Leading Automotive Marketplace Unveils New Tech to Better Enable its Dealer Partners in 2026

CHICAGO, Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Car shopping marketplace Cars.com Inc. (NYSE: CARS) today announced new powerful tech and advertising solutions for its dealer customers built to drive efficient growth and profitability. The news comes ahead of the National Automobile Dealers Association Conference (NADA) on Feb. 4-6 in Las Vegas, where the company will showcase its offerings in booth #3723W.

With strong marketplace traffic growth in 2025 and exciting announcements such as its new AI search assistant, Carson™, Cars.com is leveraging its proprietary consumer demand and inventory data to power a new AI video solution, unlock vehicle shipping and delivery options, and enable customers with new integrated wholesale options to quickly move aging inventory. The company is also unveiling its new consolidated reporting platform to better inform dealers with the insights needed to operate efficiently. 

"We are not just driving traffic; we are driving profit for our dealer partners," said Lisa Gosselin, Chief Commercial Officer for Cars.com Inc. "By putting AI-powered technology and market expansion tools in the hands of our customers, Cars.com is connecting highly-engaged shoppers with the right inventory, driving twice the lead conversion, and ensuring our partners grow faster and more profitably."

Highlights of the new Cars.com solutions include:

• AI-Powered Inventory Video: New AI-powered creative allows dealers to scale their in-market video capabilities beyond incentive and brand spots to VIN-specific video ads for their full inventory. Backed by powerful audience targeting based on Cars.com car shopping behavior, the new AI-video solution is driving a 2X lift in website lead conversion for dealers versus traditional video creative.¹ Paired with newly activated attribution capabilities that can connect both dealer lot visits and actual sales results to shoppers exposed to these video campaigns, Cars.com can now provide a full-funnel view of results from ad exposure to car purchase. This includes new and CPO vehicles only for now.
  
  
• Market Area Expansion: According to a recent Cars.com survey, more than 80% of recent car buyers are willing to buy outside their market, and 53% have done it before.² Market Area Expansion is a new onsite solution that enables dealers to showcase their inventory beyond their local market and promote vehicle shipping and delivery capabilities to shoppers. The tool boosts the number of vehicle options for consumers while connecting dealers with shoppers they would have otherwise never reached. During Cars.com's pilot of the new product, 34% of dealers' total Search Result Page (SRP) views and 25% of their total Vehicle Details Page (VDP) views came from Market Area Expansion placements, highlighting the massive exposure lift dealers gain with shipping capabilities.³
  
  
• Integrated Wholesale Tools: Cars.com continues to scale its appraisal and wholesale capabilities through deeper integrations with Cars Commerce solutions AccuTrade and DealerClub, helping dealers address used car scarcity, source attractive, late model inventory, and choose the most profitable exit strategy for each vehicle. Importantly, over 50% of vehicles acquired via AccuTrade are between one and five years old, highlighting the desirable pool of in-demand, late model inventory that dealers access when they expand beyond traditional physical auctions.⁴ Now DealerClub seamlessly integrates with each dealer's inventory on Cars.com to quickly and easily move aging units to a network of trusted wholesale buyers. The integration is a win-win: DealerClub sellers keep inventory moving and control the offer and negotiation process, while DealerClub buyers gain access to high quality, retail-ready units on a differentiated wholesale auction based on transparency and reputation.
  
  
• Cars Commerce Hub Reporting: The Hub is a new single sign-on reporting platform that offers admin tools and product performance insights from across the Cars Commerce suite of solutions, all in one consolidated tool. The new reporting platform also features enhanced Cars.com reporting, delivering additional market signals and ensuring customers have cross-platform insights to make informed decisions.

To learn more about Cars.com's new technology, visit the Cars Commerce booth #3723W at the NADA Conference. Offerings from AccuTrade, Dealer Inspire and DealerClub will also be on display. Visitors can participate in the DealerClub Live No-Reserve Auction in the booth on Feb. 4 from 1-5 p.m. and the DealerClub Pricing Game on Feb. 5 from 1-5 p.m. local time.  For more information, visit www.carscommerce.inc.   

¹ Cars Commerce Pilot Results for VIN specific video creative in IMV campaigns with limited test group Q2-Q3 2025
² Cars Commerce Consumer Survey of Recent Car Buyers, Oct 2025, N=259
³ Market Area Expansion on Cars.com Pilot Results, Q4 2025 
⁴ Internal AccuTrade data, Q3 2025

ABOUT CARS.COM®
Cars.com is the No. 1 most recognized automotive marketplace. Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, Cars.com empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. Cars.com is the flagship offering from Cars.com Inc. (d/b/a Cars Commerce), an audience-driven technology company empowering automotive that simplifies everything about buying and selling cars.

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SOURCE Cars.com Inc.