Big, Bold, and Unmistakably Las Vegas
NADA EXPO 2026 was a high-energy event that felt big and bold from the moment you walked through the doors. With a reported 20,000+ attendees and over 600 exhibitors filling the Las Vegas Convention Center, the scale was impressive, but it was the diversity of expertise under one roof that made it truly remarkable. Dealership owners, tech innovators, industry veterans, OEM representatives, the entire retail automotive ecosystem showed up ready to do business. And yes, there was plenty of showmanship and spectacle, Las Vegas style.
For AutoMobility Advisors, this was a milestone year. We exhibited at NADA for the first time with a dedicated booth, and our presence on the show floor changed the dynamic entirely. Rather than navigating the event as observers, we became part of the conversation, welcoming dealers and technology partners directly into our space for discussions around connected vehicle strategy, EV adoption, and the operational challenges that define this moment in the industry. The booth became a hub for the kind of candid, unscripted exchanges that don’t happen over email or on a webinar.
The “AI in the Room”
The first thing that came across visually at NADA 2026 was the sheer presence of AI. It was everywhere. Booth signage, session titles, product demos, hallway conversations. Artificial intelligence is no longer a future consideration for dealerships. It is a present reality reshaping how they operate, engage with customers, and compete. NADA’s own agenda featured more than 20 educational sessions directly referencing AI, automation, or AI-enabled dealership workflows, and the newly expanded North Hall served as a concentrated innovation zone where dealership-focused AI took center stage.
But here’s the observation that stuck with us most: there is a significant and growing oversaturation of AI solutions in certain categories. Walking the show floor, booth after booth featured strikingly similar offerings, many promising comparable capabilities with overlapping feature sets. For dealers trying to evaluate their options, the volume of look-alike solutions creates a genuine challenge. Differentiating between providers has become almost as difficult as the original decision to adopt AI in the first place. As Sam D’Arc, COO of Zeigler Automotive Group, noted at the J.D. Power Auto Summit during the show, the market is flooded with technology solutions, many of which address narrow problems rather than improving the full customer journey.
The AI market in automotive retail is clearly heading toward consolidation and clearer value differentiation. Dealers evaluating solutions should be asking pointed questions about measurable outcomes, integration across departments, and near-term ROI rather than being swayed by polished demos and marketing language. The question has moved well past whether to adopt AI. It’s now about which AI actually moves the needle.
Fixed Operations: Where the Money Lives Now
As new and used vehicle gross profits continue to face downward pressure, the service lane has moved from supporting role to center stage. According to the Presidio Group’s Year-End 2025 Dealer Direction Survey, 85% of dealers expect parts and service to be the biggest driver of their business in 2026. One dealer summed it up plainly in that survey: “2026 will reward dealers who run tight operations, focus on fixed ops, and don’t chase volume at the expense of gross.”
The NADA 2026 agenda reflected this shift with dozens of sessions focused on fixed ops fundamentals: service retention, reconditioning speed, technician productivity, and service lane throughput. The conversations among exhibitors and attendees mirrored the data. With the front-end margins of 2022 and 2023 firmly in the rearview, fixed operations has become the most controllable profit center in the dealership, one of the few levers dealers can pull without depending on market conditions to cooperate.
For dealerships that haven’t yet elevated fixed ops to a strategic priority, the message from NADA 2026 was unambiguous.
The Workforce Gap Keeps Growing
The technician shortage and broader workforce retention challenges were a persistent thread throughout the show, and the numbers paint a stark picture. NADA estimates that dealerships need to replace approximately 76,000 technicians per year to keep pace with retirements and new demand, but only about 39,000 graduate from U.S. technical programs annually. That’s an annual shortfall of roughly 37,000 trained technicians, and the gap isn’t closing.
The broader workforce reality is equally sobering. The 2025 NADA Dealership Workforce Study found that total dealership employee turnover increased to 42% in 2024, with sales roles turning over at approximately 60%. Gen Z employees, now a significant share of new hires, saw a six-point jump in turnover year over year, twice the rate of any other generational group. Poorly defined career paths, limited development opportunities, and compensation remain the persistent drivers of attrition among younger workers.
Dealers and industry leaders at NADA were actively exploring solutions: apprenticeship programs, partnerships with technical schools, improved compensation structures, and career pathways designed to make the automotive trades a more compelling long-term option. But this isn’t a challenge that any single initiative will solve. It requires sustained, industry-wide commitment and a willingness to fundamentally rethink how dealerships attract, develop, and hold onto the people who keep them running.
One of the quieter but more important themes at NADA 2026 was the growing recognition that technology alone isn’t the answer. The industry conversation is shifting from “What can AI do?” to “What does AI cost per unit of impact?”
The dealers pulling ahead aren’t necessarily the ones with the most tools. They’re the ones building lean, measured operations, ensuring their teams understand the systems they’re using, and aligning technology with daily workflows rather than layering it on top. A tool that nobody on the floor knows how to use isn’t an investment. It’s overhead.
The AMA Team Made It Happen
A huge thanks to our amazing AMA team whose behind-the-scenes work made everything run smoothly. From setting up our first booth to managing the steady stream of conversations throughout the show, their professionalism and energy were exceptional. No successful event happens without dedicated people holding it all together, and our team is the very best.
Now the Real Work Begins
The magic of NADA isn’t just what happens at the show. It’s the follow-up. The insights gathered at NADA 2026 are already informing our work with clients across connected vehicle strategy, EV planning, and operational consulting. AMA attended this show not as spectators but as active participants in the conversations shaping the future of automotive retail, and we’re carrying that momentum forward.
Turning insights into action. That’s what comes next.
Were you at NADA Show 2026? We’d welcome the conversation. Reach out to AutoMobility Advisors to discuss what’s ahead for your business.
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