A former Cox Automotive executive now is part of the leadership team at Automotive Innovations (Ai), which offers an all-in-one solution that can allow dealers to replace multiple tools, increase profits and get real-time visibility into their business

On Monday, Ai announced the appointment of veteran automotive executive Darrel Ferguson as vice president of sales.

The company said through a news release that Ferguson will be responsible for leading Ai’s go-to-market strategy, driving business growth with both new and existing customers.

Ferguson is drawing upon past auto industry experience spanning over three decades, including retail, general management, and dealer principal roles, to further Automotive Innovations’ national expansion plans.

“Bringing Darrel on is a huge win for our company. He is a strategic sales leader with an incredible track record,” said Hoss Devine, chief executive officer and founder of Automotive Innovations. “Darrel has a strong background in performance management leadership combined with hands-on knowledge gained from working both in dealerships and with leading vendors, including Cox Automotive.

“He knows how to help dealers achieve profitability, improve efficiency and satisfaction. This makes him well-positioned to lead our sales organization as we continue to evolve and expand,” Devine continued in the news release.

Before joining Ai, Ferguson was director of performance management at Xtime, a Cox Automotive division offering fixed operations software servicing for more than 7,000 dealerships, generating approximately $150 million in annual revenue.

And before that position, Ferguson served as the director of performance management for another Cox Automotive segment, vAuto, with its inventory management software servicing more than 10,000 dealerships with $250 million in annual revenue.

Rounding out more than 30 years in the automotive industry, Ferguson also spent six years as general manager and partner at two large, franchised dealerships.

Commenting on why he chose to join Automotive Innovations, Ferguson said, “I was blown away the first time I got to see the software. It truly is the most powerful automotive management tool I have ever seen, but even better it was created by a car guy, so it is intuitive for car people.

“I believe it is time for dealers to have better options custom-tailored to their operations. For far too long we have been forced to conform to big companies' ideas of how things should be. My background as a dealer makes me appreciate what we have created at Ai,” he continued.

The company explained that Ai can consolidate six core dealer products into one 360-degree operating solution for a comprehensive and accurate suite of analytics and operational tools.

“The solution was founded on simplicity, one login, and one price, to positively impact business in the moment — not in retrospect,” the company said.

Ai's automotive solutions are designed to increase sales and gross profits in the showroom, F&I office, and on the service drive, at a fraction of the price of acquiring these solutions independently.

To learn more, visit https://automotiveinnovations.com or call (833) 794-0810. To schedule a time to see Ai at NADA Show 2022, go to this website.