agents to represent its portfolio across franchise, independent, BHPH, and lender channels. CDS provides hardware-enabled software, mobile applications, cellular connectivity, and operational support, and has connected more than 6 million vehicles across over 2,800 dealers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Advantage GPS: Connected vehicle technology serving BHPH dealers and subprime lenders for portfolio protection and asset visibility
- Elo GPS
- CarRx
Products and services
- Connected Dealer Services Platform Vertically integrated connected vehicle technology platform spanning hardware design, cellular connectivity, cloud software infrastructure, consumer mobile applications, and operational support for franchise, independent, and BHPH dealerships.
- Advantage GPS Connected vehicle technology brand serving Buy Here Pay Here dealers and subprime lenders, providing portfolio protection, lot management, asset visibility, and consumer add-on products for subprime vehicle finance.
- Elo GPS Connected vehicle technology platform supporting independent dealerships with real-time vehicle tracking, lot management, battery health alerts, stolen vehicle recovery, and consumer-facing mobile app with driver behavior monitoring and service mileage notifications.
- CarRx Connected vehicle technology solution for franchise new car dealerships combining advanced lot management and theft protection with service retention tools, real-time vehicle diagnostics, maintenance alerts, and a built-in customer service marketing platform to boost fixed ops profits.
Quantifiable outcome
- Boosts dealership revenue by average of $1,200 per vehicle retail
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Connected Dealer Services
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Connected Dealer Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Connected Dealer Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Connected Dealer Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Geotab: Geotab is a leading fleet telematics platform with extensive vehicle diagnostics and tracking capabilities. While focused on commercial fleets, its connected vehicle technology and data scale are broadly comparable to CDS's telematics stack.
- CalAmp (now part of Sensata): CalAmp provides telematics hardware and software platforms for connected vehicles across fleet, automotive, and IoT use cases. Its hardware-plus-software model and dealer-channel partnerships overlap with CDS's vertically integrated approach.
- Samsara: Samsara is a large connected operations platform serving fleets with GPS tracking, vehicle diagnostics, and telematics. While primarily focused on commercial fleets rather than retail dealerships, its vehicle health and location capabilities overlap with CDS technology.
- DealerSocket (CDK Global): DealerSocket, now part of CDK Global, is a major dealer management system (DMS) provider with CRM, inventory, and fixed ops tools. It is an adjacent incumbent that integrates with or competes against CDS's service retention and F&I solutions.
Direct peers
- Spireon: Spireon is the most direct competitor to CDS, offering connected vehicle and GPS tracking solutions for dealerships, BHPH/subprime lenders, and auto finance. It acquired Inilex in 2015 (where CDS's Michelle Jackson previously worked), making it a near-perfect overlap in product, customer, and channel.
- PassTime GPS: PassTime GPS is a direct competitor in the BHPH, subprime auto finance, and dealer GPS tracking market, offering stolen vehicle recovery and payment reminder solutions. It overlaps most directly with CDS's Advantage GPS brand.
- Connected Holdings: Connected Holdings offers connected vehicle solutions for the BHPH, subprime, and franchise dealer markets under multiple brands, closely mirroring CDS's multi-brand strategy in the same customer segments.
- Positioning Universal / Carlog: Positioning Universal (Carlog) provides GPS tracking and connected vehicle solutions specifically targeting Buy Here Pay Here dealers and subprime lenders, directly competing with CDS's Advantage GPS offering.
Emerging players
- GPS Insight: GPS Insight provides GPS fleet tracking and telematics with vehicle diagnostics and maintenance features, with growing presence in dealer and commercial fleet channels that intersects with CDS's offerings.
Others
- Motormindz: Motormindz is an automotive industry consultancy and solutions provider connecting dealers with technology vendors. While not a direct telematics competitor, it operates in the same dealer-services ecosystem and could be a partner or channel to CDS's products.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Connected Dealer Services social profiles
Digital presenceConnected Dealer Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Connected Dealer Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Connected Dealer Services subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Connected Dealer Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Connected Dealer Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Connected Dealer Services
What does Connected Dealer Services do?
Connected Dealer Services provides a vertically integrated connected vehicle technology platform combining GPS tracking hardware, proprietary CAN Bus technology, a 4G LTE cloud platform, and consumer-facing mobile applications. Through its sub-brands Advantage GPS, Elo GPS, and CarRx, the company delivers real-time vehicle tracking, true odometer mileage reporting, vehicle health monitoring, stolen vehicle recovery, geofencing, and service marketing tools to automotive franchise, independent, and BHPH dealerships across the United States. The platform processes over 2 billion events per month and has connected more than 6 million vehicles across 2,800+ dealers.
Is Connected Dealer Services a public or private company?
Connected Dealer Services is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Connected Dealer Services founded?
Connected Dealer Services was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Connected Dealer Services based?
Connected Dealer Services is headquartered in Irvine, United States, in the North America region.
How does Connected Dealer Services make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Hardware-Enabled Subscription is the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales, value-Added F&I Products, service Retention Marketing and agent Recurring Revenue.
Who are Connected Dealer Services's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Geotab, CalAmp (now part of Sensata), Samsara and DealerSocket (CDK Global). Direct peers are Spireon, PassTime GPS, Connected Holdings and Positioning Universal / Carlog. GPS Insight is listed as an emerging player. Motormindz is listed as an others.
Does Connected Dealer Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Connected Dealer Services.
What industry is Connected Dealer Services in?
Connected Dealer Services's product category is Connected Vehicle Technology / Automotive Telematics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAEAFAD, Fleet Tracking, Mapping & Real-Time Location Services (RTLS), with a secondary code of TLAEAFAE, Vehicle Diagnostics, Predictive Maintenance & Remote Monitoring. Its NAICS code is 441 and its SIC code is 5013.