In a rapidly evolving automotive landscape, Tekion is reimagining how car dealers, OEMs, and consumers connect. By leveraging a cloud-native architecture, integrated artificial intelligence, and open APIs, Tekion provides a modern, unified platform that supports every major facet of the dealership experience — from sales and service to parts, payments, and customer engagement.

What Is Tekion?

Tekion’s core product is the Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC), a next-generation Dealer Management System (DMS) designed from the ground up for the cloud. Unlike traditional, fragmented dealership systems, ARC unifies all critical operations—sales, service, parts, accounting, CRM—in a single, highly scalable environment. 

What makes Tekion truly stand out is its AI-native design. The platform is not just about data; it’s built to automate intelligently, streamline workflows, and deliver actionable insights tailored for automotive retail. 

Key Capabilities of Tekion

1. AI-Powered Dealer Management (ARC DMS)

Tekion’s DMS is deeply infused with AI to enhance workflows and drive efficiency. 

• Sales & F&I: Real-time, AI-driven recommendations enable sales teams to tailor financing and insurance options. 

• Service: The platform provides full connectivity between the service lane, shop, and parts department. With online scheduling, inspections, and approval workflows, AI helps reduce manual work and boost upsell opportunities. 

• Payments & Payroll: Tekion Pay supports PCI-compliant payments with features like “buy now, pay later,” while payroll is seamlessly integrated—track time, manage pay plans, and automate tax filing in one system. 

• Parts & Accounting: Inventory is managed in real time, orders are handled on the cloud, and accounting gains a holistic view across the business—all while maintaining strict security and compliance. 

2. Seamless Digital Retail

Tekion’s Digital Retail solution provides an immersive, AI-driven car buying experience. 

• AI Chat Bot: Engages customers, helps answer their questions, and guides them through the buying journey. 

• Transparent Payment Calculator: Displays full cost breakdowns, including taxes and fees — helping customers make informed decisions. 

• Live Online Sessions: Customers and sales agents can negotiate deals in real time, remotely. 

• Sales & Checkout Concierge: Manages deal configuration, documentation, payment, and delivery from one central hub. 

3. Automotive Enterprise Cloud (AEC)

To unite OEMs, retailers, and consumers, Tekion offers its Automotive Enterprise Cloud — a bridge between brand websites and local dealerships. 

• Unified Shopping Experience: Consumers can configure their vehicle on the OEM website and see real-time inventory from nearby dealers. 

• Configurator Tool: Allows for in-depth customization by model, package, and price, linked directly to available inventory. 

• Online Checkout: Supports e-signing, online payments, and scheduling delivery or pickup — all securely and seamlessly. 

• Analytics & Reporting: Provides real-time insights into customer behavior, web traffic, conversion, and more. 

4. Intelligent Automation with Tekion AI

At the heart of the platform lies Tekion AI, a vertical, context-aware AI engine trained specifically for automotive retail workflows. 

• AI Agents: These agents don’t just analyze — they act. The AI Agent for Service, for example, can identify needed repairs, request approvals, coordinate the process, and interact with customers automatically. 

• Smart Communication: Generative AI tools help craft lead summaries and personalized responses, improving engagement and lead conversion. 

• Data Quality & Consolidation: AI-driven deduplication ensures clean, accurate CRM records and a unified view of customers. 

• Revenue Optimization: By analyzing vehicle history, inspections, and customer behavior, Tekion AI surfaces upsell opportunities at precisely the right moment. 

5. Open Integration via Automotive Partner Cloud (APC)

Tekion encourages a broad ecosystem of partners through its Automotive Partner Cloud, with developer-friendly APIs. 

• Open APIs: These support both standard (read-only) and premium (read/write) access for sales, service, inventory, and parts data. 

• Developer Tools & Self-Service: Developers can register, test, and build integrations using Tekion’s Open API standards. 

• Strategic Partnerships: Notable integrations include GoTo Connect (for unified communications) and CallRevu (for call tracking), enhancing real-time engagement and collaboration. 

Real-World Impact & Partnerships

• Hyundai Auto Canada: Tekion’s ARC is now an approved DMS provider for Hyundai and Genesis dealers in Canada. This partnership has helped dealerships improve fixed operations, unify communication across departments, and implement paper-free service workflows. 

• Toyota / Lexus: Tekion’s CRM is now part of Toyota’s SmartPath / Lexus MONOGRAM program, helping centralize lead data and streamline the customer journey. 

• Developer Ecosystem: With its open API model, Tekion is fostering innovation. The integration with GoTo Connect (via APC) allows dealers to unify communication channels — calls, SMS, and customer data — directly inside Tekion’s CRM. 

Tekion also continues to roll out new updates: most recently, features like mobile trade-in appraisals, improved parts tracking, and enhanced security controls were added to increase dealer productivity and flexibility. 

Why Tekion Matters

1. Modernization from the Ground Up: Instead of patching legacy systems, Tekion offers a purpose-built, cloud-native platform that brings all dealership functions together.

2. AI That Actually Acts: Many platforms offer insights — but Tekion’s AI agents execute. That means less manual work, and more intelligent automation.

3. Consumer-Centric Retail: With Digital Retail and AEC, Tekion seamlessly links consumer online journeys with in-store experiences, creating a cohesive, modern buying process.

4. Open & Scalable Ecosystem: Tekion’s partner cloud ensures that third-party tools, OEMs, and retailers can integrate deeply and build on its platform.

5. Data-Driven Decisions: Real-time analytics, predictive insights, and clean CRM data enable smarter decisions and more personalized customer interactions.

Tekion represents a bold reimagining of automotive retail for the digital age. By combining cloud-native infrastructure, advanced AI, and open integrations, it empowers dealerships and OEMs to operate more efficiently, engage customers more meaningfully, and scale with flexibility.

Of course, adopting Tekion means a shift. Dealers will need to invest in change management, embrace new workflows, and possibly rethink some long-standing processes. But for those ready to lean into modern retail, Tekion offers a powerful, future-ready platform — one that can help transform how automotive business is done, from the showroom to the service bay.