• Cox Automotive announced a unified inventory sourcing capability and AI-driven vehicle acquisition workflows on Jan. 28, 2026.
  • The move combines multiple sourcing channels into a single workflow and applies AI to speed decisions and reduce manual steps.
  • Dealers who adopt the new tools could gain faster, more targeted inventory buys; those who don’t risk slower sourcing and missed opportunities.

What Cox Automotive announced

ATLANTA — January 28, 2026 — Cox Automotive said it is advancing dealer workflows by introducing unified inventory sourcing paired with AI automation for vehicle acquisition. The company frames the change as an end-to-end improvement to how dealers identify, evaluate and acquire inventory, moving previously separate steps into a single, intelligent workflow.

How the new workflow works

According to the announcement, the update brings signaling and decisioning together: sourcing channels feed into one interface, and AI models help prioritize offers, predict reconditioning costs and flag vehicles that fit a dealer’s pricing and sales strategy. The automation is intended to reduce manual data entry, shorten time-to-purchase and allow inventory teams to act faster on profitable opportunities.

Why this matters to dealers

Dealers operate on tight margins where timing and the right inventory mix matter. A unified, AI-led acquisition workflow can change three practical points:

  • Speed: faster identification and execution of buys can secure better vehicles before competitors.
  • Precision: models trained on market and historical retail data can improve matching between available units and a dealer’s local demand.
  • Efficiency: fewer manual steps free staff to focus on pricing, merchandising and customer-facing tasks.

Risks and reactions — what to watch for

The announcement also raises questions dealers should consider. Relying on automated decisioning can introduce blind spots if models aren’t tuned to a dealer’s local market nuances. Smaller independent dealers may feel the pressure to adopt or partner with aggregators to stay competitive. There’s also an operational lift: implementing unified workflows typically requires process changes, staff training and integration work.

Next steps and adoption

Cox Automotive’s rollout aims to make sourcing more predictable, but outcomes will depend on dealers’ adoption speed and how well the AI models reflect regional differences. Dealers should evaluate pilot options, integration requirements and reporting capabilities before full deployment. Early adopters are likely to see the biggest advantage in highly competitive used-car markets.

Bottom line

Cox Automotive’s move to unify inventory sourcing and layer in AI automation is positioned as a practical time-saver and efficiency boost for dealer acquisition teams. For dealers, the choice is becoming strategic: adopt these workflows and gain speed and precision, or risk falling behind competitors who use data and automation to outpace traditional sourcing methods.

Image Referance: https://www.cbtnews.com/cox-automotive-advances-dealer-workflows/