Cars Commerce

Automotive Commerce Technologycarscommerce.inc

Cars Commerce operates an audience and technology platform for automotive retail, serving approximately 19,500 dealers across the US and Canada through the Cars.com marketplace, Dealer Inspire websites, AccuTrade appraisal technology, Media Network advertising, and the DealerClub wholesale platform.

Company typePublic
Founded1998
HeadquartersChicago, United States
Headcount1,001–5,000
GTM typeB2B
OfferingSoftware

What Cars Commerce does

Cars Commerce (NYSE: CARS; legal entity Cars.com Inc., d/b/a Cars Commerce Inc.) is a Chicago-based audience and technology platform for automotive retail, founded in 1998 and serving approximately 19,500 franchised and independent dealer customers across the United States and Canada. The company operates a platform-plus-modules architecture spanning five core product lines: the Cars.com marketplace (ranked #1 in brand recognition in the Q1 2025 Brand Tracker, with 26.6 million average monthly unique visitors), Dealer Inspire (data-driven dealer websites with AI search optimization and 100+ DMS/IMS/CRM integrations), AccuTrade (vehicle appraisal and acquisition technology with OBD-II diagnostic scans), DealerClub (reputation-based dealer-to-dealer wholesale), and the Cars Commerce Media Network (in-market advertising across display, video, social, and VIN-level performance media). Recent additions include the DealerCloud LLC CRM (built on Salesforce Agentforce Automotive in partnership with DGDG), AccuTrade IMS, and a generative-AI Video Solution for vehicle inventory.

The business model combines multiple recurring and transaction-based revenue streams: tiered marketplace subscriptions (Base, Premium, Premium+) for dealer listings and reputation management, subscription and service fees for Dealer Inspire websites and SEO/media services, technology licensing and service fees for AccuTrade appraisal and the new AccuTrade IMS, advertising revenue through the Cars Commerce Media Network, and lead generation fees delivering qualified shoppers with real-time intent context to dealers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales targeting dealer groups and OEMs (with Dealer Inspire's near-universal OEM certification as a distribution lever), inside sales for mid-market dealers, a self-serve portal on Cars.com for SMB and individual dealer subscriptions, and partner channels such as FordDirect.

Cars Commerce has historically grown through acquisition (DealerRater 2017, Dealer Inspire 2019, D2C Media 2023, DealerClub 2025) and is currently in a leadership transition following the January 2026 appointment of Tobias Hartmann as CEO succeeding 28-year veteran Alex Vetter, alongside a new CTO (Cormac Twomey, December 2025) and a new CMO (Sarah Kettler, June 2026). The product roadmap is increasingly oriented around AI-driven capabilities (AccuTrade predictive analytics, AI Video Solution, AI search-optimized dealer websites, In-Market Video Attribution, and Agentforce-based DealerCloud CRM) that layer proprietary first-party marketplace audience data on top of third-party AI platforms.

Cars Commerce firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Cars Commerce
Legal name: Cars.com Inc.
Website: https://carscommerce.inc
Company type: Public
Founded year: 1998
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1,001–5,000 employees
Short description: Cars Commerce operates an audience and technology platform for automotive retail, serving approximately 19,500 dealers across the US and Canada through the Cars.com marketplace, Dealer Inspire websites, AccuTrade appraisal technology, Media Network advertising, and the DealerClub wholesale platform.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Cars Commerce industry classification

Industry

Product category: Automotive Commerce Technology
NAICS: Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441)
SIC: Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)
akta.pro primary industry: Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)

Keywords

Automotive marketplace platform
Dealer digital experience
Vehicle appraisal technology
In-market advertising
Automotive commerce software

Where Cars Commerce is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Chicago
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Cars Commerce business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Software
Cost components: Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Dealer Marketplace Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from dealers for Cars.com marketplace listings. Dealers pay for inventory listings, enhanced exposure, and reputation management tools across Base, Premium, and Premium+ tier packages.
Dealer Inspire Website Services: Subscription and service fees for dealer website platforms, SEO services, media services, and managed services. Revenue from websites built for automotive retailers.
Cars Commerce Media Network Advertising: Turnkey advertising solutions promoting dealer brands and inventory to in-market car shoppers. Dealers and OEMs purchase media placements across In-Market Video, Display, VIN Performance Media, and Cars Social channels.
AccuTrade Appraisal Services: Technology licensing and service fees for AccuTrade appraisal platform enabling dealers to appraise vehicles, acquire inventory from service drives, and manage inventory with real-time market data.
Lead Generation Fees: Revenue from delivering qualified leads to dealers with real-time shopper context including vehicle preferences, price range, and competitor engagement data.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Monthly	Base tier includes essential marketplace tools to list, engage, and convert shoppers
Subscription	Monthly	Premium tier offers elevated listings experience that ensures dealers stand out against competitors
Subscription	Monthly	Premium+ tier provides complete package to conquer market with maximum reach and results

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Cars Commerce product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Cars Commerce operates an audience-driven technology platform that connects automotive dealerships with car shoppers. The company provides marketplace listings (Cars.com), dealer websites (Dealer Inspire), real-time vehicle appraisal technology (AccuTrade), reputation-based wholesale auctions (DealerClub), in-market advertising (Cars Commerce Media Network), inventory management (AccuTrade IMS), and an automotive CRM (DealerCloud LLC) to approximately 19,500 dealers across the US and Canada.

Product overview

Cars Commerce is an audience and technology platform for automotive retail, operating as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio includes Cars.com (the #1 automotive marketplace with 26.6 MM avg. monthly unique visitors), Dealer Inspire (digital dealer websites and digital strategy services), AccuTrade (vehicle appraisal and acquisition technology), DealerClub (reputation-based wholesale), and Cars Commerce Media Network (in-market advertising). The platform serves approximately 19,500 dealer customers across the US and Canada, connecting consumers at scale while streamlining dealership experience and operations end-to-end. Recent additions include DealerCloud LLC (Salesforce-based CRM), AccuTrade IMS (inventory management system), AI Video Solution for vehicle inventory, and In-Market Video attribution tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Cars.com Marketplace
Dealer Inspire
AccuTrade
DealerClub
Cars Commerce Media Network
DealerCloud LLC
AccuTrade IMS
DealerRater

Quantifiable outcome

4% average standard deviation from final sale price vs 34% lower than KBB/Blackbook
+10 more outcomes

Companies that use Cars Commerce

Customer profile

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Cars Commerce technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability10 records

Feature6 records

Cars Commerce partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

Del Grande Dealer Group (DGDG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Strategic collaboration to launch DealerCloud LLC, a new automotive CRM built on Salesforce's Agentforce Automotive platform. Initial testing across DGDG's 15 dealerships showed 30-40% shorter sales cycles and 30% increase in close rates for internet leads. DGDG serves as the pilot testing ground for the new CRM solution.
SalesforcecoreTechnology or Integration · 4 February 2026Technology partnership using Salesforce's Agentforce Automotive platform as the foundation for DealerCloud LLC CRM. Salesforce provides the platform infrastructure for the automotive dealer CRM solution developed through the DGDG collaboration.
FordDirectmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 September 2024Marketing partnership combining Cars Commerce first-party audience data with FordDirect's Ford.com data to power omni-channel media campaigns for Ford dealers. Part of FordDirect AdVantage program enabling dealers to influence active car shoppers across screens with in-market video campaigns and dynamic search ads.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Cars Commerce competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Manheim: Manheim operates the largest U.S. wholesale vehicle auction network. Its digital wholesale platform directly competes with Cars Commerce's DealerClub reputation-based wholesale marketplace.
Cox Automotive: Cox Automotive owns AutoTrader, Kelley Blue Book, Dealertrack, Manheim and Dealer.com — the deepest incumbent stack in dealer software, marketplace, appraisals and DMS. It is the broadest competitive threat and the closest full-stack peer to Cars Commerce's portfolio.

Direct peers

Kelley Blue Book (Cox Automotive): KBB provides vehicle valuation and appraisal data used by dealers and consumers, and is the primary accuracy benchmark for Cars Commerce's AccuTrade product (4% vs. KBB/Blackbook). Both compete for dealer appraisal and inventory software spend.
CarGurus: CarGurus operates one of the largest U.S. automotive marketplaces with dealer subscription tiers, transparent pricing and inventory listings, competing head-to-head with Cars.com for dealer leads and ad budgets.
TrueCar: TrueCar runs an automotive pricing and marketplace platform monetized through dealer subscriptions and lead generation, directly overlapping with Cars Commerce's marketplace subscription and lead-fee revenue streams.
AutoTrader: AutoTrader, part of Cox Automotive, is the largest U.S. online automotive marketplace for new and used cars and the most direct competitor to Cars.com for dealer subscriptions, listings and advertising spend.
Edmunds: Edmunds is a long-standing automotive research, pricing and marketplace site offering dealer leads and pricing tools, competing with Cars.com for shopper traffic, dealer advertising, and leads.

Emerging players

DealerSocket (Solera): DealerSocket (owned by Solera) provides dealer CRM, website, inventory and digital marketing software for franchised dealers, overlapping with Dealer Inspire and AccuTrade on the dealer software side of Cars Commerce.
VinSolutions (Cox Automotive): VinSolutions is a leading automotive CRM tied to the Cox Automotive stack (and the interface DealerCloud on Salesforce Agentforce competes directly against), competing with Cars Commerce's CRM and platform strategy.

Others

CarGurus (Trade Pending: CarMax / Cox comparison): CarMax is a large used-vehicle retailer that increasingly operates its own digital marketplace experience; it competes more on consumer car shopping experience and wholesale pricing than dealer SaaS, but pressures the broader Cars Commerce audience and dealer business models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Cars Commerce financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Cars Commerce leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Cars Commerce subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries4 records

Cars Commerce funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Cars Commerce M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cars Commerce

What does Cars Commerce do?

Is Cars Commerce a public or private company?

Cars Commerce is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.

When was Cars Commerce founded?

Cars Commerce was founded in 1998. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.

Where is Cars Commerce based?

Cars Commerce is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.

How does Cars Commerce make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Dealer Marketplace Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are dealer Inspire Website Services, cars Commerce Media Network Advertising, accuTrade Appraisal Services and lead Generation Fees.

Who are Cars Commerce's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Manheim and Cox Automotive. Direct peers are Kelley Blue Book (Cox Automotive), CarGurus, TrueCar, AutoTrader and Edmunds. Emerging players are DealerSocket (Solera) and VinSolutions (Cox Automotive). CarGurus (Trade Pending: CarMax / Cox comparison) is listed as an others.

Does Cars Commerce have an API?

No public API is recorded for Cars Commerce.

What industry is Cars Commerce in?

Cars Commerce's product category is Automotive Commerce Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAKAE, Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C. Its NAICS code is 441 and its SIC code is 5500.