J.D. Power to Merge with Autodata Solutions, Creating a Leading Source of Automotive Data, Analytics and Software Solutions

By STS News Desk On Dec 16, 2019

J.D. Power to Merge with Autodata Solutions, Creating a Leading Source of Automotive Data, Analytics and Software Solutions

Acquisition by Thoma Bravo Combines Two Innovative and Complementary Automotive Data Companies with Vision of Strengthening Their Value to Clients and Consumers

J.D. Power, a global leader in data analytics and consumer intelligence, announced a merger with Autodata Solutions, a provider of data and software solutions for the automotive ecosystem. The merger marks the completion of J.D. Power’s acquisition by Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity firm, and owner of Autodata Solutions. The newly combined company will operate under the name J.D. Power and will offer market-leading new and pre-owned automobile transactional data, valuation tools, vehicle feature information and consumer analytics to the automotive industry. J.D. Power will also continue to provide industry-leading benchmarks, analytics and customer insights across the Banking & Payments, Wealth & Lending, Telecommunications, Insurance, Health, Travel and Utilities sectors through its Global Business Intelligence division.

“The combination of J.D. Power’s deep data, analytics and customer experience insights with Autodata Solutions’ comprehensive vehicle feature data and dealer and manufacturer technology platforms will create a robust and insightful automotive industry resource for analyzing consumer demand and optimizing the vehicle sales process,” said Dave Habiger, who will continue as President and CEO of J.D. Power. “As the auto industry continues to be disrupted by changing patterns of consumer behavior and new technologies such as connected vehicles, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and ridesharing, we are building a company that will help the entire industry rise to the challenge.”

J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across more than a dozen different industries rely on J.D. Power data, research and insights to guide their customer-facing strategies, while consumers around the world look to J.D. Power ratings as the undisputed mark of quality.

In the automotive sector, J.D. Power is recognized for its Voice-of-the-Customer research and its Power Information Network (PIN) and Used Car Guide (UCG) products, which provide the industry with new and used car transaction information. The company has also pioneered the use of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to merge its vast database of consumer behavioral data, pricing information and “Voice of the Vehicle” telematics-based data into powerful predictive models.

Autodata Solutions provides Software as a Service (SaaS) and software solutions that range from back-end automation systems that enable dealer-to-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vehicle ordering to data-driven, consumer-focused interactive marketing initiatives. Its Chrome-branded solutions increase the effectiveness of the automotive sales ecosystem and include rebates and incentives, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) decode and describe, and vehicle configuration and comparisons.

Together, the two companies create a complementary set of capabilities that will strengthen the global automobile industry’s ability to forecast vehicle demand and shape strategic decision making.

“The joining of these two leading companies will enable the auto industry to make the process of configuring, ordering and selling cars more efficient, which can improve profitability and capital deployment,” said Scott Crabill, a Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo. “This capability is exactly the kind of proven, concrete insight the auto industry needs as it confronts changing consumer demands in a transforming technology environment.”

“The new J.D. Power delivers the authoritative ground truth and predictive intelligence the automotive industry so desperately needs right now to stay in sync with changing patterns of consumer behavior, rapid-fire technological change and a challenging macroeconomic environment,” said Craig Jennings, former President and CEO of Autodata Solutions, who will continue as President of the Autodata division in the newly combined J.D. Power. “By pairing our platform with J.D. Power’s deep data and analytics capabilities, we’re going to be able to take the guesswork out of the manufacturing and floor planning process, helping manufacturers and dealers drive maximum impact and profitability by getting the new vehicle formula just right. We are excited to be joining the J.D. Power team to make that vision a reality.”

In addition to the investment by Thoma Bravo, J.D. Power’s existing management team will reinvest their ownership interest in the newly combined company. All of the current Autodata Solutions and J.D. Power employees will have the opportunity to take an ownership stake in the company.

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