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The automotive industry is home to many exciting new technologies that could shape the future of transportation. The drive for mobility innovation may be best exemplified by the startups creating everything from self-driving tech to skateboard-inspired cargo movers.

Many automotive startups are attracting tens of millions of dollars in funding, making it crucial for their customers to find them online with a domain that stands out. It’s not surprising, then, that so many automotive startups are choosing the domain endings that have been helping adopters increase their SEO since 2015: .Cars, .Car, and .Auto.

To uncover how these new automotive domains enhance branding and understand why they have become the go-to domain ending for rising automotive industry stars, we’ll look at six leading startups who have branded on .Cars, .Car, and .Auto domains for their businesses.

Voyage.Auto

Self driving cars are here, but you might not know that seniors are among the first to get to use the technology thanks to Voyage.Auto. The company’s self-driving cars help residents of senior living communities in Florida and California get around using their fully autonomous cars.

Voyage.Auto has already raised $52 million in total funding from industry veterans like Franklin Templeton, Chevron, and Land Rover. Thanks to their .Auto domain, Voyage was able to get the exact name of their company and establish their online presence with a domain extension that announces their industry.

Renovo.Auto

Originally operating as Renovo Motors, this startup switched to Renovo.Auto after making the pivot from electric car design to self-driving technology. Renovo’s mission is to create safer autonomous cars by developing a self-driving AI that can read passenger and pedestrian facial expressions, as well as monitor and react to driver actions.

Since receiving $10 million funding from Verizon, bringing their total funding to $14.5 million, Renovo has partnered with other startups, including Voyage.Auto, to help grow and develop their AI program. This pairing of fellow .Auto adopters at the top of their industry serves as yet another sign of how ubiquitous the domain extension has become. Renovo.Auto ranks as the first overall search engine result for the search term “renovo auto,” putting Renovo’s branded domain front and center for interested partners looking to find them online.

Apollo.Auto

Chinese self-driving tech startup Apollo.Auto is making the dream of autonomous public transportation, taxis, and even valet parking a reality thanks to their open platform solution. The company was launched by tech giant Baidu and plans to mass-produce vehicles with their tech inside and even partnered with Walmart to test grocery deliveries using the software.

Apollo have quickly established themselves as a rising star to watch in the self-driving space. In using a global .Auto domain over a region-specific TLD they are able to connect with customers worldwide.

Upstream.Auto

As increasing amounts of tech become standard in new vehicles, the risk of connected car hacking has risen. Upstream.Auto provides a solution for this problem with their cloud-based cybersecurity service specifically made for smart cars. Upstream.Auto’s platform folds in AI learning, big data, and the support of $30 million in funding to create a comprehensive security solution for connected cars.

Upstream works in both the security and automotive industries, and their .Auto domain helps them clearly establish to potential customers and partners which industry is their main focus.

Waive.Car

Regular Shark Tank viewers may recognize this car-sharing service as they secured a $500,000 funding offer from investor Kevin O’Leary, who is one of the sharks on the popular tv show. The Santa Monica-based company’s platform provides electric vehicles that are free to drive thanks to the rooftop advertising boards on each Waive Car. That means the cars can be used by anyone and advertisers cover the cost. Since appearing on Shark Tank, Waive Car has expanded their presence in Los Angeles with 19 new vehicles and have also branched out to serve customers in New York City.

The branding benefit of Waive.Car’s domain is seen each time a Waive Car rolls by, as their exact match branded domain not only alerts potential customers of the service, but points them right to the website where they can get the info they need to start using it.

Ree.Auto

Electric vehicles present some of the most exciting possibilities in the automotive industry, but they can also be used to repurpose non-automotive designs and make innovative new tools. Ree.Auto used the mechanics of a skateboard design to create their electronic cargo mover, along with adding some unique next-gen features like putting individual hand motors in each wheel to allow for precision steering.

Finding easy access to a three-letter domain name is near impossible on legacy extensions like .com, but Ree.Auto was able to secure their three letter brand name thanks to the choice they made with their domain extension.

Summary

In the fast-paced world of automotive tech, amid the race to roll out exciting new services and products, startups need to find any edge they can to keep their projects on track and secure their market share. So when the time comes for these companies to brand their websites, they’ve made the go-to choice clear – .Cars, .Car, and .Auto domains.

Whether you’re a dealer looking to own your region with a geo-specific domain name or are developing the next great automotive tech platform, going with the industry leading domain extensions .Cars, .Car, and .Auto will put you in great company.