AIArtificial Intelligence
How dealerships are using AI to improve communication, productivity and customer engagement.
CXAUTO2026
The Dealership Business Is Changing Faster Than Ever.
Will Your Leadership Team Keep Up?
Margins are tightening. Customer expectations are rising. AI is changing how dealerships communicate. Service retention is under pressure. The dealerships that adapt first will have a significant competitive advantage.
CXAUTO2026 brings together the industry's top executives to discuss what's working today—and what's coming next.
- Customer Retention
- AI & Automation
- Fixed Operations Growth
- Customer Experience
- Executive Leadership
- Future Retail Strategies
Date
September 28–30, 2026
Location
Detroit, Michigan
Partner Event of
Automotive News Congress
Detroit · September 28–30, 2026
The State of the Industry
Numbers that are reshaping automotive retail.
61%
Retention Under Pressure
78%
AI Adoption Accelerating
3.1%
Margins Getting Tighter
72%
Expectations Rising
The Cost of Standing Still
The automotive industry is entering one of its most significant periods of transformation.
Every dealership is facing the same challenges. The question is no longer if dealerships need to adapt. It's how fast.
Customer Retention
Customer retention continues to decline.
Service Department Pressure
Service departments are under increasing pressure.
AI and Customer Expectations
AI is changing how customers expect dealerships to communicate.
Customer Loyalty
Loyalty is becoming harder to earn.
Increasing Competition
Competition across automotive retail continues to increase.
Faster, Personalised Experiences
Customers expect faster and more personalised experiences.
Insights From Across the Automotive Industry
Hear perspectives informed by leaders and organisations shaping automotive retail, customer experience and dealership performance.
Every discussion has one objective: helping dealerships improve performance.
Who Attends
Built for Decision Makers
- Dealer Principals
- General Managers
- Fixed Operations Directors
- Service Directors
- Marketing Leaders
- Customer Experience Executives
- OEM Leadership
- Dealer Group Executives
"If you're responsible for the future of your dealership, you belong here."
Why Dealers Attend
Because the ideas discussed here can directly influence dealership performance.
Revenue
Retention
CSI
Fixed Operations
Employee Retention
Marketing
Customer Loyalty
Profitability
ROI
One new strategy implemented back at the dealership can deliver a return far greater than the cost of attending.
What You'll Take Home
This isn't theory.
These are practical strategies that can be implemented in your dealership.
- Increase Customer Retention
- Improve Service Loyalty
- Grow Fixed Operations Revenue
- Increase Customer Lifetime Value
- Prepare Your Dealership for AI
- Improve Employee Engagement
- Create Better Customer Experiences
- Improve Operational Efficiency
- Strengthen Leadership
On the Agenda
The Topics Every Dealer Is Talking About
AI
RetentionCustomer Retention
Why customers leave—and how top-performing dealerships are keeping them for life.
Fixed OpsFixed Operations
Strategies to increase labour sales, improve retention and maximise profitability.
CXCustomer Experience
How leading dealerships are creating friction-free ownership experiences that build long-term loyalty.
LeadershipLeadership
Preparing your dealership for the next generation of automotive retail.
Watch: CX Insights from Our Speakers
Hear directly from the industry leaders taking the stage at CXAUTO2026
Registration
Choose Your Experience
CXAUTO Only
Customer Experience Summit
A focused executive experience centred on customer experience, leadership and dealership performance.
Best Value
Full Three-Day Experience
CXAUTO + Automotive News Congress
One registration. Maximum value. The complete leadership experience across both events.
Automotive News Congress Only
Executive Congress
Two days of executive insights into industry trends, strategy and the future of automotive.
Every Dealer Will Face These Challenges.
The Difference Is How Prepared They'll Be.
Don't spend the next year reacting to change.
Spend two days learning how to lead it.
Join the industry's top automotive executives at CXAUTO2026.
Date
September 28–30, 2026
Location
Detroit, Michigan