A Dealer Savvy review of 100 U.S. dealership websites finds 84 are effectively invisible to ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools consumers use to research and select vehicles.

Analysts note 48 of the sites were specifically programmed to block the AI “crawlers” deployed by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude, among other popular platforms, and 31 are missing “schema” AI would use to quickly find the dealership’s address, hours and available inventory.

“Blocking AI is like locking the door,” the report states. “Missing schema is like leaving the door open but having no signs, no price tags, no organization inside. A customer walks in and has no idea what you sell.”

Car shoppers responding to a recent, unrelated Deloitte survey rank dealer websites as their third most relied upon resource, after dealership visits and manufacturer websites.

Read the full report at Savvy Dealer