Digital and data highlight Cox transformation

LAS VEGAS — Cox Automotive is focusing its business strategy around the key areas of electrification and mobility, data, and the digital transformation underway in both vehicle retailing and wholesaling, President Steve Rowley said.

The dealership technology company based in Atlanta recently launched DriveQ, a branding initiative for Cox's collection of data from consumers, market intelligence and vehicles themselves. Cox also teamed with Penske Automotive Group to develop a digital sales platform for Penske's CarShop used-vehicle-only stores in the U.S. Cox now offers the white-labeled tool, called Esntial Commerce, to other dealership groups.

In addition to that platform, Cox is working to build out omnichannel options for its customers. Omnichannel refers to technology and processes aimed at providing a seamless buying experience for consumers whether they shop online, in-store or both.

Rowley, 57, spoke with Staff Reporter Lindsay VanHulle and Retail Editor Amy Wilson at the NADA Show. Here are edited excerpts.

Q: What is Cox Automotive focused on this year?

A: We've created an entire omnichannel digitization for our dealers to have an omnichannel experience for customers to buy digitally. We're seeing that about 80 percent of consumers are looking to buy digitally. And then we also have Esntial, which allows you to really click and have a car on your driveway, so to speak.

When we look at Manheim, about 81 percent of our cars today are sold digitally.

We bought a company called Fyusion, where we're taking artificial intelligence and computer vision and making it so that all the [condition] reports are running on the same basis and foundation. We do several million condition reports a year. Those reports now are going to be able to have a lot more validity and continuity and structure.

We've made a big play into electrification. We're focused on batteries, both on the remanufacturing side, the repurposing side and the recycling side.

The second component of that is what we would call mobility. We now have the largest mobile fleet company in the United States. When you think of mobility, think of it as servicing vehicles during down revenue time.

What is the growth path for Esntial Commerce?

We had a great partnership with the Penske team. They were phenomenal. We learned so much from them in collaborating. But we have a platform that is for the industry. We're out showing it today. We're out providing it to customers that are interested and walking them through that.

We have the attention of several large entities, and we'll work with all of them, and I know that our product will speak for itself. And I really feel confident that there's a large growth and accelerated pattern coming for us in the future.

Why are so many digital sales platforms coming to market at this moment?

We just saw [Ford] put up two divisions: an ICE division and an EV division. I think some people are viewing those different. We're seeing that the way that you may go to market with an EV is different than the way you may have done it in the past.

It's an opportunity for folks to look at their business and understand how do they want to participate in that customer experience and how do they go about doing that? And what proliferates on the back end of that?

What is your perspective on the disruption happening in the wholesale market?

We've been the market leader in wholesale for over 75 years. And Manheim [has] continued to support a multiplicity of constituents, and we will continue to do that. We have over 76 locations that are physical locations that allow us to do reconditioning, logistics and support our customers in so many ways. Eighty percent of our cars today are [sold digitally]. So we have the largest physical platform and one of the largest digital platforms in the business.

So when I look at some of the acquisitions out there, it's an affirmation of how important that business is and how important it is for the industry and for certain entities and our constituents.

Carvana has been a big customer of Manheim. How will Carvana's acquisition of ADESA's U.S. wholesale auction business change that?

Carvana is a big customer of ours, and it will continue to be for some time. When you look at the reconditioning we do, no one else in the industry can do that. And so we'll continue to drive that aspect of the business. In total, we'll grow our business quite a bit in the wholesale side. And Carvana will maybe be the future of that or not — I don't know — but we have a great platform for our success.