Inrix CEO Bryan Mistele is transforming traffic information. Photo: Annie Laurie Malarkey
As a company, you know you’re in the big leagues when you buy into a company and the world barely notices. Porsche SE, the Porsche family fund, recently made its first investment ever by taking a 10 percent stake in a company called Inrix. Ten percent cost $55 million and also bought a seat on Inrix’s board of directors. So, what is Inrix and what does it do?
Inrix is an American company based in Kirkland, Washington near Seattle. It was spun off from Microsoft nine years ago. It makes software that crunches data about traffic for cars. It also creates accurate real-time information about the cheapest gas prices for drivers, information about weather conditions and—if you’re super nerdy—information about maps themselves for all you cartography buffs.
Porsche’s idea is to create better information in your car about traffic, weather and fuel. What makes Inrix’s technology compelling is how diverse its information sources are. The company reputedly uses information from 100 million cars on the road globally, and another 75 million sensors and devices on the road. All that information is constantly updated and used to create the best routes when you enter an address into a navigation system.
A lot of companies uses Inrix’s technology. Geekwire reports that 75 percent of cars in the U.S. use Inrix tech, and the company says that the U.S. is just one of 30 countries that use its services. Subscribing companies include Audi, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Ford, Volkswagen, MapQuest, Microsoft, the BBC and dozens of TV and radio stations.
Simply put, if Porsche is going to add technological services to its vehicles, they had better be the very best. Knowing that you have reliable traffic and weather information without having to rely on your smartphone is a significant value.
In the meantime, to find the best Porsches in North Carolina, stop by Leith Porsche.
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