NADA 2013 Orlando Day 1 Update: A Busy Booth and Exciting News

I think the National Automobile Dealers Association nailed it when they chose this year’s convention theme—“Experience the Momentum.”

The industry’s momentum was palpable throughout the day on the convention exhibit floor. Dealers have got a better grip on their businesses and a brighter future than we’ve felt or seen in recent years.

At the vAuto and vAuto Genius Labs booth, I spoke with dozens of dealers who want to do better in used vehicles. In many cases, they’ve made a commitment to do better in used vehicles and the time has come to get to the next level.

As a Kansas City dealer said, “It’s not that I’m unhappy with my results, given where they were. I just know we can do a lot better and sell more cars.”

This year’s convention also brought some exciting news: AutoTrader Group has acquired Automotive Information Systems (AIS), an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based company that many dealers use to efficiently determine the best factory incentive, or combination (stack) of incentives, that provides the best deal for their customers. In many ways, the landscape of potential incentives is complex and tricky, which often results in money left on the table for dealers and their customers.

The addition of AIS to the AutoTrader Group family will help vAuto answer a question that we hear from dealers time and again: “When will you develop a new vehicle pricing tool?” I can’t offer a firm timeline, but I have set a goal that we’ll offer a new vehicle pricing tool in place by next year’s NADA convention.