Cloud Platform Modernization for Automotive Data Provider
Case Study with Black Book
Case Study Summary
Black Book partnered with SOLTECH to modernize Autobahn, its 14-year-old automotive pricing editorial system, and establish a more scalable foundation for managing and publishing vehicle data. SOLTECH helped design and develop Autobahn 2.0, a cloud-based platform featuring an internal editorial application, data ingestion and publishing APIs, and a modernized technology architecture. Initially focused on Powersports and Recreational Vehicles, the engagement expanded within four months to include additional vehicle categories across the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Key Results
- Modernized a 14-year-old automotive editorial system using cloud-based technologies
- Developed an internal web application to support automotive pricing editorial workflows
- Built APIs for data ingestion and external publication
- Established a technology foundation using AWS, PostgreSQL, Angular, and Node.js
- Expanded implementation scope to additional vehicle categories within four months
- Collaborated with Black Book’s internal developers through an Agile development process
Client: Black Book
Black Book provides independent vehicle pricing information to automotive industry professionals. Its data is available through website subscriptions, web services, mobile applications, and licensing agreements.
To support its automotive pricing operations, Black Book worked with SOLTECH to analyze, design, and develop the next generation of its internal editorial system, Autobahn.
Business Goal: Modernized Editorial Operations
Black Book wanted to replace the limitations of its aging Autobahn platform with a more capable system for managing automotive pricing data.
The organization needed to give its editors better tools for reviewing and curating vehicle pricing information, supported by relevant data, reporting, and analytics. It also wanted to reduce manual work involved in gathering information and provide greater flexibility in editorial workflows.
A central objective was to establish a technology architecture that could support the company’s data processing and publishing requirements without the constraints of its existing on-premises system.
Black Book needed an advanced platform that would allow expert curation of automotive pricing and advanced analytics support.
Business Challenge: Legacy Platform Limitations
Autobahn had been in use for 14 years and was built with older Microsoft technologies, including Visual Basic 6.0, third-party components, and SQL Server.
Its original architecture required the platform to be maintained on-premises, limiting its ability to scale. The system also constrained how Black Book’s editors worked, requiring them to follow established application processes rather than more efficient editorial and data distribution workflows.
Black Book needed a platform capable of bringing together the information editors used to evaluate vehicle pricing while supporting more advanced editing, reporting, and analytical capabilities.
The organization also wanted to explore how automated price adjustment suggestions could complement expert editorial judgment, giving editors greater control and better information for pricing decisions.
Solution: Cloud Editorial Platform
SOLTECH partnered with Black Book to design and develop Autobahn 2.0 using an Agile development approach. The team established a cloud-based architecture on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to replace the limitations of the legacy on-premises system.
The solution included an internal web application for editorial operations and APIs for data ingestion and external publication. SOLTECH used PostgreSQL for relational and historical data, Angular and TypeScript for the user interface, and Node.js with TypeScript for the business logic layer. Separating the interface from the underlying business logic created a more modular application structure.
Throughout development, SOLTECH collaborated closely with Black Book’s team, incorporating one of its developers into the Scrum process to support knowledge sharing and technical collaboration.
Impact: Expanded Platform Implementation
The Autobahn 2.0 engagement began with a focus on Black Book’s Powersports and Recreational Vehicle categories.
Within four months, the project expanded to include implementation work across additional vehicle categories, including Used Cars, New Cars, Collectible Cars, and Heavy and Medium Duty Trucks in the United States and Canada.
This expanded scope demonstrated the broader role Autobahn 2.0 was taking on within Black Book’s automotive pricing operations.
The collaboration also gave Black Book’s internal development team direct involvement in the Agile delivery process, supporting knowledge sharing between the two teams as the implementation progressed.
