Email is still the highest-ROI channel a dealership owns. It is also the easiest to waste. Here is the 2026 fix list for motorcycle, powersports, marine, RV, and auto stores.
2026 AI Vehicle Research Study/blog/2026-ai-vehicle-research-study-how-buyers-are-using-chatgpt-and-other-ai-tools-to-find-their-next-vehicle
Ekho’s research says 30% of buyers use generative AI, led by ChatGPT, to research vehicles. It says AI is becoming a discovery channel and dealership inventory listings are becoming a source of information for AI and informed buyers.
Parts and accessories carry 32.6% gross margin, vs. 3 to 8% on new vehicles. Most of those dollars never make it into the deal. Ekho just made accessories a built-in step of every vehicle purchase.
The question isn't whether to go AI-first. It's which workloads to build internally, which to buy from providers, and which to partner on. Here is the decision framework, the three workloads no single rooftop can build alone, and a one-page AI policy template.
The vehicle commerce platform that closes deals 24/7. AI sales agents, high-converting websites, and a 50-state transaction engine for titled vehicle dealerships.
