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Car Dealership Guy
Dealers are responding faster than ever to web leads, but automation risks linger
February 2026
Responsiveness to sales leads submitted through dealership websites has improved overall, with Infiniti stores ranking as the most responsive to customer inquiries.
The details: According to the 2026 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) Auto Industry Study, the average Infiniti store scored 11 points higher than the industry average out of 100.
Infiniti dealerships earned a score of 82 out of 100 in the study, which analyzed responses from 3,290 dealership websites across all major auto brands.
The study, now in its 15th year, found the overall industry average for responsiveness was 71, a six-point improvement from last year.
Worth noting: After Infiniti, Cadillac ranked second with a score of 77, followed by Honda (76), Acura (75), Subaru (75), and Toyota (75).
Pied Piper attributed the improvement in responsiveness across all brands to three key changes from last year: more frequent texting, more outbound calls, and a higher proportion of stores doing both.
In the 2026 study, 62% of dealerships used both call and text follow-ups, compared to 49% in 2025.
Why it matters: Lead response remains one of the few areas dealerships can directly control, and modest improvements can have measurable effects on appointment rates and sales conversions. As more car buyers begin their shopping journey online and expect quicker, more conversational engagement, consistent speed and quality of follow-up have become critical competitive factors.
Between the lines: The study also warned of new risks linked to AI-powered automation. While automation can boost initial responsiveness, it can also mask breakdowns between systems or teams.
Pied Piper noted that system-to-system failures can occur when data does not transfer properly between a dealership's DMS, website, CRM, AI tools, and outbound communication channels.
And when AI hands off a complex inquiry to human staff, resolution depends on personnel being trained and attentive; otherwise, leads can stall without follow-through.
What they're saying: "Teams assume automation is working and that someone will step in if it fails," said Cameron O'Hagan, Vice President of Metrics and Analytics at Pied Piper, in a press statement. "Too often, no one does. Independent measurement such as ILE reveals those hidden breakdowns before they cost sales and erode brand trust."
Big picture: Pied Piper emphasized that automation can accelerate response times, but ultimate responsibility still rests with dealership teams. The study suggests that stores performing best maintain clear lead-routing processes, defined follow-up standards, and reliable coordination between AI tools and human staff.
