AutoRaptor Marks a Standout NIADA 2026 With Major Investment in Rick AI, Integrated Desking, and Digital Retail

Dealers get an early look at what's next as AutoRaptor deepens its investment in AI, deal-desk, and online buying tools built into one connected Dealership Operating Platform

SARASOTA, Fla., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoRaptor, an all-in-one dealership platform that brings CRM, AI, integrated desking, and digital retail together in one connected experience, today announced a standout showing at the 2026 National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) Convention & Expo, alongside a significant new investment across three core areas of its platform: Rick, its in-app AI assistant; Integrated Desking & Payment Penciling; and Digital Retail.

Throughout the conference, AutoRaptor's booth drew steady, energized traffic from dealers eager to see how a connected platform approach comes together in practice. Live demonstrations of Rick, AutoRaptor's AI assistant, were a clear highlight, with dealers asking real questions about their leads, pipeline, and inventory and watching Rick answer instantly in plain English.

"NIADA is always energizing, and this year the excitement kept building around AI and connected buying experiences," said Jami Ribeiro, Head of Customer Success at AutoRaptor. "We came away even more confident in the direction we're headed. Dealers want technology that feels modern and intuitive, works the way their team already thinks, and brings everything together instead of adding another disconnected tool. That's exactly where we're investing."

Expanding Rick, the AI Assistant Built Into AutoRaptor

Rick is the AI assistant built directly into AutoRaptor's dealership platform, letting teams ask questions in plain English and get instant answers, backed by real data, tables, and clickable links. Beyond answering questions, Rick takes action on request, from creating an Up Sheet to sending a follow-up text, and proactively surfaces hot leads, aging inventory, and follow-ups that need attention before a manager even has to ask. AutoRaptor's new investment will expand Rick's capabilities across reporting, inventory intelligence, and team performance, all within each user's existing role-based permissions.

Investing in Integrated Desking & Payment Penciling

AutoRaptor's integrated desking tool lets sales teams structure, compare, and present deals in real time, directly inside the platform. Reps can shop by vehicle or shop by payment, present up to three deal scenarios side by side, and move from pencil to close without re-entering data anywhere along the way. The additional investment will deepen this connected experience even further, reinforcing AutoRaptor's approach of bringing every step of the deal into one place, on one platform, with one bill.

Growing the Digital Retail Suite

AutoRaptor's Digital Retail suite turns a dealership's website into a connected buying experience, letting shoppers build a payment, check pre-qualification, value a trade-in, and track their own progress through a customer portal, all before setting foot on the lot. Every interaction is logged automatically and routed into AutoRaptor, giving sales teams full context the moment a warm lead walks in. New investment in this suite will extend equity-mining opportunities and deepen the connection between online shopping activity and in-store conversations, all within the same dealership operating platform.

"Rick, integrated desking, and digital retail are three of the clearest examples of where we're headed," said James Fung, CTO at AutoRaptor. "We're building toward a platform that's modern and intuitive, powered by AI at its core, and radically simple to run, all in one place. NIADA reminded us just how much energy there is behind that vision."

Looking Ahead

Rick AI, Integrated Desking & Payment Penciling, and the Digital Retail suite are available soon within the AutoRaptor platform, with continued investment planned across all three in the months ahead. Dealerships interested can book a demo.

About AutoRaptor

AutoRaptor is a modern dealership operating platform that brings CRM, AI, communications, deal structuring, inventory, reporting, and digital retail together in one connected experience. Built to be modern and intuitive, powered by AI at its core, and refreshingly simple to run on a single platform and a single bill, AutoRaptor helps dealership teams spend less time managing software and more time selling. Learn more at autoraptor.com.

SOURCE AutoRaptor