Collaboration with Click Dealer marks the first stage of Dealer in a Box Reach
Evolution Funding is working with fellow Centeca group company Click Dealer to bring finance and affordability into AI-led vehicle search.
Click Dealer has launched a new car-search plugin for ChatGPT, connecting consumers with more than 120,000 live vehicles in one of the UK’s largest connected pools of independent dealer stock.
The launch marks the first stage of Dealer in a Box Reach, the next development of the award-winning Dealer in a Box proposition created by Evolution Funding and Click Dealer.
The plugin allows consumers to describe the type of vehicle they need using natural, conversational language. They can then refine their results by factors including budget, body style, fuel type, mileage and colour.
When a customer identifies a suitable vehicle, they are directed to the supplying dealer’s own website rather than to an online automotive marketplace.
It is the first UK automotive car search plugin of its kind to take this dealer-direct approach. It gives independent retailers another way to make their stock discoverable while keeping the next stage of the customer journey between the buyer and the dealer.
Connecting vehicle discovery with affordability
The next phase of Dealer in a Box Reach will introduce Evolution Funding’s finance and affordability capabilities.
This will help consumers identify not only vehicles that meet their practical requirements, but options more closely aligned with their individual budgets.
The longer-term opportunity is to connect vehicle discovery, digital retail, finance and affordability more closely, creating a more joined-up journey for consumers while supporting dealers with new ways to reach and convert prospective customers.
Paul Saggar, Chief Innovation Officer at Centeca, said:
“This first release allows consumers to search a significant pool of independent dealer stock through ChatGPT and then continue their journey directly with the retailer.
“For Evolution Funding, the opportunity is also about what comes next. By bringing finance and affordability into the experience, we can help consumers explore vehicles that meet both their practical needs and their budget.
“This project demonstrates the value of the complementary capabilities within Centeca. Evolution Funding and Click Dealer are bringing together automotive finance, connected stock, retail technology and dealer websites to explore how AI can support a more joined-up vehicle-buying journey.”
Technology developed across Centeca
The plugin combines technology and expertise from teams across Evolution Funding and Click Dealer.
Its underlying stock-search service and the Model Context Protocol technology connecting vehicle data with ChatGPT were developed in-house by Evolution Funding. Click Dealer contributes its automotive retail technology, dealer website experience and connections with independent retailers.
The plugin is available within ChatGPT and does not require a separate app to be downloaded. Users can search conversationally by making requests such as: “Find me a family SUV with fewer than 40,000 miles for under £20,000,” before refining the results through further questions.
The underlying technology pattern also has the potential to support other AI platforms and marketplaces as consumer search behaviour develops.
Evolution Funding and Click Dealer are both part of Centeca, the automotive fintech group formerly known as Evolution Funding Group. Centeca brings together finance, retail technology and compliance capabilities across the vehicle retail market.