In 2022, more than one million cars were stolen nationwide—the sharpest rise in car theft since 2008. Car theft shows no signs of letting up in 2023, as counties like Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Montgomery, Maryland, experience record-breaking numbers of car thefts. Car dealerships, insurance companies and consumers have all felt the pain and are struggling to prevent car theft.
It’s not just the number of car thefts that’s staggering, it’s also the ways thieves are stealing cars. One of which is through a vehicle’s headlights. Headlight hacking is both creative and effective, even though it can be time consuming and complicated. It gives car thieves access to a vehicle’s Controller Area Network (CAN bus) system, which is essentially a vehicle’s central computer system. Once thieves hack into the CAN bus, they can disable alarms, unlock doors and even start the engine.
There’s no need to wait for car makers to design an impenetrable headlight. Car dealerships and their customers can prevent asset losses with a battery-powered GPS vehicle tracking and monitoring system. Here’s how.
Because a battery-powered GPS device is not hardwired to the vehicle’s CAN bus, thieves won’t be able to hack it once they’ve gotten into the CAN bus. This gives car dealerships and consumers a huge advantage against increasingly crafty thieves. Today’s cars are computers on wheels. Once someone can hack into that computer, it’s game over. Car dealerships must now think about cybersecurity as synonymous with asset loss. In both cybersecurity and asset-loss prevention, independent backup systems can be go-to defenses.
Battery-powered GPS devices fit in the palm of your hand. Thanks to their small, lightweight size, they can be installed out of sight anywhere. Tuck it inside a seat or console, zip-tie it to bars or attach it with a magnetized case under the vehicle. Thieves won’t realize they’re being tracked with something so discreet. This stealth design gives you and your customers added peace of mind.
Turn to PassTime to protect your vehicle assets on and off the lot. Our state-of-the-art GPS systems were designed with car dealers & consumers in mind. Our innovative, battery-powered GPS device, Encore, forever changed the game of asset management. Now we’re using it to power InTouch VP, a GPS system designed for car dealers & consumers to protect vehicles against theft. Here’s what you need to know.
With InTouch VP, you can track all your vehicles on and off the lot—and protect them from loss—with a simple smartphone app. Our easy-to-use dashboard gives you reliable and accurate location data on every asset in a glance. You’ll be able to pinpoint a missing vehicle quickly and recover it easily. With PassTime by your side, you have the power to prevent asset loss at scale with a reliable GPS system.
InTouch VP utilizes Encore hardware: advanced lithium battery technology, ultimate flexibility, dual-location tracking and compact size make Encore a must-have GPS tracking device for car dealers. Here’s why.
Encore’s advanced lithium battery technology allows the device to be installed in seconds, activated instantly and deployed for 4+ years. You can quickly scale vehicle tracking and asset-loss prevention across your dealership in a single day, giving your team time to tackle other pressing issues, like improving cash flow.
With four power modes—Endurance, Trip, Active and Recovery—you’re in control of when and how often you need to track and monitor a vehicle. Choose twice daily to extend battery life or switch to full power to track as much as you need to recover a vehicle..
Encore combines GPS-based tracking with cellular-location technology. No more worrying about obstructions between satellites and your vehicle. No more losing sight in parking garages, warehouses, dense urban settings or on cloudy days. You’ll have the peace of mind of knowing you can find stolen vehicles with either GPS or 4G- or 5G-cellular networks because of Encore’s Beyond GPS™ technology.
About the size of a deck of cards, Encore weighs just two ounces. Its black plastic casing makes it an ideal, discreet tool to prevent asset loss. Put in a dark console, glove compartment or trunk. Zip-tie it to a bar. Velcro it to a seat. Use double-sided industrial tape to adhere it under a dashboard. Put it inside a magnetized clam-shell case. The possibilities are nearly endless thanks to our compact design that’s as stealthy as it is effective.
It's time for car dealerships to stop car thieves with a GPS tracking and monitoring system that’s just as creative and sophisticated as they are. It’s time to turn to InTouch VP . Get a free quote today.