Dallas, TX – Car Wars returned from the NADA 2026 Show after a productive week of conversations with dealers, partners, and industry leaders about the phone and how it is actually being used inside dealerships today.
Throughout the show, Car Wars met with dealers from across the country to review real performance data, exchange practical strategies, and participate in industry discussions centered on the evolving role of the phone, AI, and accountability in dealership operations.
What We Learned at NADA 2026
The conversations had reinforced several clear themes, supported by Car Wars industry data:
- Connect rates remain a critical challenge: The average sales Connect score in 2025 was 62.39%, indicating that a meaningful share of inbound calls are still not being answered and connected.
- Missed opportunities are rarely prioritized: Even when buying signals are present, many missed calls are followed up inconsistently or too late to convert. Only 44% of missed opportunity calls were seized in 2025.
- AI is everywhere, but expectations are higher: Dealers are moving past experimentation and prioritizing reliable AI that delivers practical value through improved call coverage, accurate reporting, and measurable impact on connect rates and appointments booked.
- Visibility drives accountability: Dealership leaders are increasingly focused on gaining clear, actionable insight into where calls break down, how routing decisions affect outcomes, and which missed opportunities deserve immediate follow-up.
Platform Enhancements Highlighted at the Show
At NADA, Car Wars showcased product releases designed to help dealerships act faster on the opportunities that matter most:
- Cari Receptionist: Cari Receptionist took a major step forward with new, expanded reporting that gives dealerships clear visibility into call handling, routing decisions, transfers, and outcomes.
- Cari Service Scheduler: Cari Service Scheduler continues to evolve with an AI foundation built specifically for dealership service operations, now supported by expanded DMS and scheduler integrations, deeper reporting, and new features that make it easier to book appointments, reduce manual workload, and scale scheduling with confidence.
- AI-Powered Pursue Opportunity Index: Automatically surfaces the highest-intent callers by ranking your most valuable missed opportunities, so your team knows exactly which calls deserve immediate follow-up.
- Fresh Up Call Tag: Highlights first-time sales opportunity callers so your team can quickly identify and prioritize new business.
- Summarized Call Coaching: Agents get a weekly snapshot of outbound performance with clear wins, misses, and coaching insights driven by what they’ve said on calls that week.
Car Wars also hosted a series of dealer panels and industry leader interviews at NADA, bringing real-world dealership perspectives to the forefront of the conversation. These sessions focused on phone performance, staffing challenges, and how dealers are using data and AI to drive measurable improvement.
Panelists and interview participants included industry experts such as Allison Kemp, Marketing Director at Rich Ford, who shared firsthand insights and how Car Wars consulting proactively fixes leaks in the phone process before they impact revenue.
“Car Wars isn’t just a vendor; they’re a true partner. Their team works closely with us to make dynamic, data-driven recommendations and proactively fix leaks in our phone process, which has had a direct impact on our results.” — Allison Kemp, Rich Ford
As the industry continues to evolve, Car Wars remains committed to helping dealerships turn phone conversations into results through reliable AI, clear reporting, and actionable insight.
“The conversations we had at NADA were grounded in real data and real challenges dealerships are facing today,” said Stephane Ferri, CEO of Car Wars. “Dealers are looking for practical solutions that help them answer more calls, follow up more effectively, and understand what’s actually happening on the phone. That focus continues to guide how we build and evolve our platform.”
For more information on Car Wars’ advanced AI solutions, please visit www.carwars.com.
About Car Wars
Car Wars is the trusted partner for discerning dealerships in the Automotive Retail Industry, offering premium call tracking, texting, and phone solutions. With over three decades of experience, Car Wars is the industry’s most innovative and robust phone solution, meticulously crafted by industry experts and dealer insiders. Car Wars brings deep industry knowledge to provide essential phone handling tools for your team to ‘Own the Phone’ and dominate the market.
Backed by cutting-edge technology and unwavering dedication to customer success, Car Wars goes beyond the ordinary to help dealers achieve optimal call and text outcomes. With unparalleled CRM integrations, actionable insights and hands-on support, dealerships are able to unlock their full potential and strengthen customer relationships.
Join the automotive retail revolution with Car Wars.