MRC 2026

Nov 15–17 · Palm Beach, FL

Retail strategy, AI and innovation for dealer leaders.

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Pasch Group Research

Independent research for the people who run dealerships.

Reports, field guides and product reviews from our research team, built on dealer surveys, interviews and hands-on testing.

The library

Every release, in one place.

16 releases
Coming Soon
Report · 34 pages

AI and Dealership Staff: Finding the Right Balance

Based on interviews with dealership leaders using AI in sales and service, this report shows how the strongest stores split work between AI and people, manage the handoff, bring staff along and measure what AI actually adds.

In collaboration with Impel
Waitlist Open · Releases Oct 14
Coming Soon
Report

2027 Automotive CRM Research Report

The 2027 Automotive CRM Research Report examines how AI, CDPs, cloud data warehouses and evolving CRM platforms are reshaping who controls dealership data and customer communications, and the new standards dealers should demand as CRMs expand into service, F&I, lifecycle marketing, compliance and AI-agent governance.

Waitlist Open · Writing & review
New
Report · 26 pages

The Streaming Accountability Gap

Dealers still struggle to verify where their ads ran, how their budgets were spent, and whether reported results reflect real business impact. This research gives dealers a framework for evaluating CTV economics, placement quality, format integrity, pacing, attribution and transparency.

In collaboration with Dealer Stream
Released Sep 2026
Guide · 20 pages

How Many Vendors Are Accessing Your 1st Party Data?

This investigative report reveals how many third-party scripts collect customer data on dealer websites, often without the dealer's knowledge, and gives you an inspection checklist to audit, optimize and secure your digital properties.

Released Dec 2025
Report · 45 pages

Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind

As dealership technology stacks grow more complex, dealers need their CRM to become the engagement platform for sales, marketing and service. This report analyzes feedback from 463 dealership leaders across leading CRM providers, scoring reporting, mobile, support, AI, desking and service CRM. The findings show how well CRM platforms support modern dealership operations, and where gaps still exist.

Released Dec 2025
Report · 34 pages

Digital Voice Assistants: Customer-Centric Problem Solver & Revenue Generator

As AI reshapes automotive retail, Digital Voice Assistants (DVAs) are playing a critical role in streamlining communication and driving operational efficiency. This report profiles 12 DVA platforms and shows how dealers are reducing missed calls, lowering BDC costs, and improving appointment conversions with voice-driven automation.

Released Nov 2025
Review · 12 pages

Unlocking the Truth Behind Your Website’s CTA Strategy

This case study explores how dealers using TradePending's (now Protomiq) Trade and Payments tools saw significant increases in form conversions. By analyzing CTA Completion Rates (CCR) with GA4 and CRM data, it uncovers insights into tool performance, lead quality and website optimization.

In collaboration with Protomiq
Released Aug 2025
Book

The Road to Sold

Glenn Pasch's The Road to Sold unveils a new approach to engaging potential buyers, building trust and turning them into long-term advocates for your brand, with a printed book and a companion video series.

Published Mar 2025
Book

Automotive CDP Planning Guide

Automotive CDPs: A Planning Guide for Dealers is a comprehensive guide that combines a book and video series to help dealerships implement and optimize Customer Data Platforms. Learn how to unify, maintain, and activate first-party data for improved communication, reduced waste, and enhanced revenue opportunities.

Published Dec 2024
Guide · 15 pages

Defining Key Events for Google Analytics 4

This resource outlines how dealerships can define and implement key events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for optimal Google Ads campaign performance. By leveraging Automotive Standards Council (ASC) event specifications and custom events, dealers can track key customer interactions and ensure their ad campaigns are informed by actionable data, improving both marketing efficiency and ROI.

Released Sep 2024
Guide · 23 pages

Automotive CDP Vendor Questionnaire & Integration Checklist

The Automotive CDP Vendor Questionnaire & Integration Checklist provides dealerships with a framework to evaluate and integrate CDP vendors. It emphasizes the importance of data hygiene, identity resolution, and audience creation to unlock new revenue streams and enhance customer experiences.

Released Jan 2024
Guide · 6 pages

GA4 Configuration Checklist for Auto Dealers

This checklist provides auto dealers with a step-by-step guide to configure Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for accurate event tracking. By following this configuration, dealers ensure that all essential Automotive Standards Council (ASC) events are firing correctly, allowing for optimized ad campaigns and improved insights into consumer behavior on dealership websites.

Released Sep 2023
Review · 6 pages

AXLE Delivers a Turnkey Car Buying Center Experience Which Dealers Love

This report shows how the AXLE platform changes used car acquisition by giving dealers a dedicated, customizable website for buying vehicles directly from consumers. The dealers interviewed reported higher conversion rates and better profitability.

In collaboration with E-Drive Auto
Released Apr 2023
Report · 70 pages

The Rise of CDPs in Automotive Retail

This report explores the growing adoption of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) in automotive retail, emphasizing the importance of first-party data management. CDPs allow dealerships to personalize customer interactions, increase marketing efficiency, and enhance the overall customer experience, ultimately driving higher customer lifetime value (LTV).

Released Mar 2023
Review · 21 pages

Brooke.ai Solves Customer Experience Dilemma in Fixed Ops

Brooke addresses the long-standing challenge of inefficient service appointment scheduling in Fixed Operations. By leveraging conversational AI, dealerships can automate appointment bookings and reduce friction in customer interactions, leading to shorter waits for customers and a more productive service team.

In collaboration with Better Car People
Released Jan 2023
Report · 31 pages

Are Google Results Inflated?

This report explores the widespread inflation of Google Ads results in the automotive industry, uncovering that a majority of conversions are misrepresented as sales opportunities. Dealers must transition from Cost Per Lead (CPL) to Cost per Sales Opportunity (CSO) to more accurately measure the effectiveness of their advertising efforts.

Released Aug 2021

How we research

Independent, and checked twice.

Our research starts with dealers and goes through third-party peer review, so the findings hold up for dealer groups of every size.

  • Dealer surveysQuality-screened responses from dealership leaders.
  • InterviewsConversations with dealers, agencies and vendors.
  • Hands-on testingProduct feedback and application testing where it applies.
  • ReviewIndependent research, third-party peer reviewed.

Dealer surveys

Add your dealership's voice.

Our research starts with dealers. Take part in our current survey: answers are confidential, and they shape what we publish next.

Take the survey

For vendors

Collaborate on a report.

Partner with our research team on a product review or an industry research report, built on dealer surveys, interviews and hands-on testing.

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