In today’s episode of CBT Now, host Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by newly appointed CEO Matt Leone and Chief Evangelist Officer Steve Roessler at DriveCentric to discuss their vision for the future and what dealers and customers can look forward to.
Leone was officially named CEO of DriveCentric in mid-May, and his goal is to build on the company’s respected customer relationship management (CRM) and engagement platform. Under his leadership, DriveCentric will implement a three-pronged strategy to support its next phase of growth.
Artificial intelligence expansion
DriveCentric already has a solid foundation in artificial intelligence (AI). The company will continue to advance its AI capabilities to drive efficiencies for dealerships, ultimately enhancing performance and increasing profitability.
Advancing analytics and reporting
The company’s second focus is to harness the power of AI to generate deeper insights and analytics, providing a clearer view into dealership performance. These improvements will also enhance communication and operational feedback loops.
Strengthening partner ecosystem
DriveCentric will further strengthen its partner ecosystem and expand integrations in its application programming interface (API).
Addressing mixed feelings surrounding AI
Leone acknowledges that many dealership leaders and individuals may have mixed feelings about the use of AI. He emphasizes that AI is a tool — not a replacement for humans. Its core purpose is to improve efficiency and help people make smarter decisions. He points to countless examples throughout history where evolving technology was developed to enhance human efficiency.
The future of DriveCentric
The company’s broader vision is to become the operational heartbeat of dealerships by offering end-to-end solutions.
DriveCentric is currently active in both the United States and Canadian markets, serving dealerships of all sizes, from small stores to large public dealer groups.
Roessler adds that he sees DriveCentric becoming a go-to resource center for the automotive industry in terms of technology and AI, supporting dealers as they adapt to new tools and systems.
The future of retail automotive
Leone briefly comments on the current state of the automotive industry and the headwinds caused by shifting U.S. trade policies. He notes that the softening of May’s results aligns with the natural seasonality of retail automotive. Despite high interest rates, rapidly rising MSRPs and tariff threats, American consumers remain resilient.
He also notes that while resilience is essential in retail, technology, data and tools will serve as extraordinary pillars of support to drive the industry forward.
"The way I think about artificial intelligence is we've had it for forever. To be able to have technology that just gets smarter over time to make human life more efficient has been around for decades... Just think about it as driving efficiencies. We're not trying to replace the human all the time." – Matt Leone
"We want to be helping the dealers understand... We don't want to see these dealers try to figure out on their own. They need to collaborate with one another and understand how other dealers using the technology like AI to be efficient at their own stores." – Steve Roessler
