A report by the AI and consumer data platform Fullpath reveals a shift in the digital car-buying journey as stores ramp up their own marketing budgets and navigate uneven inventory supply.
First things first: The findings highlighted in Fullpath’s Auto Intelligence Index study reveal how AI chatbots are changing the discovery process for shoppers researching vehicles online.
Total traffic to dealer websites originating from generative AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok, grew more than 15x year-over-year.
OpenAI's ChatGPT ranks as the top AI platform, accounting for about 89% of traction.
Google Gemini posted the strongest monthly surge, growing over 50% month-over-month and increasing its share of AI traffic from 4% to 6.5% between December and January.
Why it matters: More shoppers are arriving pre-informed from AI-driven research, and often with narrower intent. That puts a premium on accurate inventory, strong VDP content, fast response, and being discoverable via AI search engines.
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Digging deeper: Fullpath’s study also found broader website traffic growth to start 2026, alongside uneven inventory supply and shifting marketing investment strategies as OEMs diverge their investments.
Website traffic rose across the board, led by Stellantis (+29% YoY, +18% MoM), while Hyundai (+34% YoY) and Honda (+23% YoY) continued to outperform year-over-year.
Toyota dealers raised their budgets 24% MoM and 27% YoY; Mercedes-Benz saw the largest monthly spike (+58%); and JLR more than doubled its spend YoY.
New-vehicle days supply rose about 17.5% MoM from December 2025 to January 2026 while holding roughly flat year over year (+1.8%)
What they’re saying: “As inventory rebuilds unevenly across brands, pricing power, incentive strategy, and marketing investment will increasingly diverge,” said Aharon Horwitz, CEO and co-founder of Fullpath, per a press statement. “Dealers who monitor and align their digital strategy with real-time inventory conditions won't just capture demand, they'll protect margin in a more competitive environment."
Bottom line: AI-driven referral traffic is becoming real traffic, not a novelty, and it’s arriving alongside widening gaps in OEM spend and inventory position. Dealers that treat AI as a new top-of-funnel channel, keep merchandising clean, and flex marketing to match days’ supply will be better positioned to capture demand without giving away margin.
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