NADA 2026 Recap: Momentum, Community, and the AI-Native Future
Marylou Hastert
Feb 25, 2026
NADA 2026 was a defining week for automotive retail—and a powerful moment for the Tekion community. From the opening night to the final Innovation Stage session, one theme resonated throughout the show: the industry is ready to move beyond fragmented systems and into an AI-native future built on trust, scale, and real outcomes.
Kicking Off NADA: Welcome Reception
The momentum started early at the NADA Welcome Reception, where Tekion proudly sponsored the F1® Drive experience at Grand Prix Plaza. Dealers and industry leaders kicked off the week with fast laps, great conversations, and a high-octane introduction to what would become an action-packed show.
Our team welcomed guests before their drive with refreshments and glow-in-the-dark swag—setting the tone for a week centered on connection, innovation, and forward momentum.
AI-Native Is the Future
Throughout NADA, Tekion reinforced a clear distinction: AI should be embedded into the foundation of the platform—not bolted onto legacy systems or layered across disconnected point solutions.
Designed from the ground up as an AI- and cloud-native platform, Tekion’s unified data model and single security framework allow intelligence to operate consistently across sales, service, parts, accounting, and retail operations—at true enterprise scale. In contrast, point solutions operating outside the core system lack access to unified, real-time dealership data required to deliver full context.
This foundation enables AI to move beyond assistance and into action, securely and responsibly, with full business context.
Jay Vijayan’s Keynote: Agentic AI in Action
Founder and CEO Jay Vijayan drew a packed audience for his keynote, AI You Can Trust, Innovation You Can Count On, and the Future You Can Be Excited About. Jay shared Tekion’s continued growth and unveiled new advancements across Tekion’s data and AI platform—focused on driving measurable dealer outcomes.
Key highlights included:
Major advancements in Tekion’s AI-native, agentic AI platform, including Technician AI, Scheduler AI, and T1
- Tekion One, Tekion’s inaugural customer conference
- The debut of the Tekion App Store
Jay also shared Tekion’s 2025 progress, reinforcing accountability and momentum:
Over 3,000 rooftops live on Tekion and growing rapidly
More than $10B in payments processed
2.4M+ vehicles sold and 17M+ vehicles serviced on the platform
120,000+ users supported
- 3,000 new features delivered in the past year
Innovation Stage Highlights
Tekion’s Innovation Stage brought together Tekion leaders, dealers, and partners for authentic, practical discussions. Sessions explored:
Operating on one AI-native platform—without chaos
Building accountability through Extreme Ownership in dealer support
Unlocking performance insights with Advanced Analytics
Navigating DMS change management and adoption
Modernizing service operations with strong operational foundations
CRM at scale, and end-to-end sales workflows
Security, governance, and responsible AI
Global expansion and the future of integrations through Automotive Partner Cloud
Each conversation reinforced the same idea: when data, workflows, and intelligence live on one platform, dealerships operate more efficiently, adapt faster, and deliver better customer experiences.
Trust, Security, and What’s Next
Trust remained foundational throughout the week. Tekion highlighted its continued commitment to responsible AI, enterprise-grade security, and compliance—so dealers can innovate with confidence as AI takes on a more active role across dealership operations.
As NADA 2026 comes to a close, we’re grateful to everyone who joined us—from the Welcome Reception to the final Innovation Stage session. The conversations and momentum from this week are already shaping what comes next, including Tekion One 2026, our inaugural customer conference and the industry’s premiere Data + AI event, taking place June 15–17 in Las Vegas.
The future of automotive retail isn’t about more tools—it’s about a unified, intelligent platform where AI delivers real results. And we’re just getting started.