It’s Your Dealership, It’s Your Decision – Agentic AI Just Makes It Easier
Technology is moving a million miles per hour, and the future of dealership marketing is evolving with it.
The way cars are bought and sold has changed drastically in the past few years, and only the dealerships that adapt will be the ones that thrive. One of the biggest and most recent innovations in the industry? Agentic AI—a form of artificial intelligence that doesn’t just analyze data but acts on it, helping dealers optimize pricing, manage inventory, and move cars faster.
At the 2025 NADA Show in New Orleans, Len Short, Executive Chairman of Lotlinx, explained the difference between Generative AI and Agentic AI, and why the latter is a game-changer for dealerships.
“AI will help dealers gain efficiencies as we come out of the COVID bubble and into a tougher business. The car business is competitive, with tight margins, and every dollar counts.” – Len Short, Lotlinx
Watch the full video of the interview here.
The Difference Between Generative AI and Agentic AI
- Generative AI creates content—like images, text, and videos—but doesn’t take action.
- Agentic AI acts like an intelligent assistant, making decisions, streamlining processes, and taking action based on real-time data.
“Everything at NADA, except in this booth, is generative AI. It can write a memo, but can it complete tasks for you? That’s where AI is going—to have agency and actually get work done.” – Len Short, Lotlinx
Some Examples of Agentic AI:
Autonomous Vehicles – Self-driving cars use AI to navigate roads, make decisions, and ensure passenger safety.
Amazon Alexa+ – A smarter virtual assistant that autonomously schedules appointments and manages tasks.
Cybersecurity AI – Systems like Darktrace detect and respond to cyber threats in real time.
Amazon SageMaker AI – Enables businesses to build AI-powered automation for complex workflows.
How Agentic AI is Revolutionizing Dealerships
1. Smarter Inventory Management
One of the biggest challenges for dealerships is knowing what to stock and when. Historically, this has relied on experience and market intuition, but Agentic AI removes the guesswork.
“The number one request from owners was, ‘Can your machine tell me what to stock?’ If you could tell me where I need to fill in based on market movement, where I have inventory gaps, and then integrate all available options into a P&L…” – Len Short, Lotlinx
Agentic AI like Lotlinx Lex analyzes market data, auction listings, and consumer demand trends to recommend the optimal inventory mix, ensuring dealers stock vehicles that will sell quickly and at the right price. This is a prime example of AI for automotive dealerships optimizing operations.
2. Smarter Pricing for Higher Profits
Pricing is key to profitability. With thin margins, mistakes can mean unsold inventory or lost revenue. Agentic AI provides real-time pricing recommendations based on:
- Market demand
- Competitor pricing
- Consumer interest
Instead of relying on historical trends, AI-powered pricing keeps dealerships ahead of the market.
3. Automated Advertising for Maximum ROI
Traditional dealership advertising relies on broad audience targeting, which often results in wasted ad spend. Lotlinx’s Agentic AI flips this approach on its head.
“Most people think about advertising in terms of audience size. We don’t care about that. We focus on inventory. If a car is getting shopped a lot, let it sell—don’t spend on it. But most inventory isn’t shopped enough. We ensure every unit gets the demand it needs.” – Len Short, Lotlinx
Agentic AI automates and optimizes ad spend, ensuring each vehicle gets the attention it needs—without wasting marketing dollars.
4. A Better Customer Experience
Car buyers expect a seamless experience from browsing to purchase. Agentic AI enhances customer interactions by providing innovative car dealership marketing ideas, including:
- Using AI chatbots to guide buyers through the process
- Recommending vehicles based on their preferences
- Automating financing and trade-in evaluations
5. Smarter Service Department Operations
Agentic AI isn’t just changing car sales—it’s revolutionizing service departments too, by predicting maintenance needs, optimizing schedules, and automating parts orders.
“Dealers often don’t pay enough attention to service marketing…this brings all of this technology to that service thing, and it’s crushing it.” – Len Short, Lotlinx
The Future of Dealership Marketing and Agentic AI
Agentic AI isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a fundamental shift in how dealerships operate. It delivers:
✅ Greater efficiency with automated decision-making
✅ Higher profits through smarter stocking and pricing
✅ Better customer experiences with AI-powered personalization
✅ Optimized marketing spend by targeting real buyers
As Len Short puts it:
“AI works at a genius level. Even the best car guys get busy and miss things. AI doesn’t. If you had an assistant keeping everything running smoothly and making you look like a hero—that’s what we’re building.”
The real question isn’t whether dealerships will adopt Agentic AI—it’s how fast they’ll do it to stay ahead.
Want to see how Agentic AI can transform your dealership?
Read more in our previous blog and discover more with Lotlinx.