OpenAuto
OpenAuto (Walnut Creek, CA) operates an online automotive price-comparison platform that aggregates new-car discount quotes from local car dealers, serving individual car buyers seeking to compare prices and dealers seeking qualified consumer leads.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersWalnut Creek, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What OpenAuto does
OpenAuto (openauto.com), headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, is a privately held company founded in 1999 that operates an automotive price-comparison and lead-generation platform for new vehicles. The company's website functions as a configurator and quoting tool that aggregates price quotes from local car dealers, enabling individual car buyers to compare discount prices across multiple dealerships. The value proposition targets the information asymmetry between consumers and dealers by surfacing competing local dealer quotes in one place, with the explicit "lead_gen_ok" tag in the source confirming that consumer inquiries are routed to dealers as qualified leads.
The underlying technology is described only minimally in available source data; the platform is browser-based and horizontally positioned for the consumer persona segment (individual car buyers). The firm does not disclose a detailed product portfolio, named modules, APIs, SDKs, or third-party integrations beyond the public website, and no proprietary technology stack or differentiated technical components are documented. No patents, trademarks, certifications, or compliance credentials are recorded in the source.
The business model is consistent with a consumer lead-generation mechanic: car shoppers submit requests, OpenAuto transmits them to local dealers, and dealers pay for the leads. Pricing models, ARPU per lead, dealer contract value, and revenue are not publicly disclosed. The only capital event on record is a $2,000,000 funding round led by Credit Suisse on August 3, 2000, after which no follow-on raises, acquisitions, partnerships, or leadership changes have been disclosed in the available data. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees.
OpenAuto firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenAuto
- Website
- https://openauto.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- OpenAuto (Walnut Creek, CA) operates an online automotive price-comparison platform that aggregates new-car discount quotes from local car dealers, serving individual car buyers seeking to compare prices and dealers seeking qualified consumer leads.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenAuto industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Automotive Price Comparison
- NAICS
- Automobile Dealers (4411)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms (BPAMAGAH)
Keywords
Where OpenAuto is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Walnut Creek
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
OpenAuto business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
OpenAuto product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenAuto provides an automotive e-commerce configurator tied to new-car inventory and pricing. Through its website, individual car buyers can compare price quotes from local car dealerships to find discount prices on new vehicles. The platform functions as a price-comparison and lead-generation tool that aggregates dealer pricing data for shoppers.
Product overview
Based on the available source data, OpenAuto appears to be a car price comparison platform offering new car discount prices and price quote comparisons from local car dealers. The source content provides only a homepage title tagline with no detailed product portfolio, module structure, or named product offerings to extract.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- New Car Price Quote Comparison Platform
Companies that use OpenAuto
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
OpenAuto technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
OpenAuto partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves2 records
Expansion highlights2 records
OpenAuto competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Edmunds: Edmunds provides new car pricing, local dealer pricing comparisons, and editorial content to help buyers assess fair deals, making it a direct comparable in the new-car price-quote comparison category.
- TrueCar: TrueCar is a direct competitor that connects car buyers with local dealers by providing upfront price quotes and discount pricing on new vehicles, the same core proposition as OpenAuto.com.
- Cars.com: Cars.com operates a leading online automotive marketplace that connects shoppers with dealers for new and used vehicles, including price comparison features that overlap directly with OpenAuto's offering.
- CarsDirect: CarsDirect is an online car-buying service that helps consumers obtain new car price quotes from local dealers and arranges financing — a direct adjacency to OpenAuto's price-comparison and lead-generation model.
- AutoWeb: AutoWeb is a long-standing automotive lead-generation network that connects buyers with dealers via price request forms, sharing OpenAuto's lead-routing, dealer-paid business model.
- CarGurus: CarGurus runs a car shopping and price comparison platform that ranks dealer listings and provides transparency on pricing, closely paralleling OpenAuto's mission to help buyers compare quotes from local dealers.
Emerging players
- Vroom: Vroom operates an online used-car marketplace with upfront pricing, an emerging digital auto-retail model that competes for the same price-sensitive online car shopper that OpenAuto targets, albeit in used rather than new vehicles.
- Carvana: Carvana is an online used-vehicle retailer with transparent pricing and home delivery, representing an emerging digital-auto model that intersects with OpenAuto's price transparency thesis but transacts inventory directly rather than routing leads to dealers.
Broad incumbents
- AutoTrader: AutoTrader is a large-scale automotive marketplace operated by Cox Automotive that lists new and used vehicles from dealers nationwide, encompassing OpenAuto's local price-comparison functionality as part of a much broader product.
- Kelley Blue Book (Cox Automotive): KBB is a broad automotive pricing and marketplace platform within Cox Automotive's portfolio, offering new car pricing, dealer connections, and trade-in valuations that envelop OpenAuto's narrower price-comparison use case.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenAuto social profiles
Digital presenceOpenAuto financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenAuto leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
OpenAuto funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenAuto 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 OpenAuto
What does OpenAuto do?
OpenAuto provides an automotive e-commerce configurator tied to new-car inventory and pricing. Through its website, individual car buyers can compare price quotes from local car dealerships to find discount prices on new vehicles. The platform functions as a price-comparison and lead-generation tool that aggregates dealer pricing data for shoppers.
When was OpenAuto founded?
OpenAuto was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is OpenAuto based?
OpenAuto is headquartered in Walnut Creek, United States, in the North America region.
Who are OpenAuto's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Edmunds, TrueCar, Cars.com, CarsDirect, AutoWeb and CarGurus. Emerging players are Vroom and Carvana. Broad incumbents are AutoTrader and Kelley Blue Book (Cox Automotive).
Does OpenAuto have an API?
No public API is recorded for OpenAuto.
What industry is OpenAuto in?
OpenAuto's product category is Automotive Price Comparison. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAH, Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms. Its NAICS code is 4411 and its SIC code is 5500.