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Wards Auto
It looks like dealers' facility upgrades do sell more cars
January 2026
Pied Piper, a consultancy, just did an inaugural Dealership Facility Consistency Study to see how well individual brands have achieved a common, appealing look of their sales points.
The company used Google's satellite and street imagery, matched with artificial intelligence, to visually analyze all 18,862 dealerships in the U.S. for its "look-alike index," Pied Piper CEO Fran O'Hagan told WardsAuto.
However, he said that sometimes it's fine for same-brand dealerships not to look the same.
"The index is not a judgment," he explained. "Being less consistent might even be intentional for some brands that may want local flair."
Conversely, other brands, such as Porsche, dictated precisely how their dealerships look, right down to interior wall colors, he said.
The study's top look-alike brands were Chevrolet, Honda and Toyota. At the bottom of the list were Polestar, Lucid, Tesla, Alfa Romeo and Fiat.
Some automakers can overreach when it comes to how closely dealership appearances are tied to sales, said O'Hagan, who as a former Jaguar vice president oversaw facility appearances.
Short of not appearing like a dump, does it matter how nice a dealership looks?
"It's super important, but not necessarily for what a lot of people think," O'Hagan said. "It showcases product as well as attracts more shoppers, service customers and — just as important — it attracts talented staff."
So what about the "but" part?
"I'd say a well-trained staff working out of a circus tent will sell a lot of cars, too," O'Hagan said.
