Impel Acquires CarLabs.ai to Enhance Automotive Industry Leadership Position in AI-Powered Communications

Impel, the global leader in digital automotive engagement software and data,
announced today 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 OEMs and dealers to drive greater engagement
across the customer lifecycle. The acquisition brings additional product
capabilities 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 retailers and OEMs 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 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 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.”

About Impel
Impel offers automotive dealers, wholesalers, OEMs, and third-party
marketplaces the industry’s most advanced digital engagement platform. The
company’s end-to-end omnichannel solution leverages proprietary shopper
behavioral data and AI technology to deliver hyper-personalized experiences
at every touchpoint across the entire customer journey. Impel’s
communication, merchandising, and imaging applications work seamlessly with
all major website, CRM, and DMS platforms. To date, the company has
delivered more than three billion shopper interactions in over 50 countries.
To learn more about Impel, visit impel.io