Cox Automotive advances dealer workflows with unified inventory sourcing and AI automation

Seamlessly integrates CRM, Service, and Inventory Acquisition to delivering unmatched operational efficiency and customer engagement. Cox Automotive also introduces All-New Agentic-AI powered Virtual Assistants for both VinSolutions and vAuto.

ATLANTA – January 28, 2026 — Cox Automotive today announced a breakthrough in inventory sourcing with intelligent vehicle acquisition workflows now fully integrated into the daily CRM and service experience. This innovation empowers dealers to transform customer interactions into strategic opportunities to acquire inventory, all within the tools they use every day. Building on proven service lane to sales workflows across VinSolutions, vAuto, and Xtime, these enhancements now bring even greater synergy between platforms.

With vAuto Global Search directly integrated into VinSolutions CRM, dealers can quickly spot, prioritize, and acquire the vehicles they need—right from their Xtime service drive appointments and the local market. Used Car Managers can now identify high value cars, send them straight to VinSolutions vehicle acquisition workflow, enabling sales teams to work them just like any other opportunity for a seamless, unified workflow. Together, these solutions set the stage for deeper Xtime Service integration coming later this year, deepening the connected ecosystem that helps dealers source the right inventory with greater speed and confidence.

To further strengthen this connected ecosystem, VinSolutions also introduces its next generation Virtual Assistant, an agentic AI solution capable of autonomously handling sales, acquisition, and Instant Cash Offer leads, communicating via text and email. It engages shoppers in real time, answers multi-intent questions, qualifies opportunities, and initiates follow-up automatically, ensuring dealers never miss a chance to secure in demand inventory. The Virtual Assistant personalizes communications to each consumer by Cox Automotive’s vast consumer data and is built into VinSolutions CRM, creating tasks, appointments and updating notes autonomously. By alerting staff when human handoff is needed and summarizing key customer needs, the assistant accelerates response times and keeps acquisition workflows moving 24/7.

“Retail success today requires connected systems, smart workflows, and the ability to turn every customer interaction into a real opportunity,” said Derek Hansen, Senior Vice President of Dealer, Lender and Inventory Management Solutions at Cox Automotive. “By tightening the integration between VinSolutions and vAuto, and extending it into Xtime, we’re giving dealers a simpler, faster way to grow inventory, build loyalty, and improve profitability across the dealership. And with our new AI‑driven Virtual Assistants, teams get extra support that enhances, not replaces, the human touch, making every customer interaction more efficient, transparent, and personal.”

“Cox Automotive Retail Solutions are uniquely positioned to help dealers thrive in a rapidly evolving market,” added Hansen. “By connecting CRM, Service, and Inventory Acquisition, every customer touchpoint can drive inventory strategy, profits and build lasting loyalty. Cox Automotive is the only true omnichannel partner that connects all departments to maximize.”

For more information about Cox Automotive’s suite of integrated solutions, visit www.coxautoinc.com or visit us at NADA 2026.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on five continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and Cox Fleet®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.