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I've spent nearly 40 years in the automotive industry, and I've attended
more conferences, conventions and dealer meetings than I could possibly count.
I've also learned something along the way:
Your time is valuable, and there has to be a compelling reason to leave your dealership and get on an airplane for another industry event.
This September, I believe we have one.
CXAUTO2026 and the 50th Automotive News Congress are coming together in Detroit for three days that will put dealers in the room with some of the most influential leaders in the automotive industry.
And at a time when AI, affordability, customer retention, Fixed Operations, digital retailing, connected vehicles, changing consumer expectations and economic uncertainty are all reshaping our business at the same time, I can't think of a more important time to be part of these conversations.
One Destination. Three Days. One Industry Conversation.
CXAUTO2026 kicks things off September 28 at The Department at Hudson's in Detroit with a full day dedicated to the future of automotive customer experience and dealership performance.
Then the conversation gets even bigger.
On September 29 and 30, the Automotive News Congress brings together some of the most powerful executives and decision-makers in automotive for its 50th Congress.
Look at some of the people taking the stage:
Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company.
Mark Reuss, President of General Motors.
José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company.
Antonio Filosa, CEO of Stellantis.
Daryl Kenningham, CEO of Group 1 Automotive.
Randy Parker, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.
Duncan Aldred, President, North America, General Motors.
Jason Hoff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz North America.
These aren't people talking about the automotive industry from the sidelines.
These are people making decisions that will help determine where our industry goes next.
That's what makes this opportunity so different.
You're not traveling to Detroit for another vendor conference.
You're getting three days of access to conversations about where
automotive is headed—and what dealers need to be thinking about as they prepare
for 2027 and beyond.
REGISTER HERE
But Before We Talk About the Future of the Industry, We Need to Talk About the Customer
For years, customer experience was treated almost like a soft metric.
We talked about CSI scores. We talked about reviews. We talked about making customers happy.
That's no longer enough.
Customer experience has become a profitability strategy.
Think about where the biggest opportunities inside a dealership are today.
Can you retain the customer after the vehicle sale?
Can you get them back into your service drive?
Can you create enough trust that they buy their next vehicle from you?
Can you make the digital experience easy enough that they don't leave your website for a competitor?
Can your people communicate with customers in the way customers now expect?
Can you use AI to make your organization more efficient without eliminating the human relationships that built your business?
Can you use connected vehicle data to create more proactive service relationships?
Can you retain great employees who create great customer experiences?
Those aren't just customer experience questions.
They're revenue questions.
They're retention questions.
They're Fixed Operations questions.
And ultimately, they're dealership profitability questions.
That is why I believe CXAUTO has become so relevant.
CXAUTO Starts With the Issues Dealers Need to Solve
The September 28 CXAUTO agenda isn't built around theory.
It's built around the issues dealerships are dealing with right now.
Jack Hollis, former Toyota Motor North America COO and now Managing Partner at Accrual Equity Partners, opens the day discussing how technology is reshaping the automotive customer journey, loyalty and lifetime value.
Chris Walsh, President and Acting CEO of Reynolds and Reynolds, joins a discussion about the next generation of AI and how dealerships can move beyond basic automation toward smarter business decisions.
Gary Schultz of Wells Fargo Auto and Preston Stewart of Napleton Automotive Group tackle how technology, training and lender partnerships are reinventing the F&I customer experience.
Mike Spadafore, Global Data Analytics Lead, Marketing at Ford Motor Company, explores how Generative AI is changing customer engagement, marketing performance and dealer growth.
Amy Sgrignoli, Vice President of Connected Vehicle at Subaru of America, and Jeff Williams of Williams AutoWorld examine how connected vehicle data can improve customer experience, service retention and loyalty.
Steve Cerny of NADA and dealer Justin Hinderer tackle one of the issues I believe dealerships need to pay far more attention to: the connection between happy employees, loyal customers, Fixed Operations and dealership profitability.
I'll also be moderating a conversation about the digital showroom experience and why today's vehicle shopper expects much more than a traditional VDP filled with static photos.
Later, leaders from GM's CarBravo, Amazon Autos and duPont REGISTRY Group will tackle one of the biggest strategic questions facing dealers:
Who owns the customer?
And Chad Jernberg, Vice President of Customer Experience at Holman Automotive, closes the day with a discussion about turning customer conversations and insights into more sales, stronger loyalty and greater lifetime value.
That's one day.
Then Automotive News Congress begins.
Then the Conversation Moves From Your Dealership to the Entire Industry
This is where I think the combination of CXAUTO and Automotive News Congress becomes incredibly powerful.
On Monday, you're talking about what is happening inside the dealership and throughout the customer journey.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, you're hearing directly from the executives dealing with the forces shaping the entire automotive industry.
Automotive News Congress begins with Mark Reuss, President of General Motors, in a fireside chat with Automotive News Publisher KC Crain.
Congress then takes on the customer relationship itself with a panel examining who owns that relationship in the age of AI, featuring executives from Hyundai, Group 1 Automotive and others.
The agenda expands into the enormous challenges facing the industry, including China's growing automotive influence, global competition, tariffs, supply chains and vehicle affordability.
Then Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company, sits down with KC Crain.
Later that afternoon, José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, takes the stage.
The following morning begins with Antonio Filosa, CEO of Stellantis.
And Congress concludes with a discussion featuring OEM leadership including Duncan Aldred of General Motors, Jason Hoff of Mercedes-Benz North America and Randy Parker of Hyundai Motor North America examining what comes next.
Think about that lineup.
Ford.
General Motors.
Hyundai.
Stellantis.
Mercedes-Benz.
Toyota.
Group 1 Automotive.
NADA.
Subaru.
Holman.
Wells Fargo Auto.
Reynolds and Reynolds.
Amazon Autos.
And many more.
For a dealer principal, GM, Fixed Operations leader or senior automotive executive, that creates a very different value proposition than attending another conference.
What Happens in Detroit Will Affect What Happens in Your Dealership
The automotive business is changing at a pace I haven't seen during most of my career.
AI is moving faster than most dealerships can implement it.
Customers increasingly expect digital convenience and immediate communication.
Affordability is affecting purchase decisions.
Connected vehicles are creating entirely new opportunities for OEMs and dealers to communicate with owners.
Digital retailing continues to blur the lines between the manufacturer, dealership and technology platform.
Fixed Operations has become more important to dealership profitability and customer retention than ever.
And the question of who owns the customer relationship is becoming increasingly important.
Dealers can't control all of these changes.
But we can understand them.
We can prepare for them.
And we can learn from the people who are already dealing with them at the highest levels of our industry.
That's the real value of spending three days in Detroit.
Your 2027 Planning Should Start Before 2027
Every dealership will eventually have to make decisions about AI, customer communication, digital retailing, employee retention, Fixed Operations, connected vehicle data and the changing customer journey.
The only question is whether you're going to be ahead of those changes or reacting to them after your competitors have already moved.
That's why I believe CXAUTO2026 and Automotive News Congress should be viewed as more than two events.
Together, they create a three-day executive experience that gives dealers both sides of the equation.
CXAUTO focuses on the customer, the dealership and the strategies you can put to work.
Automotive News Congress gives you the broader industry perspective directly from the executives shaping what's next.
Put those together, and you have something very different.
If You're Responsible for the Future of a Dealership, Be in Detroit
I've spent my career believing that one of the biggest advantages any of us can have is access to good information and smart people.
Sometimes one conversation changes how you look at a problem.
One idea changes a process.
One relationship creates an opportunity.
And one strategy taken back to the dealership can generate a return many times greater than the cost of attending an event.
CXAUTO2026 begins September 28. Automotive News Congress continues September 29 and 30.
Three days.
One trip to Detroit.
And an opportunity to hear directly from many of the people shaping the future of the automotive industry.
If you're serious about preparing your dealership for 2027 and beyond, I encourage you to be in the room.
I'll be there.
Ian Nethercott will be there.
The AutoHubShow will be there interviewing many of the leaders and innovators participating throughout the event.
And I hope you'll be there with us.
September 28–30, 2026
The Department at Hudson's | Detroit, Michigan
CXAUTO2026 + The 50th Automotive News Congress
See the full three-day agenda and reserve your place in Detroit.