The monthly Techwatch feature by Automotive Management outlines some of the last month’s highlights in motor retail technological developments.
By Alex Wright
Moneypenny has launched a new AI Voice Receptionist designed for automotive businesses following a beta programme.
The company said that the virtual assistant is built and run from centralised architecture at Moneypenny and is designed to speak naturally with callers, helping businesses handle enquiries more flexibly to reflect a dealership’s customer journey.
Moneypenny said that the AI Receptionist uses everyday language to hold natural conversations, aiming to remove the frustration associated with automated phone menus and long hold times.
According to Moneypenny, the AI Receptionist can triage high call volumes, identify the reason for a call, and manage straightforward requests such as booking services and repairs.
It can also capture key details including names and contact information, route qualified leads into a CRM or to a relevant specialist, and transfer calls either to a Moneypenny receptionist or to a member of the business for more complex or sensitive conversations.
The AI Receptionist is available 24/7 and can handle multiple enquiries simultaneously, which Moneypenny said will help reduce missed calls, voicemail backlogs and wait times during peak periods.
Jesper With-Fogstrup, group CEO at Moneypenny, said: “Our AI Receptionist has been developed recognising that many automotive businesses want to automate straightforward enquiries, while ensuring that complex and sensitive conversations remain firmly in human hands.”
Indicata has launched Market Tracker, a used car intelligence platform designed to monitor pricing trends and supply and demand dynamics by individual vehicle brands and models.
The company said that the tool brings together historic market trend data, covering up to five years, with real-time monthly updates in a single dashboard. It’s aimed at OEMs, leasing and rental companies, and dealer groups looking for clearer insight into used vehicle performance and changing market conditions.
Market Tracker enables users to build patterns for used vehicle brands and individual models using data drawn from all used cars sold in the UK over the past five years that are more than three years old and have covered more than 38,000 miles.
Indicata said the platform’s dashboard allows users to interrogate the data by make and model as well as body type, fuel type, category, segment and transmission, with all datasets updated monthly.
The company said different user groups will benefit in different ways. OEMs can track competitive positioning, monitor market share movements and analyse model performance across segments.
Leasing and rental providers can monitor residual value pressures, assess portfolio risk and optimise fleet composition. Dealer groups can identify pricing opportunities, forecast demand patterns and improve stock turn efficiency.
Dean Merritt, Indicata UK head of sales, said: “Market Tracker represents an evolution in how we enable customers to access our data. It leverages Indicata’s years of used car market data and expertise to transform it into clear, actionable insights for used car and remarketing professionals.”
A new automotive imaging platform has been designed to help dealers advertise cars before they are physically ready for sale.
Evolv, founded by motor trade professionals Michael Breen and Stuart Harrison, uses vehicle allocation and VIN data to generate photorealistic images of new cars to exact specifications, including colour and trim, without the need for traditional photography.
The system enables retailers to create digital images of vehicles still in transit or awaiting pre-delivery inspection, allowing them to be marketed online and avoid losing potential buyers who turn to competitors with visible stock already advertised.
The platform also produces short-form and long-form video content using virtual presenters, aimed at supporting dealer marketing across social media and digital channels. Initial UK trials are already underway.
Breen said: “Every dealer has stood on their forecourt looking at rows of cars they couldn’t advertise. We lived with that problem for years. Evolv was built because we knew there had to be a better way – and now, with the technology finally mature enough, there is a better way.”
Steve Latham, general manager of Clarks of Kidderminster, was the first to implement the technology. He said: “It is a genuine game-changer. I can now advertise my entire new car inventory with photorealistic images and cinematic video before the cars have even landed on the forecourt. It has completely removed the bottleneck from our digital marketing.”
While initially focused on franchised dealers, the company said that the platform could also be used by manufacturers and leasing providers to present vehicle configurations more consistently.
Carwow has partnered with NextGear Capital to embed vehicle stock funding directly into its stock sourcing platform, allowing dealers to finance purchases more quickly through its daily online auctions.
The new integration places NextGear Capital’s funding options within the Carwow Wallet digital payment solution, enabling retailers to apply for a funding account and immediately use their stocking plan to pay for auction purchases.
Carwow said the move is designed to speed up stock turn, ease cashflow pressures and reduce the administrative burden for dealers sourcing vehicles through its marketplace.
With NextGear Capital funding embedded into Carwow Wallet, retailers can secure finance and complete payment within the same workflow, removing the need to arrange stock funding separately after winning an auction.
The platform said that this will allow dealers to commit to new vehicles more quickly without waiting for existing stock to sell, helping them maintain forecourt availability and improve the customer experience.
Matt Cockerill, VP of performance and trading at Carwow, said: “Dealers want less friction and more certainty at the point of purchase. This latest enhancement to Carwow Wallet is part of our continued investment in creating an end-to-end stock sourcing platform that simplifies life for our dealer partners.”
Zoe Sutton, head of partnerships and banking systems, NextGear Capital UK and Ireland, added: “In a fast-moving, competitive market, the ability to buy decisively when the opportunity arises is vital. Stocking plans enable dealers to do just this, reducing their financial friction and scaling their inventory without tying up capital on their forecourts.”
Carwow auctions currently give retailers access to more than 20,000 vehicles per month and have helped place more than 300,000 vehicles on dealer forecourts to date.
Dealers can register for Carwow auctions online and eligible retailers can apply for, or connect, an existing NextGear Capital account within Carwow Wallet.