AutoFlipr aims to streamline the process of connceting sellers and buyers of used cars.
Automotive Technology Services (ATS), a company that develops mobile applications for the auto industry, announced this morning at the Kansas City Area Development Council’s board meeting that it will make its headquarters in Overland Park, Kan., bringing 26 jobs with it.
The flagship product for ATS is AutoFlipr, a mobile application that aims to create a bigger pool of used car deals by connecting wholesale and used car buyers to sellers.
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ATS president and CEO Bob Shively conceived of the idea about 18 months ago based on his experiences during stints with Ford and Chevrolet that spanned nearly two decades. ATS introduced its executive team in December and launched AutoFlipr in February.
In choosing where to establish its first headquarters, ATS considered Chicago, St. Louis and Minneapolis before deciding to set roots in the Kansas City area. “Kansas City was very aggressive in looking to get us to have our office here,” Shively said in a phone interview today. “They were very aggressive, and the department of commerce worked with us on a very attractive package to get us to come here. It made sense, and we’re excited about being here in Overland Park, Kan.”
Bob Marcusse, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council, echoed Shively’s sentiments about the company’s decision to set up shop in Overland Park. “Today’s announcement is further proof that the Kansas City region is an ideal location for technology companies looking to grow – from Google to ATS – KC offers the ecosystem technology companies need to succeed,” Marcusse said in a release.
ATS makes two versions of AutoFlipr — one for buyers, which is free, and one for sellers, which they pay to use. When new car dealers receive a trade-in or are otherwise looking to flip a car on their lot, they can use AutoFlipr to create a profile of that car, scanning the VIN to get the car’s data, taking photos of the car and using in-app rating scales to provide additional data. Once that profile is completed, sellers can share the car with a customizable audience of potential buyers — either a selected group or the entire AutoFlipr network — and wait for offers to come in.
“We’ve automated that process,” Shively said. “In two minutes, they can get information on the car, they can launch it to a network of however many dealers they want to go to — local, regional, throughout the United States — and then as a result of that, within basically five minutes, they would ahve you know 35, 50 bids back.”
ATS has been privately funded to this point, and Shively declined to discuss specifics of the company’s funding. He said ATS has 300 dealers using AutoFlipr right now and aims to have 20,000 (out of some 70,000 dealers total in the United States) by year’s end.
In working to bring the idea of AutoFlipr to market, Shively signed non-disclosure agreements with Verizon and 12 different auto dealers throughout the country. He said the feedback from both was largely positive. “There’s nothing like it out in the marketplace,” Shively said, “and so its been well received by the dealers.”
ATS has been building a team and developing AutoFlipr since, culminating in today’s official announcement.
For more on AutoFlipr, watch the promo video below.
Credits: Screenshot from autoflipr.com. Video from Brian Killen on Vimeo.