In the past year, Manheim has expanded LotVision to include over half of all locations nationwide, enabling more clients to find their cars faster, while saving time and creating more efficiencies. Now, the technology is ready to be fully deployed by Sept. 30 to all remaining sites, minus a handful that don’t compel the need for this tool, according to a July 13 news release.

LotVision is a wireless tracking device placed in a vehicle that helps dealers and transporters accurately locate their vehicles on auction lots to within 10 feet. In addition to location tracking, Manheim recently partnered with Cox2M, the commercial IoT business line within Cox Communications, to launch a pilot program at Manheim Atlanta and Manheim Dallas that offers enhanced capabilities, such as accessing certain types of vehicle data via diagnostic trouble codes and battery health information. The pilot is expected to run through early September, with this added information available to clients before year’s end.   

“Since introducing LotVision, it has proved to be a highly useful tool for dealers. From the beginning, we envisioned expanding this technology beyond simply vehicle tracking to include accessing valuable data such as battery health and select vehicle diagnostics,” said Bob Grounds, Manheim AVP of Operational Excellence. “As our clients continue to look for more detailed vehicle information, LotVision will help advance a more transparent marketplace.” 

Offering tracking capabilities for about 90% of Manheim’s vehicle inventory, LotVision has become the most visited page on mymanheim.com and accessed by about 95% of users via a mobile device. During this past year’s record winter storms, the technology played a big role, as snow-piled vehicles  equipped with the technology no longer required VIN scanning.

“LotVision has created operational efficiencies for us and our clients, while improving the overall experience for everyone,” said Tom Wemhoff, general manager at Manheim Southern California. “Clients tell me that they are saving lots of time by being able to find vehicles on their own without having to walk the entire lot.”

Other clients who have used LotVision over the past six months offered some anecdotal feedback: “I was able to go right to the vehicle.” “It’s an easy, fast location finder and accurate.” “The LotVision mobile app is easy to use and tells you everything you need to locate vehicles at a Manheim auction.”  

LotVision is a component of Manheim’s broader focus on creating a more connected client experience. In collaboration with Cox2M, they developed the GPS tracking hardware that powers LotVision. Manheim represents the largest LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) commercial IoT network in North America, designed to support greater numbers of connected devices over a larger area.   

Dealer clients are also implementing this solution at their own dealerships, working with Cox2M to implement similar technology to track inventory on multiple lots and get vehicle status insights remotely when lot access is limited.