Premium registration do not doubt i-Kfz, but:

The car trade still has to overcome many hurdles

Köln. Brave new registration world: With the introduction of i-Kfz Level 4 on September 1, motor vehicles should be able to be re-registered, re-registered and taken out of service largely automatically. Industry associations welcome a corresponding decision by the Federal Council. He is a simplification of the vehicle registration process for car dealerships and registration services. “That’s right, but on the way there the trade in particular still has to overcome many hurdles,” predicts Florian Cichon, CEO of PremiumZulasser eG. Under the umbrella of the Cologne cooperative, 55 local and regional registration service providers have joined together to form a nationwide association.

While Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), speaks of a milestone in the digitization of administrative processes relating to cars, Cichon still sees many obstacles that need to be cleared before i-Kfz can run smoothly for everyone involved functions. He is convinced that the users who access the digital portal of the Federal Ministry of Transport directly will benefit most from the digital registration. Most of these are private individuals. The vast majority of car dealerships, on the other hand, first have to make their IT world compatible with i-vehicles. “And that’s easier said than done,” says the head of the premium admissions team.

Background: The car trade usually works with different IT systems for special requirements. Because the super tool that can do everything the industry needs does not exist. “Therefore, the trick is to network proven systems with each other in such a way that manual data transfer from one tool to another is no longer necessary. That saves time and minimizes the risk of errors,” explains Cichon. Linking existing systems with the central major customer interface (GKS) at the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) as the gateway to i-Kfz is, as has now been shown, time-consuming, expensive and anything but profane. “Most car dealerships will hardly be able to afford the investments,” Cichon is convinced.

The CEO of the PremiumZulasser knows from his own experience what he is talking about. The cooperative’s approval software is already linked to numerous IT systems used by retailers, approval offices or the KBA. “So far we have invested a high six-figure sum in our networking strategy, and the investments will certainly also be in the six-figure range to make our software, which our members use almost 5,000 car dealerships, compatible with i-vehicles by September 1st,” says the admissions specialist.

In the new Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV) with its numerous references, the requirements for the networking of existing IT systems with the major customer interface are described on many thousands of pages. They not only affect the processes of digital registration, but also the requirements for new features such as the qualified electronic signature. There are also precise specifications for the areas of quality assurance, data protection, penetration tests and training.

According to Cichon, the introduction of i-Kfz Level 4 is the biggest disruption in the German registration market for many years. He promises: “With our then i-vehicle-capable registration software, we will provide car dealerships, registration companies and other market participants with a system in time for the launch of the federal portal that does justice to this disruption and saves them unnecessary investments in i-vehicle compatibility. “