Automotive Retail
Market Analysis

by Paul Salzman

Wheelio is a Pre-Revenue Startup
aiming to revolutionize automotive retail marketing
We will redirect a significant portion of a
$14b digital automotive marketing to Wheelio
We will save dealers, who are our partners,
up to 96% on their digital marketing
Our primary directive is to bring buyers to dealerships
without getting in their way
We ❤️ Dealers
Background
How Cars Sell Today
The automotive retail landscape is fragmented across 57,000 U.S. dealerships:
  • 17,000 franchised dealerships
  • 40,000 independent retailers
Dealers depend on online listings for ~80% of all sales leads, yet consumers shop across 12+ sites before making contact.

99% of shoppers never buy from the first dealer they contact—mistrust, slow responses, and misinformation kill deals daily.
Dealer Pain Points
The Digital Marketing Trap
Today, automotive retail is a complex business, where digital marketing is the expensive solution retailers must utilize in order to win customers.
The core source of marketing vehicles is via legacy listing sites, for example AutoTrader, CarGurus, Cars.com, Craigslist, and FaceBook Marketplace.
Dealers are forced to market in this arena because these providers are the only solution for them.
The retailer's online world includes a number of pain points forcing them to be in a Digital Marketing Trap
Pay-to-Play Economics
Dealers bleed $5K-$15K/month just to maintain visibility on listing platforms. Per car marketing spend upwards $350-700+.
Manipulated Pricing Power
"Good/Bad Deal" labels by listing services drive dealer margins into the ground, forcing artificial price competition.
Factory Option Blind Spots
Misreported or missing options devalue premium vehicles instantly, costing thousands in lost revenue opportunities.
Competing Against Themselves
Platforms sell ads on top of dealer inventory, stealing and redirecting buyers to competitive brands.
Stack of Tools
Dealers manage an overwhelming 14 to 30 different digital tools for marketing and sales.
Costly Complexity, Fragmented Data
This fragmented approach costs thousands monthly, adding unnecessary complexity and inefficiency.
The Messaging Meltdown
All of these disparate services create multiple disconnects between the dealer and their prospective buyer. Many tools competing for the same result only to be lost in the abyss.
Communication Chaos
Leads flood in via email, SMS, chat, OEM portals—none talk to each other, creating fragmented conversations.
Lead Evaporation
70% of leads vanish or sit unanswered for 24+ hours, representing millions in lost revenue.
Time Sink
Sales reps burn 15+ minutes per lead reassembling conversations across platforms, leading to frustrated buyers who repeat themselves and leave.
Managing communication between online prospects and dealerships is costing retailers millions of dollars in lost opportunities.
Dealers are paying $300-700+ per car in inventory for this negative experience.
What If?
What if dealers could market all available inventory, with accurate descriptions, for one flat fee, while talking to every shopper in one seamless conversation—all without listing algorithms hijacking their pricing or competitors poaching their leads?
  • a dealers could reduce complexity
  • pay one fee for their digital marketing
  • remove the barrier of communication with their prospects
  • manage their inventory and their marketing from a mobile app or desktop
  • have access to all of their historical inventory data available on their mobile app
  • be able to make key spending decisions, cost analysis, inventory analysis, and more from mobile
Paradigm Shifts Happen when Inflection Points are Discovered.
Wheelio Represents the Confluence of Modern Digital Tools, Artificial Intelligence, and Massive Cost Reduction.
Consumer Pain Points
Poor User Experience
Ad-driven legacy listing sites and marketplace platforms slow website and app performance because they overload users with display ads, ultimately adding distractions, and undermine search accuracy.
Search engines favor sponsored ads, resulting in incomplete results and causing consumers to miss available opportunities.
Outdated Metaphors
Disorganized classified advertising systems like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace create a poor user experience with cluttered automotive listings and rampant scams.
Subject-specific marketplace listing services like AutoTrader, Cars.com, CarGurus, and others rely on gimmicks, unreliable pricing guides, and weak search tools, leading to poor performance and user frustration.
Fragmentation
Car shopping is fragmented across dealer sites, listing platforms, search engines, social media, and classifieds, making it frustrating and inefficient.
The fragmented experience extends to communication. Users are confused by which modality to choose. No rapport is built because both parties communicate using fragmented methods between listing inquiry form, email, or telephone.
Ultimate Frustration Inflection Point
While 96% of users begin their journey shopping for a car online, many become frustrated with the experience right at the decision point. For consumers, finding their best car becomes a frustrating, needle-in-a-haystack experience that ultimately leads them to find an adequate vehicle at a local dealer they trust. A prospect who is not emotionally invested in the purchase becomes a resistant buyer.
Consumer Communication Breakdown
Dealers use a number of modalities to communicate with consumers today providing massive confusion for the prospective buyer.
  • Email
  • Text Message
  • FaceBook Messenger
  • Website Inquiry Form
  • Voice Calls
  • Chat Systems
To illustrate an example of this consumer, a blue Toyota Highlander in blue. She's located 10 different Highlanders at 3 different dealerships.
  • Dealer A uses a website inquiry form as the primary method, followed by a voice call.
  • Dealer B uses text messaging via a CRM, perhaps communicating through various departments like a business development center, salesperson, etc.
  • Dealer C uses a website chat box. After their interaction, they followed up with text messaging, and a voice call.
The consumer gets inundated with all of this information, often concurrently. "It's John from ABC Motors, you inquired about the blue Highlander. It's a great car, stock number ABC1234. Do you want to see it today?"
"Which Highlander? I'm looking at quite a few."
"The blue one at ABC Motors, with 25,000 miles on it"
The conversation spirals because the consumer's job is not to keep track of all of the cars at all of the dealerships. It's an immense point of frustration for all parties involved.
Addressable Market
Sizing the Opportunity: Market Potential
Wheelio targets a significant and growing market within the automotive retail industry, addressing key segments with unmet needs.
57,300+
Total Addressable Market (TAM)
The total number of auto dealerships in the US.
17,311
Franchise Dealers
Dealers authorized to sell new vehicles from specific manufacturers.
40,000
Independent Dealers
Dealers specializing in used vehicles and various brands.
$2.5B+
Auto Listing Market
Annual spend on third-party vehicle listing platforms.
$14B+
Digital Marketing SOM
Serviceable Obtainable Market for digital marketing solutions in automotive retail.
These figures highlight the immense scale of the market Wheelio aims to penetrate, offering a disruptive solution that improves efficiency and effectiveness for dealers and consumers alike.
Market Landscape
Quantifying the Opportunity Ahead
Wheelio is poised to capture a significant portion of the automotive retail market by addressing critical pain points for both dealers and consumers.
Goals for market share and revenues within 3 years
5%
Target Market Penetration
$15K
Annual Revenue Per Dealership*
$40M
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)**
This represents a substantial market opportunity, driven by Wheelio's unique value proposition and alignment with evolving consumer and dealer needs.
* Projected revenue from each subscribing dealer rooftop
** Projected revenue from a conservative market capture
Our First Major Partnership
Welcoming Park Place LTD
Alpha Development Partner
We are thrilled to announce that Park Place LTD, a distinguished automotive dealer, will be our inaugural Alpha Development Partner. This collaboration is a significant milestone, providing invaluable insights as we refine the Wheelio platform.
Prestige Partner
A premier dealership group in Bellevue, WA and Boise, ID, known for excellence.
Luxury Brands
Franchised dealer for Aston Martin and Lotus, appealing to high-end clientele.
Specialty Pre-Owned Inventory
Focusing on pre-owned and consignment special interest vehicles.
Alpha Collaboration
Working closely with Wheelio during our critical Alpha development phase to refine our platform and ensure operational compatibility, while providing valuable real-world feedback.
This partnership underscores the real-world value Wheelio brings to dealerships and accelerates our path to market readiness.
Wheelio Team
Meet the visionary team behind Wheelio, combining deep automotive industry knowledge with cutting-edge technology expertise to revolutionize automotive retail.
Paul Salzman
Chief Executive Officer
Paul is the visionary driving force behind Wheelio, combining decades of automotive and technology expertise; business management, team management, culture building, and consulting. As CEO, he leads the strategic direction of Wheelio, with a less-is-more, and drive-hard mantra. With a passion for cars, especially European and sporting types, Paul is known for his deep knowledge of automotive technology, the industry and history. He currently drives a practical Volkswagen.
Lukas Sliwka
Chief Technology Officer
Lukas brings over 25 years of experience as a developer, lead developer, senior architect, and ultimately future CTO to Wheelio. His extensive background provides Wheelio with expert technology and operational guidance in his role as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Lukas has a passion for fast wheeled vehicles, having owned Ducati motorcycles and M-Series BMW models. His love of sailing often takes him to the Pacific off the Southern California coast. Lukas now lives in Las Vegas where he often takes trips exploring the tundra in his Audi.
Tom Virgin
Chief Financial Officer
With over 37 years of banking and financial expertise, Tom brings invaluable knowledge to Wheelio in areas such as business processes, compliance, public companies, mergers and acquisitions, and finance. As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Tom supports Wheelio’s growth and success. Tom is a passionate car enthusiast, renowned for his involvement in racing and driving high-performance vehicles. Recently, he has stepped away from racing his Porsche Turbo, demonstrating his commitment to both his professional and personal pursuits.
Robert Perry
Advisory COO
Rob brings significant experience to Wheelio as advisory Chief Operating Officer (COO), with over 30 years of business executive expertise from blue chip and startup companies in the areas of: CEO and senior business leadership; strategy; mergers, acquisitions and divestments; finance; technology and operations. Rob has been a passionate car enthusiast his whole life and has a small collection of Porsche and Ferrari sports cars - he tracks a Porsche GT3 and is building a Porsche spec Boxster to race.
The Advisory Board
Strategic Guidance from Industry Leaders
Wheelio's Advisory Board comprises distinguished experts across the automotive, technology, business, and finance sectors, providing invaluable insights and strategic direction to accelerate our growth and market penetration.
Jorge Gonzalez
Jorge Gonzalez is a seasoned retail automotive executive with over 41 years of experience. As a General Manager, Controller, and CFO, he has navigated the industry's complex financial landscapes, optimizing operations, improving profitability, and driving sustainable growth. Jorge's deep understanding of the automotive retail market and commitment to continuous improvement make him a trusted leader who delivers operational excellence and financial stewardship.
Gregg Prokop
Gregg Prokop has over 34 years of automotive retail experience, starting as an assistant and later selling Mercedes-Benz cars. He held various management roles at Barrier Motors, overseeing sales, purchasing, and inventory. Gregg's extensive industry knowledge makes him an invaluable asset to Wheelio.
Jeff Rogers
Jeff Rogers is Chair of OneAccord and Park Place Motors. He founded OneAccord after 20 years at The Southwestern Company, providing leadership to private companies. Recently, he co-founded Legato Equity which acquired Park Place Motors. Jeff also founded KIROS in 2001, an organization connecting faith and work. Jeff and his wife Amy have been married over 30 years and have 3 grown daughters. Amy founded Doingood.org, which develops schools in Uganda. Jeff's hobby is racing vintage Formula cars.
This esteemed advisory board amplifies Wheelio's capabilities, bridging cutting-edge technology with practical industry demands, and fortifying our path to becoming the leading AI search engine for cars.
The Wheelio Investment:
Accelerate Your Portfolio
Wheelio isn't just innovating; we are redefining the automotive retail landscape. This is a unique opportunity to invest in a disruptive automotive retail platform poised for exponential growth and market leadership.
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Massive Market Potential
Targeting a $14B+ digital marketing SOM and 57,300+ dealerships across the US, Wheelio addresses a vast, underserved market ripe for disruption.
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Superior Model
Our recurring revenue model boasts an 85% average gross margin and a projected 186% revenue CAGR, ensuring scalable and profitable growth.
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Strategic Market Penetration
With a multi-channel marketing strategy and a paradigm-shifting AI search engine, Wheelio is uniquely positioned to capture a significant share of the market.
Ready to Drive with Us Into the Future?
Invest in Wheelio and become a part of the next automotive retail revolution.
(206) 580-1500
Alternatively, complete the form to partner with Wheelio to revolutionize automotive retail. We invite visionary investors to connect with us for detailed opportunities and to learn how your investment will reshape the industry.