As computer systems developed and improved, CAP’s printed valuation guides were developed into a Windows™ system, a hand-held PDA system, and ‘raw’ data which was delivered firstly by disc and more recently by direct download from the Internet.

This initial focus of used valuations changed in 1991 with the introduction of CAP’s Monitor brand and future residual values, opening up a new and lucrative market. This introduction was timed perfectly to match the growth in automated systems, especially within the contract hire and leasing sector with their requirement for future valuations to set rates and manage their risk. The finance sector market was also expanded with this new product offering and CAP began to dominate as market leader.

1991 saw another major step forward coupled with a big expansion in employee size, as CAP launched New Vehicle Data. Its close links with manufacturers and dedication to building best of breed products has ensured that CAP’s New Vehicle Data heads the market with accuracy levels and turnaround times the envy of the industry. The growth in on-line purchasing and vehicle searching has guaranteed a growing need by all parts of the automotive and related industries for this type of data.

Worldwide media and publishing group, Emap, purchased CAP in 1994 and the operation was moved to its present Leeds city centre site. CAP is now an important company within its information-business focused Emap Communications division.

Since then CAP has expanded further with the development of software systems that use CAP’s data. These initially targeted the finance and contract hire and leasing industries, but latterly great strides have been taken with a system specifically built for the insurance sector.

In a relatively short time, CAP has effectively established itself is a market leading provider of vehicle valuation data and new vehicle information to the automotive industry. Our customers include the majority of leading finance institutions, contract hire and leasing companies and vehicle retail groups. They rely on our data and systems for risk assessment and asset management; controlling their costs and managing expenditure. CAP’s data is also used by many insurance companies, vehicle manufacturers and is the power behind numerous websites.