In every one of America's 25 biggest metro areas, AI assistants already have a favorite Ford dealer. This report names all 25. In 20 of 25 metros the AI leader is not the metro's biggest store by review count, and the leaders' average Google rating (4.5★) is no better than the field's (4.4★). Store size and Google ratings do not decide who AI recommends. What the winners share is being close to where the shopper asks, and presence on the short list of sources AI reads in nearly every market. And with 17 of 25 metros still a contested race, the leader in most metros can still change.
Measured with identical non-branded Find / Buy / Service questions asked city by city across each metro, with every city's results weighted by its real search demand - so every metro and every dealer is measured the same way. The full method is at the end of this report.
25 metro AI leaders named
80% of metros: the biggest store is not the AI leader
96% of leaders do not hold their metro's highest Google rating
68% of metros are a contested race
The National 25 - who AI recommends, metro by metro
The dealer AI assistants recommend most in each of the nation's 25 biggest metros. Share of voice: of every time AI named a Ford dealer in the metro, how often it named this one. AI visibility: how often AI names the dealer at all. Named first: how often it is the very first dealer named.
New York - Premier Ford (based in Brooklyn, NY) leads with 14% share of voice, named in 70% of answers, named first 14% of the time. Google 4.1★, Yelp 2.0★.
Los Angeles - Galpin Ford (based in North Hills, CA) leads with 13% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share rounds to the same number, named in 71% of answers, named first 78% of the time. Google 4.3★, Yelp 4.0★.
Chicago - Murgado Ford of Chicago (based in Chicago, IL) leads with 11% share of voice, named in 64% of answers, named first 33% of the time. Google 4.2★, Yelp 3.4★.
Dallas-Fort Worth - Planet Ford Dallas (based in Dallas, TX) leads with 13% share of voice, named in 58% of answers, named first 29% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 3.8★.
Houston - Planet Ford Spring (based in Spring, TX) leads with 15% share of voice, named in 72% of answers, named first 19% of the time. Google 4.4★, Yelp 1.9★.
Atlanta - Jim Ellis Ford Sandy Springs (based in Atlanta, GA) leads with 18% share of voice, named in 84% of answers, named first 30% of the time. Google 4.4★, Yelp 3.4★.
Washington DC - Ourisman Ford of Alexandria (based in Alexandria, VA) leads with 12% share of voice, named in 60% of answers, named first 11% of the time. Google 4.2★, Yelp 2.1★.
Miami - AutoNation Ford Miami (part of the AutoNation group) (based in Miami Gardens, FL) leads with 20% share of voice, named in 72% of answers, named first 34% of the time. Google 4.5★, Yelp 2.6★.
Philadelphia - Springfield Ford (based in Springfield Township, PA) leads with 9% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share rounds to the same number, named in 40% of answers, named first 57% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 2.7★.
Phoenix - Sanderson Ford (based in Glendale, AZ) leads with 15% share of voice, named in 80% of answers, named first 40% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 3.7★.
Boston - Herb Chambers Ford of Braintree (based in Braintree, MA) leads with 15% share of voice, named in 66% of answers, named first 18% of the time. Google 4.5★, Yelp 2.3★.
Riverside - Fritts Ford (based in Riverside, CA) leads with 9% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share rounds to the same number, named in 39% of answers, named first 30% of the time. Google 4.4★, Yelp 3.3★.
San Francisco Bay Area - Serramonte Ford (based in Colma, CA) leads with 13% share of voice, named in 62% of answers, named first 39% of the time. Google 4.5★, Yelp 3.1★.
Detroit - Pat Milliken Ford (based in Redford Township, MI) leads with 13% share of voice, named in 69% of answers, named first 26% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 3.9★.
Seattle - Bowen Scarff Ford (based in Kent, WA) leads with 14% share of voice, named in 66% of answers, named first 57% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 1.0★.
Minneapolis-St. Paul - Midway Ford (based in Roseville, MN) leads with 14% share of voice, named in 63% of answers, named first 2% of the time. Google 4.5★, Yelp 2.4★.
Tampa - Brandon Ford (based in Tampa, FL) leads with 13% share of voice, named in 69% of answers, named first 32% of the time. Google 4.4★, Yelp 3.3★.
San Diego - Mossy Ford (based in San Diego, CA) leads with 16% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share rounds to the same number, named in 81% of answers, named first 11% of the time. Google 4.5★, Yelp 3.4★.
Denver - Schomp Ford (based in Denver, CO) leads with 17% share of voice, named in 72% of answers, named first 22% of the time. Google 4.3★, Yelp 2.1★.
Orlando - Mullinax Ford (based in Apopka, FL) leads with 20% share of voice, named in 95% of answers, named first 55% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 2.6★.
Charlotte - Mark Ficken Ford (based in Charlotte, NC) leads with 16% share of voice, named in 81% of answers, named first 20% of the time. Google 4.6★, Yelp 2.1★.
Baltimore - Norris Ford (based in Baltimore, MD) leads with 13% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share rounds to the same number, named in 69% of answers, named first 42% of the time. Google 4.1★, Yelp 2.5★.
St. Louis - Bommarito Ford (based in Hazelwood, MO) leads with 16% share of voice, named in 77% of answers, named first 59% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 2.6★.
San Antonio - Jordan Ford (based in San Antonio, TX) leads with 21% share of voice, named in 88% of answers, named first 37% of the time. Google 4.6★, Yelp 2.4★.
Austin - Covert Ford (based in Austin, TX) leads with 23% share of voice, named in 84% of answers, named first 16% of the time. Google 4.1★, Yelp 2.7★.
Monthly brand and model searches across each metro's measured cities - the demand AI answers compete for:
New York - 102,100 searches per month
Houston - 55,940 searches per month
Los Angeles - 54,710 searches per month
Dallas-Fort Worth - 46,720 searches per month
Chicago - 43,840 searches per month
Miami - 30,050 searches per month
Denver - 28,860 searches per month
Phoenix - 28,520 searches per month
Atlanta - 28,130 searches per month
San Francisco Bay Area - 28,050 searches per month
Austin - 25,430 searches per month
San Diego - 24,790 searches per month
San Antonio - 24,750 searches per month
Seattle - 23,140 searches per month
Minneapolis-St. Paul - 22,420 searches per month
Philadelphia - 21,710 searches per month
Orlando - 21,150 searches per month
Charlotte - 20,980 searches per month
Tampa - 20,350 searches per month
Detroit - 20,170 searches per month
Washington DC - 17,210 searches per month
Boston - 14,980 searches per month
Baltimore - 14,160 searches per month
Riverside - 14,030 searches per month
St. Louis - 12,180 searches per month
What AI reads, nationally
Sources ranked by how many of the 25 measured metros have them among their ten most-cited:
google.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 25 of 25 metros
dealerrater.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 25 of 25 metros
reddit.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 23 of 25 metros
carfax.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 22 of 25 metros
ford.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 18 of 25 metros
caredge.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 12 of 25 metros
cars.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 7 of 25 metros
cargurus.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 5 of 25 metros
yelp.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 2 of 25 metros
kbb.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 2 of 25 metros
bbmotors.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 1 of 25 metros
sarasotaford.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 1 of 25 metros
5starford.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 1 of 25 metros
fordstoremorganhill.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 1 of 25 metros
edmunds.com - among the ten most-cited sources in 0 of 25 metros
National insights
AI recommends locally. In 23 of 25 metros, a dealer's share of voice falls as its distance from the metro's center grows - the strongest single force we measured, ahead of ratings and store size. The typical metro leader sits 8 miles from the city center; the typical measured store sits 19.
Higher-rated dealers are named earlier, not more often. How highly a store is rated barely predicts whether AI names it at all. But comparing stores at a similar distance from the metro's center, the better-rated store is usually named earlier in the answer - the pattern holds in 19 of 25 metros. A strong rating does not make AI name a store more often; it moves the store earlier in the answer.
Different dealers win sales and service. In 16 of 25 metros, the dealer AI recommends for service is not the dealer it recommends for buying. In New York, Starks Ford of Queens wins the purchase questions while Premier Ford wins service.
Yelp is a weak spot for some leaders.15 of the 25 metro leaders with a Yelp listing carry a rating below 3 stars. The lowest: Bowen Scarff Ford in Seattle at 1.0★ on Yelp against 4.7★ on Google. Yelp is a major review source for AI answers, so the gap matters.
DealerRater ratings vary far more than Google ratings. The metro leaders are tied on Google, but on DealerRater - a review site AI reads in nearly every measured metro - their ratings run from 3.0★ to 4.9★. The widest gap: Covert Ford in Austin holds 3.0★ on DealerRater against 4.1★ on Google.
What To Do
Strengthen your profiles on the sites AI reads most. google.com, dealerrater.com, reddit.com are among the ten most-cited sources in at least 80% of the metros we measured. Strengthen those first: keep your Google Business Profile complete and actively managed, claim your DealerRater page and respond to its reviews, and take part in the local discussions where shoppers ask about dealers. Then add the review sites AI cites in your own market (the source table above shows the national picture).
Build real pages for the nearby markets you want to win. AI recommends locally: in 23 of 25 metros, the dealers it names most are the ones closest to where the shopper asks. You cannot move the store, but you can make your relevance to each nearby market visible. Give every city you serve its own page with real substance: the inventory you deliver there, the drive time from that city, the services those customers use, and reviews from real customers who live there. Thin copies of one page do not help; give AI real local content to cite.
Work on service visibility separately. In 16 of 25 metros, the dealer AI recommends for service is not the dealer it recommends for buying. Winning the sales conversation does not carry over. Service needs its own footprint: service pages on your website, service reviews, and service questions answered on the same sites.
Publish content only your dealership can offer. Leaders and the field are tied on Google ratings (4.5★ to 4.4★), so generic claims about quality do not separate anyone. Give the sites AI reads specific, factual material to cite: your actual inventory, real customer reviews, and the services your store offers - and keep it current.
Know where you stand. Every metro here was measured with the same non-branded questions real shoppers ask, and 17 of 25 metros are a contested race. You cannot aim any of the steps above without knowing your own position: which questions you win, which you lose, and to whom. That is what a dealer-level measurement shows.
Regional footprint
Who leads each sub-market, and where
The dealer AI names most in each sub-market. Each sub-market is measured at its anchor city -
shown with its population - chosen to represent that part of the region; the anchors together
span the metro's major population centers. On the map, each anchor's bubble is sized by its
monthly shopper search demand, so larger circles are the markets with more search activity.
National footprint
The 25 metros, coast to coast
Each bubble is one of America's 25 biggest metro areas, sized by monthly shopper search
demand in its anchor city and numbered by metro rank. The table that follows names the dealer
AI recommends most in each.
Market demand
Where the nation shops
Monthly brand and model searches in each metro's anchor city - the demand AI answers compete
for. Search demand weights and sizes the markets in this report; it is not a sales figure.
Market demand
What the region is searching for
How many shoppers near the region search for each model every month. This is the
demand AI answers compete for, and it sets how much each city counts toward the scores. Search
demand weights the cities in this report; it is not a sales figure.
Metro leaderboard
The National 25 - who AI recommends, metro by metro
The dealer AI assistants recommend most in each of the nation's 25 biggest metros, measured
with identical non-branded Find / Buy / Service questions in each metro's anchor city.
#
Metro
Dealer city
AI leader
Share of voice
AI visibility
Named first
Google
Yelp
1
New York
Brooklyn, NY
Premier Ford
14%
70%
14%
4.1★
2.0★
2
Los Angeles
North Hills, CA
Galpin Ford
13%*
71%
78%
4.3★
4.0★
3
Chicago
Chicago, IL
Murgado Ford of Chicago
11%
64%
33%
4.2★
3.4★
4
Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas, TX
Planet Ford Dallas
13%
58%
29%
4.7★
3.8★
5
Houston
Spring, TX
Planet Ford Spring
15%
72%
19%
4.4★
1.9★
6
Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
Jim Ellis Ford Sandy Springs
18%
84%
30%
4.4★
3.4★
7
Washington DC
Alexandria, VA
Ourisman Ford of Alexandria
12%
60%
11%
4.2★
2.1★
8
Miami
Miami Gardens, FL
AutoNation Ford Miami · AutoNation
20%
72%
34%
4.5★
2.6★
9
Philadelphia
Springfield Township, PA
Springfield Ford
9%*
40%
57%
4.7★
2.7★
10
Phoenix
Glendale, AZ
Sanderson Ford
15%
80%
40%
4.7★
3.7★
11
Boston
Braintree, MA
Herb Chambers Ford of Braintree
15%
66%
18%
4.5★
2.3★
12
Riverside
Riverside, CA
Fritts Ford
9%*
39%
30%
4.4★
3.3★
13
San Francisco Bay Area
Colma, CA
Serramonte Ford
13%
62%
39%
4.5★
3.1★
14
Detroit
Redford Township, MI
Pat Milliken Ford
13%
69%
26%
4.7★
3.9★
15
Seattle
Kent, WA
Bowen Scarff Ford
14%
66%
57%
4.7★
1.0★
16
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Roseville, MN
Midway Ford
14%
63%
2%
4.5★
2.4★
17
Tampa
Tampa, FL
Brandon Ford
13%
69%
32%
4.4★
3.3★
18
San Diego
San Diego, CA
Mossy Ford
16%*
81%
11%
4.5★
3.4★
19
Denver
Denver, CO
Schomp Ford
17%
72%
22%
4.3★
2.1★
20
Orlando
Apopka, FL
Mullinax Ford
20%
95%
55%
4.7★
2.6★
21
Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
Mark Ficken Ford
16%
81%
20%
4.6★
2.1★
22
Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
Norris Ford
13%*
69%
42%
4.1★
2.5★
23
St. Louis
Hazelwood, MO
Bommarito Ford
16%
77%
59%
4.7★
2.6★
24
San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Jordan Ford
21%
88%
37%
4.6★
2.4★
25
Austin
Austin, TX
Covert Ford
23%
84%
16%
4.1★
2.7★
A share marked * is a near-tie: the runner-up's share rounds to the same number, and the ranking follows the unrounded scores.
How to read this. Share of voice: of every time AI named
a dealer in this metro, how often it named this one. AI
visibility: how often AI names the dealer at all. Named first: how often it is the very first
dealer named - kept separate from visibility, as always. Bars are scaled to a 50% share.
Regional leaderboard
The regional leaderboard
Who AI recommends most across the region. Share of voice is the headline:
out of every time AI named a dealer, how often it named this one.
AI visibility is how often AI names the dealer at all, and
named first is how often it is the very first dealer named - a dealer can be
named often yet rarely first, so we keep these separate. Cities with more shopper demand count
for more.
Winning patterns
The winners are not who you'd expect
The two things dealers invest in as reputation - store size and Google rating - do not
separate the AI leaders from the field. Most metros are led by a store that is not the biggest
in its market, winning under its own local name.
Where AI's winners rank by store size. Every metro's
dealers, ranked by Google review count; the groups below show where each metro's AI leader
falls in that size order.
Dealer scorecard
Dealer ranking scorecard
Read each grade cell as two numbers: a bold 0-100 grade, and in grey the share of voice it
comes from. The grade is relative - the region's strongest dealer scores 100 and every other
dealer is measured against it. Find, Buy and Service are graded on their own and count equally
toward the Weighted overall. "Weighted" means busier cities count for more: each city's result
is scaled by its monthly search demand before the cities are combined, so how a dealer does
where the shoppers are matters most.
AI sources
Top Sources
The websites AI cited most when answering shopper questions across the region - each shown
as its share of all the citations AI made. Getting listed and well-reviewed on the sources that
rank highest here is how a dealer gets into AI answers.
AI sources
What AI reads, nationally
Store size and ratings do not decide who AI recommends. The clearest national pattern is
what AI reads: the same few sources appear in metro after metro. Sources are ranked by how
many of the 25 measured metros have them among their ten most-cited. A source that shows up
coast to coast shapes every market at once.
Market opportunity
Most metros are still up for grabs
The small number next to each metro is the leader's share of voice divided
by the runner-up's - 1.0x means the leader and runner-up are tied.
Contested - the runner-up is within striking distanceHeld - the leader is comfortably aheadBubble size = market size (monthly searches)
Leader's share of voice
Of every time AI named a dealer in that metro, the percentage that went to the metro's
#1 dealer.
Runner-up's share of voice
The same measure for the #2 dealer. The closer the two shares, the closer the race;
a leader can never sit below the dashed line, only above it.
Share of voice = a dealer's AI mentions ÷ all dealers' AI mentions in its metro
Striking distance = the runner-up holds at least the leader's share ÷ 1.2
Market opportunity
Share of Voice vs Share of Demand
This chart plots each dealer's Share of Voice (up)
against its Share of Demand (across). The dashed line is break-even, where the
two are equal. Below it, a dealer's Share of Demand is larger than its Share of Voice - the
clearest gaps to close. Bubbles are sized by Google review count.
At or above its opportunityBelow its opportunity (a gap)Bubble size = Google review count
Share of Voice
When AI assistants recommend dealers in this region, the percentage of those
recommendations that go to this dealer.
Share of Demand
This dealer's slice of the region's shoppers, based on distance: each town's shoppers
count toward the stores nearest them, and busier towns count for more.
Share of voice = a dealer's AI mentions ÷ all dealers' AI mentions
Share of demand = a dealer's nearby demand ÷ all dealers' nearby demand
Regional insights
Regional Insights
These patterns stand out when the region's answers are read together. Each one is
computed from the measured runs behind this report.
National insights
National insights
Beyond the headline story, these patterns stand out when all the metros are read together.
Each one is computed from the measured runs - per-metro results are directional, but these
cross-metro patterns rest on the full national sample.
Recommended actions
What To Do
The patterns in this report are national, but the actions they point to are local - and none
of them requires being the biggest store in the market. Five places to start, each grounded in
what this measurement found.
Methodology
Methodology
We asked non-dealer branded questions - where to find, buy, and service a Ford - city by city across each of America's 25 biggest metro areas, and recorded which dealerships each AI assistant named and in what order. Every Ford dealership in the metro's measured footprint is included, and dealers are never named in the questions, so every dealer is measured the same way. Each city's results are weighted by its real search demand, and every metro gets the identical question set, which is what makes the cross-metro patterns comparable.
Read each metro's result as one measurement in time. AI answers vary run to run, and in a closely contested metro the top spots can trade places between measurements. The national patterns, aggregated across all the metros, are the robust layer of this report. Share of voice, visibility, and named-first are always reported separately. Metro population figures are US Census Bureau estimates; search demand is Google search volume; dealer ratings are Google Business Profile, DealerRater, and Yelp.
Related reports
Related Reports
The national report this regional report belongs to, and sibling regions as they publish.
Regional reports
Regional Reports
Metro-level reports, each ranking the dealers AI
recommends across that metro, city by city.
Next step · For your dealership
Custom Dealer Reports
This regional report shows how AI sees the whole market. A Custom
Dealer Report goes deeper on one dealership: yours.
This national report shows how AI sees dealers across
America's biggest metros. A Custom Dealer Report goes deeper on one dealership: yours.
Every month, CarGenius runs the questions your buyers ask across the major AI engines and
reports how often AI names you versus each competitor, scores your Find, Buy, and Service
visibility, verifies your marketplace presence, and ranks what to fix by effort and impact.
How often AI names each dealer across this month's shopping prompts
Your Dealership
54%
Competitor A
41%
Competitor B
33%
Competitor C
27%
FIND
72/100
BUY
41/100
SERVICE
58/100
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{"metros":[{"rank":1,"metro":"New York","leader":"Premier Ford","searches":102100,"lat":40.71,"lng":-74.01},{"rank":2,"metro":"Los Angeles","leader":"Galpin Ford","searches":54710,"lat":34.05,"lng":-118.24},{"rank":3,"metro":"Chicago","leader":"Murgado Ford of Chicago","searches":43840,"lat":41.88,"lng":-87.63},{"rank":4,"metro":"Dallas-Fort Worth","leader":"Planet Ford Dallas","searches":46720,"lat":32.78,"lng":-96.8},{"rank":5,"metro":"Houston","leader":"Planet Ford Spring","searches":55940,"lat":29.76,"lng":-95.37},{"rank":6,"metro":"Atlanta","leader":"Jim Ellis Ford Sandy Springs","searches":28130,"lat":33.75,"lng":-84.39},{"rank":7,"metro":"Washington DC","leader":"Ourisman Ford of Alexandria","searches":17210,"lat":38.91,"lng":-77.04},{"rank":8,"metro":"Miami","leader":"AutoNation Ford Miami","searches":30050,"lat":25.77,"lng":-80.19},{"rank":9,"metro":"Philadelphia","leader":"Springfield Ford","searches":21710,"lat":39.95,"lng":-75.17},{"rank":10,"metro":"Phoenix","leader":"Sanderson Ford","searches":28520,"lat":33.45,"lng":-112.07},{"rank":11,"metro":"Boston","leader":"Herb Chambers Ford of Braintree","searches":14980,"lat":42.36,"lng":-71.06},{"rank":12,"metro":"Riverside","leader":"Fritts Ford","searches":14030,"lat":33.95,"lng":-117.4},{"rank":13,"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","leader":"Serramonte Ford","searches":28050,"lat":37.77,"lng":-122.42},{"rank":14,"metro":"Detroit","leader":"Pat Milliken Ford","searches":20170,"lat":42.33,"lng":-83.05},{"rank":15,"metro":"Seattle","leader":"Bowen Scarff Ford","searches":23140,"lat":47.61,"lng":-122.33},{"rank":16,"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","leader":"Midway Ford","searches":22420,"lat":44.98,"lng":-93.27},{"rank":17,"metro":"Tampa","leader":"Brandon Ford","searches":20350,"lat":27.95,"lng":-82.46},{"rank":18,"metro":"San Diego","leader":"Mossy Ford","searches":24790,"lat":32.72,"lng":-117.16},{"rank":19,"metro":"Denver","leader":"Schomp Ford","searches":28860,"lat":39.74,"lng":-104.99},{"rank":20,"metro":"Orlando","leader":"Mullinax Ford","searches":21150,"lat":28.54,"lng":-81.38},{"rank":21,"metro":"Charlotte","leader":"Mark Ficken Ford","searches":20980,"lat":35.23,"lng":-80.84},{"rank":22,"metro":"Baltimore","leader":"Norris Ford","searches":14160,"lat":39.29,"lng":-76.61},{"rank":23,"metro":"St. Louis","leader":"Bommarito Ford","searches":12180,"lat":38.63,"lng":-90.2},{"rank":24,"metro":"San Antonio","leader":"Jordan Ford","searches":24750,"lat":29.42,"lng":-98.49},{"rank":25,"metro":"Austin","leader":"Covert Ford","searches":25430,"lat":30.27,"lng":-97.74}]}
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TX","near_tie":false,"leader":"Planet Ford Spring","group":null,"sov":0.1459,"visibility":0.7173,"first_rate":0.194,"google":4.4,"dealerrater":4.6,"yelp":1.9},{"rank":6,"metro":"Atlanta","anchor":"Atlanta, GA","home":"Atlanta, GA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Jim Ellis Ford Sandy Springs","group":null,"sov":0.1821,"visibility":0.8433,"first_rate":0.3003,"google":4.4,"dealerrater":4.9,"yelp":3.4},{"rank":7,"metro":"Washington DC","anchor":"Washington, DC","home":"Alexandria, VA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Ourisman Ford of Alexandria","group":null,"sov":0.1178,"visibility":0.6001,"first_rate":0.1095,"google":4.2,"dealerrater":3.5,"yelp":2.1},{"rank":8,"metro":"Miami","anchor":"Miami, FL","home":"Miami Gardens, FL","near_tie":false,"leader":"AutoNation Ford Miami","group":"AutoNation","sov":0.198,"visibility":0.715,"first_rate":0.3414,"google":4.5,"dealerrater":4.8,"yelp":2.6},{"rank":9,"metro":"Philadelphia","anchor":"Philadelphia, PA","home":"Springfield Township, PA","near_tie":true,"leader":"Springfield Ford","group":null,"sov":0.0906,"visibility":0.3993,"first_rate":0.5669,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":2.7},{"rank":10,"metro":"Phoenix","anchor":"Phoenix, AZ","home":"Glendale, AZ","near_tie":false,"leader":"Sanderson Ford","group":null,"sov":0.1483,"visibility":0.8,"first_rate":0.3961,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":4.2,"yelp":3.7},{"rank":11,"metro":"Boston","anchor":"Boston, MA","home":"Braintree, MA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Herb Chambers Ford of Braintree","group":null,"sov":0.147,"visibility":0.6596,"first_rate":0.1818,"google":4.5,"dealerrater":4.6,"yelp":2.3},{"rank":12,"metro":"Riverside","anchor":"Riverside, CA","home":"Riverside, CA","near_tie":true,"leader":"Fritts Ford","group":null,"sov":0.0928,"visibility":0.3937,"first_rate":0.3007,"google":4.4,"dealerrater":4.8,"yelp":3.3},{"rank":13,"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","anchor":"San Francisco, CA","home":"Colma, CA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Serramonte 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Ford","group":null,"sov":0.1318,"visibility":0.69,"first_rate":0.3193,"google":4.4,"dealerrater":4.3,"yelp":3.3},{"rank":18,"metro":"San Diego","anchor":"San Diego, CA","home":"San Diego, CA","near_tie":true,"leader":"Mossy Ford","group":null,"sov":0.1628,"visibility":0.8077,"first_rate":0.1091,"google":4.5,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":3.4},{"rank":19,"metro":"Denver","anchor":"Denver, CO","home":"Denver, CO","near_tie":false,"leader":"Schomp Ford","group":null,"sov":0.1746,"visibility":0.7172,"first_rate":0.2167,"google":4.3,"dealerrater":4.5,"yelp":2.1},{"rank":20,"metro":"Orlando","anchor":"Orlando, FL","home":"Apopka, FL","near_tie":false,"leader":"Mullinax Ford","group":null,"sov":0.2009,"visibility":0.9523,"first_rate":0.5459,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":4.7,"yelp":2.6},{"rank":21,"metro":"Charlotte","anchor":"Charlotte, NC","home":"Charlotte, NC","near_tie":false,"leader":"Mark Ficken Ford","group":null,"sov":0.1558,"visibility":0.8072,"first_rate":0.1984,"google":4.6,"dealerrater":4.1,"yelp":2.1},{"rank":22,"metro":"Baltimore","anchor":"Baltimore, MD","home":"Baltimore, MD","near_tie":true,"leader":"Norris Ford","group":null,"sov":0.1279,"visibility":0.6926,"first_rate":0.42,"google":4.1,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":2.5},{"rank":23,"metro":"St. Louis","anchor":"St. Louis, MO","home":"Hazelwood, MO","near_tie":false,"leader":"Bommarito Ford","group":null,"sov":0.1606,"visibility":0.7697,"first_rate":0.5939,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":4.7,"yelp":2.6},{"rank":24,"metro":"San Antonio","anchor":"San Antonio, TX","home":"San Antonio, TX","near_tie":false,"leader":"Jordan Ford","group":null,"sov":0.2099,"visibility":0.8756,"first_rate":0.3718,"google":4.6,"dealerrater":3.9,"yelp":2.4},{"rank":25,"metro":"Austin","anchor":"Austin, TX","home":"Austin, TX","near_tie":false,"leader":"Covert Ford","group":null,"sov":0.2278,"visibility":0.8417,"first_rate":0.1565,"google":4.1,"dealerrater":3.0,"yelp":2.7}]
[{"title":"AI recommends locally","html":"In <strong>23 of 25</strong> metros, a dealer's share of voice falls as its distance from the metro's center grows - the strongest single force we measured, ahead of ratings and store size. The typical metro leader sits <strong>8 miles</strong> from the city center; the typical measured store sits 19."},{"title":"Higher-rated dealers are named earlier, not more often","html":"How highly a store is rated barely predicts whether AI names it at all. But comparing stores at a similar distance from the metro's center, the better-rated store is usually named earlier in the answer - the pattern holds in <strong>19 of 25</strong> metros. A strong rating does not make AI name a store more often; it moves the store earlier in the answer."},{"title":"Different dealers win sales and service","html":"In <strong>16 of 25</strong> metros, the dealer AI recommends for service is not the dealer it recommends for buying. In New York, <strong>Starks Ford of Queens</strong> wins the purchase questions while <strong>Premier Ford</strong> wins service."},{"title":"Yelp is a weak spot for some leaders","html":"<strong>15 of the 25</strong> metro leaders with a Yelp listing carry a rating below 3 stars. The lowest: Bowen Scarff Ford in Seattle at <strong>1.0★ on Yelp</strong> against 4.7★ on Google. Yelp is a major review source for AI answers, so the gap matters."},{"title":"DealerRater ratings vary far more than Google ratings","html":"The metro leaders are tied on Google, but on DealerRater - a review site AI reads in nearly every measured metro - their ratings run from <strong>3.0★ to 4.9★</strong>. The widest gap: Covert Ford in Austin holds 3.0★ on DealerRater against 4.1★ on Google."}]
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{"pattern_title":"The biggest store does not always win","pattern_html":"In 20 of 25 metros, the dealer AI recommends most is not the metro's biggest store by Google review count. The most extreme example: Premier Ford leads New York while ranking #21 of 32 stores by review count.","fine_html":"<strong>The ratings tie.</strong> Metro leaders average 4.5★ on Google against a 4.4★ field average - nearly every store holds a strong rating, so ratings alone do not separate the leaders from the field. Group membership is read from the dealership's own name (a store owned by a group but branded locally counts as local), and review counts select who we measure - they never enter the score.","buckets":[{"count":5,"title":"The metro's biggest store wins","sub":"size predicted the winner","items":[{"metro":"Charlotte","pos":"#1 of 19"},{"metro":"St. Louis","pos":"#1 of 19"},{"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","pos":"#1 of 20"},{"metro":"Houston","pos":"#1 of 21"},{"metro":"Los Angeles","pos":"#1 of 26"}]},{"count":15,"title":"A top-half store wins","sub":"big, but not the biggest","items":[{"metro":"San Diego","pos":"#6 of 11"},{"metro":"Austin","pos":"#5 of 10"},{"metro":"Miami","pos":"#6 of 13"},{"metro":"Atlanta","pos":"#9 of 20"},{"metro":"San Antonio","pos":"#4 of 9"},{"metro":"Riverside","pos":"#11 of 30"},{"metro":"Chicago","pos":"#15 of 41"},{"metro":"Boston","pos":"#8 of 24"},{"metro":"Dallas-Fort Worth","pos":"#7 of 23"},{"metro":"Philadelphia","pos":"#9 of 38"},{"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","pos":"#4 of 17"},{"metro":"Phoenix","pos":"#3 of 14"},{"metro":"Orlando","pos":"#3 of 18"},{"metro":"Tampa","pos":"#3 of 22"},{"metro":"Detroit","pos":"#2 of 37"}]},{"count":5,"title":"A bottom-half store wins","sub":"the winner is a smaller store","items":[{"metro":"Baltimore","pos":"#20 of 24"},{"metro":"Denver","pos":"#11 of 14"},{"metro":"Seattle","pos":"#14 of 18"},{"metro":"New York","pos":"#21 of 32"},{"metro":"Washington DC","pos":"#15 of 23"}]}]}
[{"value":"80%","label":"of metros: the biggest store (by review count) is not the AI leader"},{"value":"96%","label":"of leaders do not hold their metro's highest Google rating"},{"value":"96%","label":"of leaders carry their own local name, not a national group brand"},{"value":"44%","label":"of leaders are based in the metro's busiest shopping city"}]
[{"group":"AutoNation","metros":"1 metro"}]
{"groups":[{"key":"contested","count":17,"title":"Contested races","sub":"the runner-up is within striking distance","items":[{"metro":"Los Angeles","ratio":1.01},{"metro":"Chicago","ratio":1.01},{"metro":"Baltimore","ratio":1.01},{"metro":"San Diego","ratio":1.02},{"metro":"Philadelphia","ratio":1.05},{"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","ratio":1.06},{"metro":"Detroit","ratio":1.06},{"metro":"Washington DC","ratio":1.07},{"metro":"Riverside","ratio":1.07},{"metro":"Boston","ratio":1.07},{"metro":"New York","ratio":1.08},{"metro":"Austin","ratio":1.1},{"metro":"Seattle","ratio":1.1},{"metro":"Charlotte","ratio":1.12},{"metro":"Houston","ratio":1.12},{"metro":"Dallas-Fort Worth","ratio":1.17},{"metro":"Tampa","ratio":1.2}]},{"key":"clear","count":8,"title":"Clear leads","sub":"comfortably ahead, but not out of reach","items":[{"metro":"St. Louis","ratio":1.21},{"metro":"Orlando","ratio":1.27},{"metro":"Atlanta","ratio":1.28},{"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","ratio":1.29},{"metro":"Phoenix","ratio":1.31},{"metro":"San Antonio","ratio":1.34},{"metro":"Denver","ratio":1.37},{"metro":"Miami","ratio":1.59}]}],"scatter":[{"metro":"New York","full":"New York","dealer":"Premier Ford","leader":0.1425,"runner":0.1314,"searches":102100,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Los Angeles","full":"Los Angeles","dealer":"Galpin Ford","leader":0.1339,"runner":0.1332,"searches":54710,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Chicago","full":"Chicago","dealer":"Murgado Ford of Chicago","leader":0.106,"runner":0.1047,"searches":43840,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Dallas","full":"Dallas-Fort Worth","dealer":"Planet Ford Dallas","leader":0.127,"runner":0.1083,"searches":46720,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Houston","full":"Houston","dealer":"Planet Ford Spring","leader":0.1459,"runner":0.1301,"searches":55940,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Atlanta","full":"Atlanta","dealer":"Jim Ellis Ford Sandy Springs","leader":0.1821,"runner":0.1419,"searches":28130,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Washington DC","full":"Washington DC","dealer":"Ourisman Ford of Alexandria","leader":0.1178,"runner":0.1103,"searches":17210,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Miami","full":"Miami","dealer":"AutoNation Ford Miami","leader":0.198,"runner":0.1245,"searches":30050,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Philadelphia","full":"Philadelphia","dealer":"Springfield Ford","leader":0.0906,"runner":0.0864,"searches":21710,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Phoenix","full":"Phoenix","dealer":"Sanderson Ford","leader":0.1483,"runner":0.1132,"searches":28520,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Boston","full":"Boston","dealer":"Herb Chambers Ford of Braintree","leader":0.147,"runner":0.1369,"searches":14980,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Riverside","full":"Riverside","dealer":"Fritts Ford","leader":0.0928,"runner":0.0866,"searches":14030,"status":"open"},{"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","full":"San Francisco Bay Area","dealer":"Serramonte Ford","leader":0.129,"runner":0.1002,"searches":28050,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Detroit","full":"Detroit","dealer":"Pat Milliken Ford","leader":0.1311,"runner":0.1234,"searches":20170,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Seattle","full":"Seattle","dealer":"Bowen Scarff Ford","leader":0.1421,"runner":0.1293,"searches":23140,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Minneapolis","full":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","dealer":"Midway Ford","leader":0.1356,"runner":0.128,"searches":22420,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Tampa","full":"Tampa","dealer":"Brandon Ford","leader":0.1318,"runner":0.11,"searches":20350,"status":"open"},{"metro":"San Diego","full":"San Diego","dealer":"Mossy Ford","leader":0.1628,"runner":0.1598,"searches":24790,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Denver","full":"Denver","dealer":"Schomp Ford","leader":0.1746,"runner":0.1276,"searches":28860,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Orlando","full":"Orlando","dealer":"Mullinax Ford","leader":0.2009,"runner":0.1588,"searches":21150,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Charlotte","full":"Charlotte","dealer":"Mark Ficken Ford","leader":0.1558,"runner":0.1396,"searches":20980,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Baltimore","full":"Baltimore","dealer":"Norris Ford","leader":0.1279,"runner":0.1262,"searches":14160,"status":"open"},{"metro":"St. Louis","full":"St. Louis","dealer":"Bommarito Ford","leader":0.1606,"runner":0.1331,"searches":12180,"status":"held"},{"metro":"San Antonio","full":"San Antonio","dealer":"Jordan Ford","leader":0.2099,"runner":0.1562,"searches":24750,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Austin","full":"Austin","dealer":"Covert Ford","leader":0.2278,"runner":0.2074,"searches":25430,"status":"open"}],"intro_html":"Today's leaderboard can still change. In 17 of 25 metros the runner-up is within striking distance of the leader, and no leader anywhere holds a dominant share. The groups below sort the metros by the size of the leader's margin.","scatter_head_html":"<strong>How close every race is.</strong> Each bubble is one metro, sized by market size. Up: the share of voice the leading dealer holds. Across: the share the runner-up holds. On the dashed line, the leader and runner-up hold equal shares. The tinted zone just above it is striking distance; the higher a bubble sits above the line, the larger the leader's margin. 5 of the 10 biggest markets are in the striking-distance zone.","callout_title":"Most answers do not put the leader first","callout_html":"Metro leaders are named in 70% of answers but are the first dealer named in only 32%. How often AI names a dealer and how early it names them are separate measurements, and this report keeps them separate."}
Strengthen your profiles on the sites AI reads most
google.com, dealerrater.com, reddit.com are among the ten most-cited sources in at least 80% of the metros we measured. Strengthen those first: keep your Google Business Profile complete and actively managed, claim your DealerRater page and respond to its reviews, and take part in the local discussions where shoppers ask about dealers. Then add the review sites AI cites in your own market (the source table above shows the national picture).
Build real pages for the nearby markets you want to win
AI recommends locally: in 23 of 25 metros, the dealers it names most are the ones closest to where the shopper asks. You cannot move the store, but you can make your relevance to each nearby market visible. Give every city you serve its own page with real substance: the inventory you deliver there, the drive time from that city, the services those customers use, and reviews from real customers who live there. Thin copies of one page do not help; give AI real local content to cite.
Work on service visibility separately
In 16 of 25 metros, the dealer AI recommends for service is not the dealer it recommends for buying. Winning the sales conversation does not carry over. Service needs its own footprint: service pages on your website, service reviews, and service questions answered on the same sites.
Publish content only your dealership can offer
Leaders and the field are tied on Google ratings (4.5★ to 4.4★), so generic claims about quality do not separate anyone. Give the sites AI reads specific, factual material to cite: your actual inventory, real customer reviews, and the services your store offers - and keep it current.
Know where you stand
Every metro here was measured with the same non-branded questions real shoppers ask, and 17 of 25 metros are a contested race. You cannot aim any of the steps above without knowing your own position: which questions you win, which you lose, and to whom. That is what a dealer-level measurement shows.
Edmunds, AutoTrader and KBB are cited in every measured metro, but they sit well below the dealers' own sites and local sources - KBB peaks at #5 (Riverside); Edmunds and AutoTrader never crack a metro's ten most-cited.
