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How Better Data Could Transform the Entire Dealership Experience with Paul Hilton · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  Welcome to Auto Collapse. You're listening to an exclusive series recorded live at Automobility LA 2025 in partnership with Cars Commerce. Here we are at the LA Auto Show with another conversation.
• 0:11
  Uh, my new friend, Paul Hilton. Hi. Another Paul. The head of retail for JATO. Thanks for joining us today. Hi, thanks for having me. It's great to be here. So I think JATO, a new brand for a lot of our listeners.
• 0:21
  So, um, maybe we could start off and you can explain what the company does, and then we'll talk about your role in it- Sure... and kind of your outlook for the next year. Well, yeah, I mean, we're new.
• 0:30
  We might seem new, but we're actually not. Yeah. We're a 40-year-old business, JATO, so we've been around a long, long time. Obviously, out of the UK, that's where our kind of head office is.
• 0:37
  Oh, I thought it was Boston accent. No. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] No, it's easy. So, uh, we've been around 40 years. Um, you know, we've been present in the US for quite some time.
• 0:47
  But our business, really, just think of us as like an encyclopedia for car data, like globally. We basically catalog specifications, options, equipment, pricing. Uh- Globally...
• 0:58
  we've been doing it for a long time So all makes, all models across all countries, manufacturers. Yeah, I mean, except the exotics. Um, generally we don't do them. Sure, the very low volume ones. But, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:05
  Right. No need for that. But, um, we've got like 50, 52 countries around the world. Um, been going 40 years.
• 1:11
  The US is a big market for us, but, um, you know, don't forget most of our customers are suppliers, so we will provide to the software companies, OEMs, they provide to the end consumers. Okay, so not a new company.
• 1:23
  How long have you been operating in the US? Oh, we've been in the US, I mean, well, we've been researching data in the US for, well, 25 years. So, uh, yeah, not new at all. [laughs] No. So not new at all. Okay.
• 1:35
  So let's talk about what your role is. Head of retail. Well, I'm head of retail, yeah. Right. So we kind of have three, we have sort of three primary verticals.
• 1:42
  Manufacturers, which is pretty self-explanatory, you know, hence why we're here at, at the show today. Um, we have leasing, which is leasing providers.
• 1:50
  And then retail is everything for us from search engines, browsers, right the way through to software companies and dealers obviously.
• 1:58
  I'm probably not supposed to say this, but the retail side of the business is our favorite. Well, it's my favorite too. There you go.
• 2:04
  [laughs] Yeah, I've been in retail for a, for a, for a long, long time, and, uh- It's where all the action is. Yeah. It's where all the people are.
• 2:08
  It's where the f- we have the most fun in JATO in the retail space, yeah. I would definitely agree with that. [laughs] And so, uh, d- what is, what does, um, an average week look like for you?
• 2:17
  What are you spending your time doing, and who are you trying to help? Yeah, I mean- Accomplish what? Uh, well, ultimately, w- we wanna help dealers, right?
• 2:23
  I mean, my role is to ensure that dealers have the best data to help them sell more cars, right? You know, consumers are coming in to showrooms now armed with knowledge. They've done their research.
• 2:34
  They know what they want. They know what they don't want in vehicles. And dealers struggle to understand the kind of, you know, uh, the, the different options, different specs on different vehicles.
• 2:43
  So part of our job is to help dealers sell more cars. That's what we wanna do. Okay, and how do you accomplish that? Like- Uh, well, we accomplish it with d- with the best data. Yep.
• 2:51
  You know, that's the kind of core thing. So yeah, but give me a little bit, and I'm asking all these questions because I wanna try to educate people on- Yeah, sure... a little bit deeper on what the application point is.
• 2:59
  So how will your data that you're providing eventually make its way to a consumer and then make its way to a dealer to, like, connect those dots?
• 3:06
  Look, so the main, the main thing that we'll do, and especially here in North America, is side-by-side comparisons, like competitive comparisons.
• 3:14
  The key advantages of a host vehicle for a dealer, so on their website, their product, and how it outperforms against its nearest competitors in any, in any market.
• 3:23
  And, and serv- surfacing that data to the shopper when they're browsing a dealer's website, and that could be anything from, uh, EV performance of that vehicle, you know, its safety features, its, its, its, uh, fuel efficiency.
• 3:36
  Really promoting that kind of dealer's inventory over, over its competitors. And the other thing we do is look at the, any fitted options on vehicles.
• 3:43
  So we catalog the value of those fitted options, really helping the dealers to promote, you know, why a used car, for example, is, is valuable to the shopper because it's got extra equipment, extra features when it came out of the factory.
• 3:56
  So when a VIN gets decoded- Yeah... and the accurate data comes up- Yeah... it's not missing things, then dealers are much easier to be able to place a value on that.
• 4:05
  Even, and on both sides probably, like what the value of the vehicle is that they're taking in on trade or acquiring- Yeah... or the value of the vehicle that they're selling.
• 4:13
  Well, and, and if it's got options, what does it now no longer have? Like, what standard piece of equipment does the car not have because it's got those options?
• 4:20
  So when we look at things like infotainment, upgraded speakers, you know, that might, that pack might often include things like rear USB-C ports, and that actually might be really quite important to a- Right...
• 4:32
  to a shopper, right? So the number of rear USB-C ports these days is actually quite a, an important metric. So kind of bringing that data, helping dealers to position it better on their websites.
• 4:43
  You know, we need to work with the website vendors to help deliver that type of, uh, data because, you know, it's ultimately the website vendors that, that connect with the data companies.
• 4:53
  Uh, but that's what I wanna do to grow in North America. I mean, we're much, much bigger in Europe in that space, admittedly. So we have a lot of web providers, a lot of marketplaces.
• 5:02
  So you're saying you wanna connect with more of the providers- Yeah, for sure... to, to clear out a pipeline where you can get your data in front- Yeah... in t- in front of the consumers. Because it is great. Yeah.
• 5:10
  I mean, our data quality is, is exceptional. Um, but, you know, we need to break into the US a little bit more, even though we're an old company, a, we're a mature business. Right.
• 5:18
  Well, new markets, going deeper into the market. You know, it's, it's hard. No, it's tough. How has the emergence of EVs complicated things?
• 5:24
  Well, it, for us it's a great opportunity because we f- from a very early stage cataloged lots and lots of attributes around EVs.
• 5:32
  You know, simple, basic things like the, uh, the kilowatt per hour charge capacity, the range.
• 5:39
  But then when you get into really detailed specifications around, uh, battery origin, and the different lithium batteries, and different power types, then, uh, that then becomes really useful for the aftermarket, the repairers, any organizations that need data in, in that side of it.
• 5:53
  But, um, you know, I think EVs, EVs obviously growing here in the US. Mm-hmm. Um, but I still think plug-ins are going to have quite a dominant play for the next few years.
• 6:03
  Um, you know, you can see in the show today some of the great new product is around plug-ins. So- I know. I feel, I feel like the, some of the complexities happening, like even we have a big Scout display next to us.
• 6:14
  Yeah. Scout announcing just a couple of weeks ago that they're listening to the voice of the consumer. The consumer says, "We want more range," so they're putting- Yeah...
• 6:21
  um, they're putting a generator, a gas-powered generator in the vehicles to give them 800 miles of range.
• 6:26
  So when it comes to specifications and what, what has what, that's one of the complexities of drivetrain type, power type, power output. It's all stuff that you're gonna have to deal with in the future.
• 6:36
  A- and, and we, I mean, like back where I'm from in the UK, we don't have that problem. Like no, [laughs] no one, no one drives that far, right? Right. But the expectation is you need that there.
• 6:43
  I, I didn't think about that. [laughs] That makes a big difference. You're like 800 miles. That's the whole country, you know? [laughs] Which country are you going to, right? [laughs] But yeah, for sure here.
• 6:51
  I mean, even if you're not gonna drive 800 miles, you want the range, right? People want that range. Although you've never had it before. No.
• 6:57
  Well, you've never had it, and you'll probably never realistically need it, you know? No. I mean, really pro- I can't remember what the average range is in even a gas-powered vehicle. Yeah.
• 7:04
  It's probably somewhere between 375 and 425- Yeah... um, on the high end. But- And then you've got these giant SUVs coming out to the show today. I mean, this is America. You know? Why bigger? Why? 600 mile range.
• 7:13
  Because it's bigger. [laughs] That's the only reason. Oh, Paul, thank you so much for spending a little time with us today. No, it's great. Thanks for having me.
• 7:19
  And, uh, sharing your wisdom, and working so hard to make sure the right, uh, tools get to the right dealers so that we can all serve the consumer together. Oh, thank you. I'm sorry I brought the weather with me, so.
• 7:27
  I mean, I wasn't gonna blame you. I'm from the Northeast. [laughs] But we can blame the Brits. Well, we'll blame each other. [laughs] Thanks for having me. Thank you.
• 7:34
  Thank you for listening to this LA Auto Show session, brought to you by Cars Commerce. At More Than Cars, we're obsessed with uniting people around one big idea: to make retail auto an industry that people fight to join.
• 7:46
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