- Dealers need complete vehicle context and connected workflows to reduce appraisal blind spots and act faster on inventory decisions.
- vAuto’s latest AI innovations pair deeper vehicle insight with action-oriented tools that help your team fix issues and move faster.
- Cox Automotive Navigator connects workflows across tools, so your team can move from appraisal to action without losing time switching systems.
You make your money when you appraise accurately and act fast on what the vehicle is telling you. But the full story isn’t always visible when you need to make the call.
That’s where AI is starting to change the work.
In this second exclusive vAuto client session, Derek Hansen, SVP, Dealer, Lender, and Inventory Management Solutions at Cox Automotive, moves beyond why AI matters and focuses on what’s changing inside dealership workflows, especially in how vehicles are appraised, priced, and acted on.
This article focuses on what that shift looks like in practice. Read below and then watch the video to get a sneak peek at the upcoming four AI-driven innovations designed to help your team:
- Reduce blind spots at appraisal
- See the full story behind every vehicle
- Stay on top of pricing and inventory tasks
- Connect workflows so actions happen faster
Appraise with fewer blind spots, even when the vehicle is unfamiliar
“No longer do you risk exposure if a vehicle shows up to your lot that you may be unfamiliar with or not as comfortable with given its make, model, or trim.” – Derek Hansen
Unfamiliar inventory creates risk the moment it hits your lot. A non-core make. A trim your team doesn’t work with often. A unit that looks clean at first pass but carries unknown risk.
The challenge isn’t whether you can appraise it. It’s whether you have enough context to appraise it with confidence.
During the presentation, Cox Automotive introduced a new approach to this problem with Common Problems: an AI-driven capability designed to help your team quickly identify what might not be obvious at first glance.
Where this fits in your workflow
This comes into play early, during appraisal, when you’re deciding how to evaluate and price a vehicle that may fall outside your typical mix. Rather than relying on experience alone, your team can quickly pressure-test the vehicle against known risk factors tied to that specific make, model, and trim.
What you can do differently
Use it to answer key questions before you finalize value:
- What issues are most likely to show up on this vehicle?
- What should you be checking more closely during inspection?
What changes for your team
- Reduce appraisal surprises by surfacing likely issues earlier in the process
- Apply a more consistent approach, even when the vehicle is outside your core inventory.
- Move forward with clearer inputs before setting price or making acquisition decisions.
Next in the workflow: Once you’ve pressure-tested the vehicle for common risks, the next step is understanding its full backstory before you lock in value.
Get the full vehicle story before you set value
“AI scans and distills the data all across the Cox Automotive ecosystem so that your dealership can instantly tell you as much about the vehicle’s back story…” – Derek Hansen
Once you’ve pressure-tested a vehicle for common risks, the next question is simple: What else do you need to know before you set value?
The condition alone doesn’t tell the full story. Two vehicles can look similar on the surface but carry very different histories. Miss those signals, and you risk pricing too aggressively, or leaving margin behind.
Cox Automotive is introducing Vehicle Journey, a complement to AI-driven Common Problems, designed to bring those signals together before you finalize your appraisal.
Where this fits in your workflow
This happens after your initial appraisal, when you’re pressure-testing value before you lock in price or acquisition. Instead of chasing information across systems, your team can quickly see a more complete picture of the vehicle in one place.
What you can see before you price
Vehicle Journey brings together key data points that influence value:
- Repair history tied to the vehicle.
- Open ROs or recent declined services that may impact reconditioning or resale.
- Listing history that provides clues about demand and market interest.
What changes for your team
- Price with more context by factoring in both condition and vehicle history.
- Identify risk earlier when service or repair signals may impact value.
- Make more consistent decisions using a fuller view of each VIN, not isolated data points.
Next in the workflow: Once you’ve established value with a more complete picture, the next step is making sure nothing falls through the cracks in your inventory, especially pricing and data gaps that slow performance.
Fix pricing and inventory gaps faster by turning insight into action
“Not only does it surface them, it can fulfill the action to meet the need…” – Derek Hansen
Once you’ve established value, the next challenge isn’t insight. It’s execution. Pricing gaps. Missing data. Units that haven’t been updated in days. These are small issues on their own, but they add up quickly and slow down how your inventory performs.
Cox Automotive is launching vAuto Assistant, an agentic AI capability that helps you prioritize and complete daily inventory management to-do’s faster.
Where this fits in your workflow
This comes into play after pricing and throughout daily inventory management, when you’re monitoring performance and maintaining accurate, up-to-date listings. Now your team can quickly surface what needs attention in real time and saves time spent manually checking reports or tracking down issues.
What you can identify and act on
Use it to quickly surface and address common gaps:
- Vehicles missing a price.
- Units that haven’t had a price update in the last seven days.
- Inventory data inconsistencies, like incorrect or missing details.
What makes this different is what happens next.
Instead of stopping at identification, the assistant can help complete the action needed to resolve the issue.
What changes for your team
- Spend less time tracking down issues across reports and systems.
- Keep inventory pricing and data more current without manual follow-up.
- Act faster on gaps that impact visibility, competitiveness, and performance.
Next in the workflow: Once your team has the right insights and is acting on them more consistently, the next step is connecting those actions across systems, so the work itself moves faster.
Connect your workflows so actions happen faster across your tools
“It connects workflows, removes swivel chair, and makes it more seamless for your team to get their jobs done efficiently.” – Derek Hansen
By this point, your team has better inputs, clearer context, and faster ways to act. The remaining challenge is carrying those actions across your workflow. Too often, progress slows with tool switching. Start an appraisal in one system. Check service history in another. Re-enter the same information just to keep moving.
Cox Automotive is introducing Navigator, a connected hub that makes moving across systems faster. Now, your team can get the info they need to learn more about a customer or vehicle in any situation.
Where this fits in your workflows
This step happens after pricing, during day-to-day inventory management, when you’re monitoring performance and keeping listings up to date. Your team can now quickly surface what needs attention in real time and avoid manually tracking down issues.
What you can do without breaking your flow
Navigator helps connect key actions across your Cox Automotive solutions:
- Start an appraisal and pull in service history within the same flow.
- Transfer VIN, images, and odometer data without manual entry.
- Move between systems with suggested next steps based on the task at hand.
What changes for your team
- Reduce time lost switching between systems and re-entering information.
- Keep workflows moving with fewer interruptions and handoffs.
- Work more efficiently by connecting actions across the tools you already use.
When workflows are connected, each step builds on the last. Appraisal, pricing, and action are no longer separate tasks. They become part of the same continuous flow.
From Insight to Action
Each one of these new innovations solves an existing challenge. Together, they shift how the work gets done. Watch how these innovations come together in the full Access Innovation session below.
Your Shortcut to a Smarter, Faster, More Connected Dealership
Introducing Cox Automotive Navigator, a simple browser extension that connects your dealership workflows and unlocks faster, more efficient performance across the tools you rely on.
