vAuto recently announced new functionality that solves another pain point for franchise dealers: managing increasingly complex new vehicle incentives.

Officials at vAuto, a Cox Automotive brand, said this is achieved by making it easier for dealers to apply VIN-specific incentives at scale in its new vehicle inventory management and pricing solution, Conquest.

This new capability comes as data shows that some OEMs have issued approximately 86 percent more VIN-specific incentives this year compared to last—and the model-year changeover is fast approaching.

Help to Dealers

Derek Hansen, vice president of operations, inventory management solutions, Cox Automotive, stated that with rebates and incentives back on the rise and becoming more complex, “dealers are finding it increasingly challenging to efficiently apply the right ones for each vehicle.

This new functionality is timed for the model year changeover as dealers look to clear out current new car inventory in preparation for 2025 models to hit their lots. The automotive market overall is showing signs of weaker sales even as OEM’s are offering more competitive interest rates and generous cash offerings—average blended incentive spend was $4,838 in August, up approximately 5.8 percent from the prior month. Despite that, average days in inventory is up nine days year-over-year.

Conquest gives dealers new vehicle inventory management solution that enables them to price their vehicles correctly, optimize their merchandising and compete effectively in today’s quickly evolving market.

Simplifying the Process

For rebates and incentives, Conquest simplifies the process of applying the right offers. Many OEMs now extend multiple offers on each vehicle with each having their own set of rules.

Without automation, dealers are challenged to apply the right offers and merchandise their vehicles effectively. Conquest is promoted by vAuto officials as bringing clarity to the chaos, making it easier and more efficient for dealers to price and promote their vehicles accurately.

Among the option dealers will have include or exclude VIN-specific incentives. With the feature selected, Conquest will cross reference the list of compatible vehicles and compatible programs and syndicate accurate offer information to listing sites for maximum effectiveness.

“Since the Fed’s big cut isn’t expected to reduce auto loan rates for quite some time, dealers need to be especially vigilant about pricing and merchandising their inventory correctly to attract today’s car shoppers and close those deals,” said Hansen.