carsales unveils new retail channel and some AI tools

carsales has outlined a new automotive retail channel for carmakers and dealer networks at its Open House '27 event in Sydney.

The proposal is designed to help original equipment manufacturers and dealers reach buyers earlier in the purchase process, guiding them through research, comparison and ordering in one place. At the event, carsales also introduced new AI-assisted shopping tools for consumers and formally launched Iggy, an AI-based intelligence platform for marketers.

The Australian new car market has become more crowded and fragmented, with 79 brands competing for buyers and 54 models now on sale that were not available a year earlier, according to carsales. New car buying journeys can now stretch to six months, with shoppers weighing several brands before deciding.

Nicholas Bailly, General Manager, Advertising at carsales, said the shift has intensified competition for attention across the buying journey.

"More brands are competing for Australian car buyers than ever before, and consumers are less loyal than we've ever measured. Every one of those purchase decisions gets made somewhere. Our commitment is to help automotive brands influence those decisions in the place people already trust to find their next car," Bailly said.

Retail model

Under the model, consumers would be able to discover vehicles matched to their needs, compare options, configure a vehicle and connect with retailers through a single experience. The approach is intended to combine product discovery, automotive content and retailer links as buyers move from early consideration to action.

carsales says 60 per cent of car intenders on its platform are already considering a new vehicle. It argues this creates an opportunity for carmakers and dealers to align more closely with consumers already active on the site.

Ollie Nugent, Head of Consumer Product at carsales, described the concept as a more connected journey for buyers and sellers.

"We see an opportunity to bring more of the new car journey together, from research and comparison through to decision-making and the ability to place an order, all in one connected journey that closes the loop. It's about giving consumers choice in how far they want to take the journey on carsales, whether that's researching, enquiring, booking a test drive, or even progressing through to placing an order. For dealers, this could create further opportunities to connect with more informed, purchase-ready buyers. For OEMs, it opens up the potential for a new retail channel that brings them even closer to consumers as they move towards a decision," Nugent said.

The strategy reflects a broader push by automotive marketplaces and classified platforms to move beyond listings and advertising into transaction and retail activity. For manufacturers, that offers another route to consumers at a time when brand loyalty is under pressure and digital research is taking a larger share of the purchase journey.

Iggy launch

Alongside the retail vision, carsales formally launched Iggy within Ignition, its self-serve advertising and campaign management platform. The tool is designed for marketers and uses natural language prompts, allowing users to ask business questions and draw insights from several data sets without switching between systems.

Iggy brings together AI agents focused on audiences, inventory, competitors, campaigns, measurement and creative insights. The system draws on more than 16 million logged-in members, 3 billion automotive shopping signals each quarter, VIN-level inventory data and transaction signals, according to carsales.

The aim is to help advertisers better understand buyer behaviour and purchase intent, and to connect marketing activity more directly with commercial results. That has long been a challenge in automotive marketing, where advertisers often have large volumes of audience and campaign data but less visibility into which interactions actually influence a sale.

Stephen Kyefulumya, General Manager, Media Product & Technology at carsales, said the issue is not a shortage of information but how it is connected.

"The industry doesn't have a data problem, it has a connection problem. Marketers have access to more data than ever before but limited visibility into what's actually influencing purchase decisions. With Iggy, we're using agentic AI on Australia's largest automotive data set, delivering automation with intelligence to help brands connect marketing activity to real commercial outcomes," Kyefulumya said.

The announcements build on the company's One Platform. Every Advantage. strategy, which aims to link consumer experiences, retail functions and marketing intelligence within the same ecosystem. In practical terms, carsales is seeking to strengthen its role not only as a marketplace for car shoppers, but also as a channel through which manufacturers, dealers and advertisers can target, influence and measure demand.

Iggy is now live within Ignition.