Cox Automotive to Showcase New Retail and Inventory Solutions at NADA Show 2025, as the Auto Industry Gains Momentum

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Jan 21, 2025, 15:00 ET

U.S. auto dealers will see new technology and solutions from Cox Automotive during the 2025 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Show, taking place Jan. 23-26 in New Orleans.
Cox Automotive will showcase the latest improvements to its key retail solutions, including Deal Central, Xtime, vAuto and Autotrader.
In wholesale, Manheim kicks off its 80th anniversary with investments in support of used EVs and more; the company's industry-leading logistics brand, Central Dispatch, unveils all-new Market Intelligence capabilities.

ATLANTA, Jan. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Automotive, the world's largest automotive services and technology provider, will showcase new retail and wholesale solutions designed to fuel the future of car buying and selling during NADA Show 2025, the National Automotive Dealers Association's annual convention, opening later this week in New Orleans. Cox Automotive, the largest exhibitor at NADA 2025, will feature solutions in the "Cox Automotive Village," which covers more than 23,000 square feet and includes more than 180 demo stations. Additionally, Cox Automotive's thought leaders will support the company's presence (schedule here).

"We are heading into NADA with tremendous optimism," said Steve Rowley, president of Cox Automotive. "The automotive market is poised to continue its strong momentum in 2025, even as it is being transformed by EVs, GenAI, computer vision and other technologies. The Cox Automotive booth in New Orleans will be buzzing, as usual, with conversations about these topics and all the tools and solutions we're providing to ensure that our clients can thrive in 2025 and beyond."

Based on Cox Automotive's unmatched access to first-party data, the outlook for the auto industry in 2025 looks promising. The Q4 2024 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index (CADSI) revealed renewed optimism among U.S. automobile dealers. Further, according to Cox Automotive's 2024 Car Buyer Journey Study, new car and EV sales satisfaction is the highest on record. As noted in its forecast for 2025, Cox Automotive is expecting further industry growth in the year ahead.

Retail Innovation
Cox Automotive is helping dealers achieve new-vehicle sales and customer experience goals with several significant updates to its retail solutions:

Deal Central Enhancements – With robust AI and automation, dealers can create a deal and sell vehicles not yet in their current inventory, such as vehicles in their order pipeline or in transit, opening new opportunities for buyers and keeping consumer satisfaction high. Additionally, dealers can streamline in-person or online purchases with new features, including Digital Deal Jacket, which brings all of a shopper's data and documents together into one deal experience, and Print Proposal, which enables dealers to print critical documents related to their vehicle purchase more easily.
Xtime Adds New Features – Dealers need help to meet customer expectations, streamline service operations, boost fixed operation revenue, and maximize customer lifetime value. Xtime has simplified service lane reporting, enhanced workflow efficiencies, and added seamless new Dealership Management System (DMS) integrations along with two new communication enhancements to further modernize the customer experience.
- Enhanced texting communications use a new messaging center to interact with customers and prospects, meeting their evolving expectations. Bulk communications reduce dealer effort, ensure timely and effective interactions with consumers, and improve customer satisfaction.
- Enhanced video capabilities, including noise cancellation, higher resolution images, subtitles, and branded multi-point inspection videos, drive technician efficiency and elevate the customer experience.
vAuto Enhancements – At NADA 2025, Cox Automotive will be showcasing two new innovations to vAuto's industry-leading solutions, ProfitTime GPS and Provision: Centralized Inventory Management to support dealer group oversight and a new appraisal experience, which will help dealers win more trade-ins in a supply-constrained used-vehicle market.
- Centralized Inventory Management – vAuto's Centralized Inventory Management solution unlocks greater efficiency, consistency and visibility across all dealership locations. The new tool optimizes vehicle management, enabling dealers to align decisions with enterprise-wide strategies and maximize vehicle ROI across all locations. Key features include:
  - Enterprise Transfer Portal: Optimizes every car across all of a dealer's locations with centralized actions. Dealers can quickly identify inventory issues, transfer vehicles where they're needed, and optimize retail potential across all locations.
  - C-Suite Reporting and Actionable Insights: Delivers a clear, real-time view of performance at both the individual location and group level.
  - Dashboards: Dealers can track performance and drive accountability across their group, keeping everyone aligned on goals and outcomes while improving consistency and transparency across locations.
- New Appraisal Experience – Typically, a difference of over $1,000 exists between estimated and actual reconditioning costs for 39% of vehicle identification numbers (VINs). vAuto's new appraisal tool addresses this challenge by minimizing costly mistakes, ensuring consistent and transparent offers that build consumer trust, and by helping dealers acquire vehicles aligned with their inventory strategy. Notable features include:
  - Mobile Capture App: The mobile-friendly capture feature enables dealers to capture high-resolution, 360-degree vehicle images and document damage for seamless handoffs to appraisers, even while on the go.
  - More Precise Reconditioning Estimation Tools: Calculate each vehicle's unique reconditioning costs using advanced tools that integrate with OBDII to improve accuracy and reduce errors.
  - Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer: Dealers can now access Kelley Blue Book® Instant Cash Offer branded offer report within their appraisal screen detailing the offer amount and how it was generated. Customers have access to clear, transparent appraisals backed by trusted Kelley Blue Book data to connect the online valuation experience with the on-the-lot valuation process to enhance their trust and confidence in every transaction.
EV Battery Health on Autotrader – Now available on Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book listings, Cox Automotive launched EV battery health scores to provide industry-leading confidence to consumers shopping for used EVs. This VIN-level data offers a detailed analysis of battery health with battery capacity as the critical factor. Between the deep expertise in its EV Battery Solutions team and the vast number of EVs coming into the Manheim Marketplace, technology across Manheim's 75 auction locations, and OEM relationships, Cox Automotive has an unmatched understanding of batteries across the industry. In 2024, 106K EVs were sold through Manheim versus 51K in 2023, a 108% increase.

"According to our recent Car Buyer Journey Study, dealership satisfaction rates are at 81%, which is an all-time high," stated Lori Wittman, president, Retail Solutions at Cox Automotive. "These new retail enhancements emphasize our commitment to keeping dealers happy and competitive. Over the past year, we've launched the Retail360 ecosystem to support seamless omnichannel car buying and enhanced our AI and automation capabilities to elevate dealer and consumer experiences. Looking ahead, we're raising the bar by delivering the most advanced automotive retail solutions available, equipping dealers with the tools they need to thrive in 2025 and beyond."

Wholesale, Inventory and Logistics Innovation
At NADA 2025, Cox Automotive will be showcasing investments across its Inventory Solutions division that will drive further confidence across the wholesale ecosystem.

Manheim, which operates the world's largest wholesale marketplace, is kicking off its 80th anniversary in 2025 with even more capabilities to support clients' increasing needs for used EVs with a Manheim Location EV Certification Program. Additionally, Cox Automotive's industry-leading logistics brand, Central Dispatch, is debuting all-new Market Intelligence capabilities for shippers, brokers and carriers.

Manheim Location EV Certification Program: An industry-first initiative exclusive to Manheim, this program is designed to formalize auction location preparedness for supporting the unique needs of used EVs at scale today and tomorrow.
- As more used EVs come into the wholesale market and client needs evolve, Manheim is setting a new standard for EV safety, storage, and logistics – creating a safer work environment for team members and unmatched solutions for clients.
- The program offers three distinct levels of location certification, each building on the capabilities and expertise of the previous level.
- The first of its scope in the industry, the Manheim Location EV Certification Program underscores Manheim's leadership in advancing innovation, safety, and efficiency in EV servicing.
Suite of Market Intelligence Solutions from Central Dispatch: Cox Automotive fuels more vehicle moves than anyone in the industry – over 16 million in 2024 alone. That rich data is fueling Central Dispatch's new Market Intelligence – a suite of solutions that give clients and the industry unmatched, actionable insights that help move their businesses forward. This suite includes:
- Market Intelligence Report: This data-driven report highlights key logistics trends and their real-world impacts. Currently focused on pricing and distance, it is designed to become the go-to resource for the transportation industry, with additional metrics being added in Q1.
- Price Check Plus: Combining Cox Automotive's superpowers in AI with Central Dispatch's trove of first-party data, Price Check Plus actually predicts the price at which vehicle will move – and gives clients additional insights that can help them make more confident decisions. Based on millions of real transactions, Price Check Plus is unmatched in its ability to give shippers, carriers and brokers the information they need to price vehicle moves more efficiently and profitably.
- Market Intelligence API: This new API enables clients to integrate Central Dispatch's pricing insights directly into their own systems. That way, they can maintain a seamless workflow while benefiting from this powerful suite of data-driven insights.
- Enterprise Data File: Select Enterprise clients with in-house data scientists can inquire about receiving the Market Intelligence data file directly on a monthly basis.

Grace Huang, president of Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions, added: "We have been investing and innovating across our leading marketplaces for years to deliver clients more AI, more confidence and more solutions that can move their businesses forward. With the pace of innovation in EVs, AI and beyond, these next five years will be some of the most exciting the wholesale industry has seen – and we look forward to showing clients what we have in store."

Dealers interested in speaking with Cox Automotive at the 2025 NADA Show, Jan. 23-26, about these new auto retail and inventory solutions enhancements can visit the Cox Automotive Village at NADA or request a meeting through the Cox Automotive NADA Hub.

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 FleetNet America^®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $22 billion in annual revenue. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.