CarLabs

CarLabs.ai, established in 2015, operates as a developer of a conversational marketing platform geared towards the automotive industry. The company was co-founded by Martin Schmitt, who had previously founded NewCars.com and served as VP of R&D for Cars.com, and Uzi Eliahou, an e-commerce specialist. Their collective experience in the automotive and tech sectors shaped the company's direction.

The firm provides artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistants for automotive brands, dealers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This technology facilitates direct, personalized communication between automotive companies and their customers through online channels like website chat widgets and social messaging platforms. The business model focuses on creating these intelligent conversational agents that deconstruct website information into a responsive knowledge base, allowing consumers to ask questions about features, compare vehicles, view real-time offers, and find local dealers using natural language. This approach aims to help manufacturers manage the upper sales funnel. CarLabs also serves captive finance groups, with products that assist owners in managing their accounts.

The core of its service is a proprietary platform that aggregates vehicle data from numerous sources, normalizes it, and then translates it into user-friendly, conversational language via its API. This enables the creation of chatbots and virtual assistants, like the 'Carla' agent, designed to handle inquiries on all vehicle brands. The technology supports both text and voice interactions. By providing this direct line of communication, CarLabs helps its clients, which have included Kia Motors, Honda, and BMW Financial Services, to enhance customer engagement and gather insights into consumer needs. The company raised a total of $4.69 million over two funding rounds, with investors including Keiretsu Capital and Beresford Ventures. In November 2022, Impel, a digital automotive engagement software company, acquired CarLabs.ai to integrate its AI capabilities and expand its offerings, particularly in automated service drive communications.

Keywords: conversational AI, automotive virtual assistant, chatbot platform, automotive marketing, customer engagement platform, AI for car dealers, automotive lead generation, conversational commerce, automotive software, OEM solutions, dealer technology, vehicle data aggregation, AI marketing, customer service automation, natural language processing, sales automation, financial services chatbot, automotive fintech, digital retailing, customer lifecycle management