The First Showroom
Bain & Co.’s new Global Automotive Consumer Survey covered more than 12,000 car buyers in 11 countries, and most headlines focused on one comforting stat: nine in 10 buyers still close at a dealership. The AI findings deserve a closer look, because they show where the decision is actually being made.
The takeaway: AI is turning into the first showroom. If your store, your inventory and your service don’t show up in the answers, you may never make the shortlist.
How many car buyers use AI to shop?
Market | Younger buyers | Older buyers |
|---|---|---|
U.S. | 55% | 23% |
Europe | 61% | About 25% |
Japan | 52% | 14% |
China | Close to 80% across all ages |
Younger buyers in the U.S. and Europe use AI at more than twice the rate of older buyers. Bain found buyers mainly use it to narrow down an overwhelming range of features and compare options.
Younger U.S. buyers use AI more and visit dealers less
Here’s the pairing that stands out. In the U.S., 59% of older buyers have two or more dealer interactions during their journey. Among younger buyers, that drops to 40%.
Bain doesn’t link the two numbers, so read this as our interpretation. The buyers leaning hardest on AI are also giving your store fewer chances to make an impression in person. More of the narrowing happens before they walk in, and each remaining visit carries more weight.
What does Bain tell dealers to do about AI-driven buyers?
Bain’s recommendation is direct. OEMs and dealers need digital channels optimized for large language models like ChatGPT, so their vehicles, features and services show up in AI responses. The firm also warns that brand loyalty is already weakening and AI-driven decisions will speed that up, so stores will have to win customers through service and value.
Where should a dealership start?
Ask the AI yourself. Type the questions your customers would ask (“best used SUV under $30K near me,” “who services Hondas in [your town]”) into ChatGPT and other assistants. See whether your store shows up and what it says about you.
Make your information easy to read. Clear inventory details, service offerings, hours and pricing policies on your site give AI tools something accurate to pull from.
Make the visits count. If younger buyers show up fewer times, the visits they do make have to deliver: fast answers, no repeated questions, a clear path to the keys.
Buyers still close at the dealership. The open question is how many of them were filtered out by an AI answer before your store had a chance.
