AI Is Reinventing the Car Buying Experience

The Tech Trek

In this episode, Amir sits down with Jay Vijayan, Founder and CEO of Tekion, to explore how digital transformation and AI are modernizing the automotive retail industry. They dive deep into the complexities of dealership systems, the supply chain ripple effects of tariffs, and the evolving consumer experience. Jay explains why legacy systems can't meet today’s expectations and how Tekion is building a unified platform that supports everything from purchase to after-sales. They also unpack why delivering a personalized, seamless customer journey may be the key to loyalty in an industry long seen as purely transactional.

💡 Key Takeaways:

Legacy tech is still rampant: Many dealerships still rely on green-screen legacy systems, which limits innovation and integration.

Experience > Price: In low-margin auto sales, long-term value comes from after-sales service — and a standout experience can beat price competition.

AI + contextual data = competitive advantage: Fragmented data limits insight. A modern tech stack built on a unified data layer unlocks personalization and operational efficiency.

Tariff uncertainty impacts forecasting: The issue isn't just the tariffs themselves — it's the lack of predictability that hampers planning.

Customization matters: Great experience is subjective. AI can help dealers tailor the journey to each customer’s preferences.

🕒 Timestamped Highlights:

00:42 – What Tekion does

Jay introduces Tekion’s end-to-end SaaS platform for automotive retail and OEMs.

01:41 – State of dealership technology

Many dealerships still use 50-year-old systems. The goal is to modernize the full customer journey, not just the front-end.

04:48 – Lessons from Tesla and Apple

It's not about eliminating brick-and-mortar; it’s about giving consumers a seamless experience on their own terms.

08:13 – The hidden complexity of auto supply chains

How global part sourcing and delivery logistics shape the customer experience.

12:44 – Post-COVID supply chain improvements

What OEMs learned from COVID disruptions and how they’re building more resilient supply chains.

15:53 – Data fragmentation and AI limitations

You can’t power AI effectively without unified, contextualized data across the full customer lifecycle.

21:31 – Why experience trumps pricing

Dealerships make slim margins on sales but higher ones on service. Retention hinges on delivering a great experience.

27:58 – What personalization really means

Fancy coffee isn’t always the answer. AI can help decode what kind of experience each customer values most.

💬 Quote of the Episode:

“Experience is something people don’t forget. You may not remember the price, but you always remember how you were treated.” – Jay Vijayan

🧠 Career & Business Tips:

For operators: Don’t just focus on the sale — optimize the long-term relationship. Invest in service retention and personalized experience.

For tech builders: When designing AI-driven tools, infuse business context into your data to make them actionable and useful in real workflows.

For founders: A modern stack isn’t just about efficiency — it’s a growth enabler. Start with a centralized platform if you want scale and insight.