I spent 12 years helping build Dealer Image Pro before moving on to my current venture with Data Driverz. From what I have seen across multiple dealer groups, their level of service quality and operational analytics has been difficult for others to match. Their focus was not just speed, but also coaching, accuracy, and building repeatable in-house processes. It functioned more like a merchandising bootcamp that helped dealer groups develop strong internal standards. Groups like Group 1 and Lithia built significant merchandising structure around those operational principles. I wish I was biased (cuz I designed it), but no app looks as good as that one either.
For reference:
https://www.group1auto.com/new-vehicles/ - Always ask to see LIVE results of their clients that have been with them for more than 3 months.
Are they the most expensive? We always were of course. Unsure if that's still the case, but our churn was insanely low (less than 2%). Once they were with us, no one left. Depends what you're trying to achieve in the end and if your dealership has the willingness to adapt to change. Maybe you don't need the best. They're all-in-one though including free training if your in-house person leaves.
Carcutter is also doing some very impressive work. Their 360 solution generated from just four photos produces an impressive level of detail for used vehicles. From a technical standpoint, it is one of the more interesting recent developments in the space. Pretty expensive per car I think to achieve it though.
Phyron is another company worth keeping an eye on. They appear to be making solid progress in automated merchandising and content workflows, but primarily focused on video it seems.
Spyne has been more inconsistent based on what I have seen across active dealer clients. Some results are strong, while others are less reliable. They are operating across multiple verticals with lots of investments, which can dilute focus, but they also have significant funding and resources behind them. It will be interesting to see how they continue to evolve within automotive.
Regarding AI-generated backgrounds, we conducted studies a few years ago and found that buyers do not specifically care whether the background is AI-generated or real. What matters most is that the background is clean, distraction-free, and that the vehicle is properly lit. In fact, AI backgrounds only look
appealing to the eye when the original vehicle photo is captured correctly. Proper lighting, especially using natural sunlight, and having a physical surface behind the vehicle to create realistic reflections makes a major difference. Without proper source photography, even the best AI background will look artificial.
This space seems to be getting very crowded at the moment. Curious how this plays out over the next few years.