This Month's Focus
Artificial Intelligence
COMMENTARY: Inventory acquisition in the AI age
Friday, May. 29, 2026, 01:00 PM
Doug Betts, JD Power
While many dealers have always “trusted their gut,” the old instinct-driven approach to buying used car inventory is quickly becoming obsolete. For decades, dealers relied on a familiar formula: when a vehicle sold, replace it with another one just like it. A midsize SUV leaves the lot? Buy another midsize SUV. A pickup sells quickly? […] [Read More]
AI at car dealerships: a ‘crawl, walk, run’ evolution with data at foundation
Friday, May. 29, 2026, 11:54 AM
Joe Overby, Senior Editor
When it comes to practical applications of artificial intelligence for car dealers, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Or a “crawl, walk, run” approach, says QuoreAI founder and CEO Todd Smith. “There’s no (case where you) plug in AI and it’s magic,” Smith said in an interview on the sidelines of the J.D. Power Auto […] [Read More]
Marketing for car dealerships in the age of AI
Wednesday, May. 27, 2026, 11:34 AM
Kenya McCullum, Correspondent
There’s no doubt that artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way companies do business — and the automotive industry is no exception. In fact, most dealers have already embraced AI models and incorporated them into their daily operations. From analyzing data to streamlining processes, leaders are thinking about the ways AI can help their businesses. But […] [Read More]
S&P Global Ratings ponders if Anthropic’s Mythos is ‘inflection point’ or ‘evolution’ of AI
Wednesday, May. 27, 2026, 09:20 AM
Auto Fin Journal Staff
At the beginning of May, Federal Reserve vice chair Michelle Bowman acknowledged that Anthropic’s Mythos — an artificial intelligence model that identifies cyber vulnerabilities — created a significant stir in banking. This week, S&P Global Ratings released a report examining whether Anthropic’s claim about its Mythos model represents “a genuine inflection point or an incremental […] [Read More]
Kia Georgia leverages AI drones to save money and time on onerous fence patrols
Tuesday, May. 26, 2026, 03:02 PM
Kenya McCullum, Correspondent
A 14.2-mile interior fence. Tough terrain. Multiple security personnel. Two or three vehicles churned from wear and tear annually. A looming United States Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) audit in jeopardy. These were the challenges Kia Georgia faced because inspecting its massive fence for damage was as costly as it was time consuming. The […] [Read More]
Impel, Phyron launch AI systems to drive customer engagement through dealership video
Thursday, May. 21, 2026, 02:34 PM
Auto Remarketing Staff
When it comes to capturing customer engagement, video is king. But the busy world of a car dealership isn’t necessarily the best environment for consistently creating effective video content. “Video sells. We’ve known that for years,” said Paul Hepp, director of marketing and internet sales for Illinois-based O’Brien Auto Team, which operates 10 locations in […] [Read More]
Alfa Recon leverages AI to strengthen data migration
Monday, May. 18, 2026, 11:11 AM
Auto Fin Journal Staff
Alfa, provider of Alfa Systems, strengthened its data migration toolbox last week with the launch of Alfa Recon, a new artificial intelligence-enabled reconciliation module. Designed to help customers migrate legacy data and acquired portfolios to Alfa Systems more quickly, more accurately and with greater confidence, the company highlighted Alfa Recon is designed to bring new […] [Read More]
Dealer group C-suite executives examine role of AI at auto retailers
Monday, May. 18, 2026, 10:23 AM
Joe Overby, Senior Editor
Artificial intelligence in auto retail, says Zeigler Auto Group chief operating officer Sam D’Arc, is in a similar place as digital retail was 4-5 years ago. There’s a lot of excitement, but perhaps not a complete understanding of how AI should be deployed at dealerships. “There is a ton of solutions out there. There are […] [Read More]
Dealers look to AI for customer experience boost
Monday, May. 18, 2026, 10:10 AM
Daryl Lubinsky, Correspondent
Sam D’Arc doesn’t remember what his query was when he first used ChatGPT, but the response was fast and accurate. “It caused a little bit of awe and surprise in how well it extracted information into the answer to the question,” said D’Arc, who is chief operating officer of Zeigler Auto Group in Kalamazoo, Mich. […] [Read More]
Cox Automotive leans into AI tools to improve inventory management
Monday, May. 18, 2026, 10:02 AM
Alysha Webb, Correspondent
Sourcing used inventory at the right price and accurately assessing reconditioning costs are two pain points for dealerships. In days past, dealers often had to rely on their gut to handle the two tasks. No more. Cox Automotive’s vAuto suite of product uses artificial intelligence to help dealers buy the best used inventory mix including […] [Read More]
X

