Cars.com's New First-of-Its-Kind AI Video Solution Turns Every Vehicle Into High-Intent Sales Engine

New VIN-Specific, AI-Powered Video Ads — Fueled by Real-Time Shopper Demand and Closed-Loop Attribution — Deliver 47% Lift in Influenced Sales

CHICAGO, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Car-shopping marketplace Cars.com Inc. (NYSE: CARS) today shared new data around its powerful artificial intelligence (AI) video advertising solution that automatically converts dealer inventory into shopper-ready video assets. A pilot program was announced earlier this year at NADA Show 2026, and the company officially rolled out its first live campaign in March. Cars.com is the only company in the industry to provide a solution that combines VIN-specific, AI-powered video ads with real, in-market consumer demand signals.

Early results show strong performance, connecting media directly to lot visits and vehicle sales. In the last 30 days alone, Cars.com served nearly 10,000 unique video assets for its early adopter clients to active shoppers based on their unique vehicle search activity¹. The last 30-day in-market video campaign drove²:

• 35% increase in dealership website visitors
• 45% increase in influenced dealership foot traffic
• 47% increase in influenced vehicle sales

"Cars.com is the only one in the industry combining real-time marketplace demand signals, premium media distribution and AI-generated VIN-level video — delivering a uniquely powerful, end-to-end advertising solution for our dealer customers," said Lisa Gosselin, chief commercial officer at Cars.com Inc. "Our goal is to partner with our customers to understand how we can help solve pain points through data and technology. Early feedback is clear: Our new AI VIN video solution is hitting the mark."

According to Dawn Reidel, director of marketing at Heiser Automotive and an avid fan of Cars.com's in-market video solutions since 2020, "We know that our videos are getting to shoppers who are lower-funnel and ready to buy. We can see every month how many people watched our videos and then came to our store locations. The influence of In-Market Video on our actual sales has been proven to us through our own in-house review multiple times."

With Cars.com's new product, dealers can now automatically generate VIN-specific video ads across their full new and used inventory — moving beyond generic brand and incentive campaigns to showcase the exact vehicles shoppers are actively searching for. Powered by proprietary Cars.com shopper behavior data, campaigns target high-intent buyers already in-market — maximizing relevance, engagement and conversion. Dealers can instantly scale high-quality video across hundreds of vehicles without added production time or cost — unlocking a new level of efficiency and performance.

Technical Capabilities of Cars.com's AI-powered VIN Video Advertising Solution:

• Connection to Cars.com inventory feed: Simple connection of a dealer's inventory feed already powering their Cars.com listings to the AI video technology.
• Automatically generates video: When a vehicle is added to a dealer's inventory feed, AI combines its photos to create 3D renderings and dynamically pulls in data such as price, mileage, features and specifications. Visual effects then bring the vehicle to life in just minutes.
• Renders within OEM-compliant designs: Each video is generated within OEM brand templates that are predesigned by Cars.com — ensuring both compliance and quality consistency.
• Delivers videos across social media platforms: The videos are rendered in each of the sizes and formats needed to meet shoppers where they are on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
• Targets the most-likely-to-buy shoppers: Cars.com's proprietary first-party audience data are integrated within each platform's ad serving to showcase inventory to shoppers who have been actively looking for similar vehicles. When vehicles are sold and removed from a dealer's inventory feed, they are automatically removed from their video advertising — ensuring the promotion of active inventory every day.

For more information, visit CarsCommerce.inc or contact your local Cars.com sales representative.

What is Cars.com AI VIN video solution?
Cars.com's AI VIN video solution automatically generates a unique video ad for each vehicle in a dealer's inventory. It combines vehicle photos into 3D renderings and pulls in data like price, mileage and features to create vehicle-specific ads in just minutes. Leveraging Cars.com's proprietary first-party audience data, the ads are then served to relevant shoppers who have been actively looking for similar vehicles.

How does Cars.com AI VIN video compare to traditional automotive video advertising?
Cars.com is the only company in the industry that combines VIN-specific, AI-powered video with real, in-market consumer demand signals, along with attribution that connects media exposure to lot visits and sales. Most automotive video advertising runs on brand or incentive-level creative — not vehicle-specific content matched to buyers already in-market.

What results have early adopters seen?
In the first 30-day live campaign, dealers saw a 35% increase in website visitors, a 45% increase in influenced foot traffic, and a 47% increase in influenced vehicle sales compared to the prior period. Cars.com served nearly 10,000 unique video assets during that window.¹

How does a dealer get started with the Cars.com AI VIN video solution?
Getting started requires no new production pipeline. The solution plugs into a dealer's existing Cars.com inventory feed, generates videos automatically as vehicles are added, and removes them when they sell. For more information, visit CarsCommerce.inc or contact your local Cars.com sales representative.

¹Internal Cars.com Data reflecting the total number of unique video assets that generated an ad impression, March 22-April 22, 2026
² Cars.com Case Study: In-Market Video Campaign Performance with new VIN-Specific AI creative assets compared to prior period without new product capabilities, March-April 2026

About Cars.com Inc.

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) is a trusted audience-powered and data-driven technology platform that simplifies buying and selling cars. The flagship Cars.com marketplace connects millions of consumers to dealerships across the U.S., powering the car buying experience with artificial intelligence ("AI") shopping tools and comprehensive vehicle reviews and content. Our interconnected ecosystem of products enables dealers and OEMs to sell more cars by efficiently leveraging our marketplace, dealer websites, trade and appraisal tools, and proprietary in-market media solutions. Learn more at www.carscommerce.inc.

Media Contact 
Christine Spinelli
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SOURCE Cars.com Inc.