In 24 of America's 25 biggest metro areas, Lincoln dealers compete for AI's recommendation, and AI already has a favorite in each. This report names all 24. The other metro has a single Lincoln dealer, and the report shows how often AI names it. In 16 of those 24 metros the AI leader is not the metro's biggest store by review count, and the leaders' average Google rating (4.6★) is no better than the field's (4.5★). Store size and Google ratings do not decide who AI recommends. And with 16 of those 24 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.
24 metro AI leaders named
1 metro with one Lincoln dealer
67% of metros with more than one dealer: the biggest store is not the AI leader
67% of metros with more than one dealer 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln (based in Brooklyn, NY) leads with 16% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share is within 1 point, named in 60% of answers, named first 18% of the time. Google 3.9★, Yelp 2.0★.
Los Angeles - Galpin Lincoln (based in North Hills, CA) leads with 23% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share is within 1 point, named in 78% of answers, named first 70% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 4.5★.
Chicago - Fair Oaks Lincoln (based in Naperville, IL) leads with 17% share of voice, named in 70% of answers, named first 45% of the time. Google 4.8★, Yelp 3.5★.
Dallas-Fort Worth - Grapevine Lincoln (based in Grapevine, TX) leads with 30% share of voice, named in 84% of answers, named first 15% of the time. Google 4.5★, Yelp 2.5★.
Houston - Bayway Lincoln (based in Houston, TX) leads with 35% share of voice, named in 94% of answers, named first 56% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 2.8★.
Atlanta - Angela Krause Lincoln (based in Alpharetta, GA) leads with 28% share of voice, named in 90% of answers, named first 22% of the time. Google 4.6★, Yelp 5.0★.
Washington DC - Koons Lincoln of Bethesda (based in Bethesda, MD) leads with 25% share of voice, named in 75% of answers, named first 51% of the time. Google 4.8★, Yelp 2.4★.
Miami - Lincoln North Miami (based in North Miami, FL) leads with 23% share of voice, named in 80% of answers, named first 45% of the time. Google 4.8★, Yelp 4.0★.
Philadelphia - Bergey’s Lincoln (based in Lansdale, PA) leads with 22% share of voice, named in 74% of answers, named first 31% of the time. Google 4.6★, Yelp 3.3★.
Phoenix - Sanderson Lincoln (based in Phoenix, AZ) leads with 41% share of voice, named in 97% of answers, named first 66% of the time. Google 4.8★, Yelp 4.0★.
Boston - Herb Chambers Lincoln of Norwood (based in Norwood, MA) leads with 35% share of voice, named in 90% of answers, named first 48% of the time. Google 4.8★, Yelp 2.5★.
Riverside - Lincoln South Coast (based in Santa Ana, CA) leads with 61% share of voice, named in 77% of answers, named first 63% of the time. Google 4.8★, Yelp 4.1★.
San Francisco Bay Area - Stevens Creek Lincoln (based in San Jose, CA) leads with 40% share of voice, named in 82% of answers, named first 65% of the time. Google 4.2★, Yelp 4.5★.
Detroit - Crest Lincoln (based in Sterling Heights, MI) leads with 16% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share is within 1 point, named in 69% of answers, named first 16% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 3.5★.
Seattle - Evergreen Lincoln (based in Issaquah, WA) leads with 35% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share is within 1 point, named in 90% of answers, named first 47% of the time. Google 4.4★, Yelp 3.0★.
Minneapolis-St. Paul - Lincoln of Bloomington (based in Bloomington, MN) leads with 29% share of voice; a near-tie - the runner-up's share is within 1 point, named in 89% of answers, named first 37% of the time. Google 4.6★, Yelp 2.2★.
Tampa - Parks Lincoln of Tampa (based in Tampa, FL) leads with 27% share of voice, named in 81% of answers, named first 51% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 3.8★.
San Diego - Sedano Lincoln (based in La Mesa, CA) is the only Lincoln dealer in the metro's measured footprint, named in 98% of answers. Google 4.8★, Yelp 3.9★.
Denver - Landmark Lincoln (based in Englewood, CO) leads with 49% share of voice, named in 98% of answers, named first 92% of the time. Google 4.9★, Yelp 3.9★.
Orlando - Central Florida Lincoln (based in Orlando, FL) leads with 40% share of voice, named in 92% of answers, named first 42% of the time. Google 4.4★, Yelp 2.4★.
Charlotte - Mark Ficken Lincoln (based in Charlotte, NC) leads with 70% share of voice, named in 98% of answers, named first 96% of the time. Google 4.6★, Yelp 2.4★.
Baltimore - Apple Lincoln (based in Columbia, MD) leads with 28% share of voice, named in 77% of answers, named first 25% of the time. Google 3.9★, Yelp not rated.
St. Louis - Dave Sinclair Lincoln (based in Ballwin, MO) leads with 53% share of voice, named in 96% of answers, named first 89% of the time. Google 4.8★, Yelp not rated.
San Antonio - North Park Lincoln (based in San Antonio, TX) leads with 37% share of voice, named in 96% of answers, named first 55% of the time. Google 4.7★, Yelp 3.7★.
Austin - Covert Lincoln (based in Austin, TX) leads with 47% share of voice, named in 98% of answers, named first 86% of the time. Google 4.5★, Yelp 2.7★.
Monthly brand and model searches across each metro's measured cities - the demand AI answers compete for:
New York - 15,710 searches per month
Houston - 7,260 searches per month
Chicago - 7,190 searches per month
Dallas-Fort Worth - 5,910 searches per month
Detroit - 4,680 searches per month
Los Angeles - 4,490 searches per month
Miami - 4,230 searches per month
Atlanta - 3,730 searches per month
San Antonio - 3,650 searches per month
Minneapolis-St. Paul - 3,560 searches per month
Tampa - 3,120 searches per month
Phoenix - 3,110 searches per month
Orlando - 2,950 searches per month
Denver - 2,720 searches per month
Austin - 2,680 searches per month
Philadelphia - 2,580 searches per month
San Francisco Bay Area - 2,510 searches per month
Charlotte - 2,490 searches per month
St. Louis - 2,060 searches per month
Washington DC - 2,050 searches per month
San Diego - 1,970 searches per month
Seattle - 1,940 searches per month
Boston - 1,710 searches per month
Baltimore - 1,570 searches per month
Riverside - 950 searches per month
What AI reads, nationally
The websites AI cited most when answering shopper questions across the 25 measured metros, as a share of all citations:
google.com - 33.7% of citations
dealerrater.com - 4.0% of citations
caredge.com - 3.8% of citations
carfax.com - 3.5% of citations
cargurus.com - 2.9% of citations
yelp.com - 2.5% of citations
cars.com - 2.3% of citations
lincoln.com - 2.0% of citations
autotrader.com - 2.0% of citations
kbb.com - 1.8% of citations
birdeye.com - 1.3% of citations
capitalone.com - 1.3% of citations
cbac.com - 1.2% of citations
connectcdk.com - 1.0% of citations
widewail.com - 0.7% of citations
National insights
AI recommends locally. In 13 of 15 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 13 miles from the city center; the typical measured store sits 20.
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 11 of 15 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 10 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer, the dealer AI recommends for service is not the dealer it recommends for buying. In New York, Lincoln of Queens wins the purchase questions while Premier Lincoln wins service.
Yelp is a weak spot for some leaders.9 of the 23 dealers in the table above with a Yelp listing carry a rating below 3 stars. Yelp is a major review source for AI answers, so the gap matters.
DealerRater ratings vary far more than Google ratings. The dealers in the table above are tied on Google, but on DealerRater - a review site AI reads in nearly every measured metro - their ratings run from 3.6★ to 5.0★. The widest gap: Central Florida Lincoln in Orlando holds 3.6★ on DealerRater against 4.4★ on Google.
What To Do
Build real pages for the nearby markets you want to win. AI recommends locally: in 13 of 15 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 10 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer, 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 (4.6★ to 4.5★), 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 16 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer 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.
Claim and work your Yelp listing. 9 of the 23 leading dealers we could rate score below 3.0 on Yelp, while those same dealers average 4.6★ on Google. AI assistants read both. Claim the listing, reply to the reviews already there, keep your hours and services current, and ask satisfied customers to post where shoppers are already looking.
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 Lincoln
16%*
60%
18%
3.9★
2.0★
2
Los Angeles
North Hills, CA
Galpin Lincoln
23%*
78%
70%
4.7★
4.5★
3
Chicago
Naperville, IL
Fair Oaks Lincoln
17%
70%
45%
4.8★
3.5★
4
Dallas-Fort Worth
Grapevine, TX
Grapevine Lincoln
30%
84%
15%
4.5★
2.5★
5
Houston
Houston, TX
Bayway Lincoln
35%
94%
56%
4.7★
2.8★
6
Atlanta
Alpharetta, GA
Angela Krause Lincoln
28%
90%
22%
4.6★
5.0★
7
Washington DC
Bethesda, MD
Koons Lincoln of Bethesda
25%
75%
51%
4.8★
2.4★
8
Miami
North Miami, FL
Lincoln North Miami
23%
80%
45%
4.8★
4.0★
9
Philadelphia
Lansdale, PA
Bergey’s Lincoln
22%
74%
31%
4.6★
3.3★
10
Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ
Sanderson Lincoln
41%
97%
66%
4.8★
4.0★
11
Boston
Norwood, MA
Herb Chambers Lincoln of Norwood
35%
90%
48%
4.8★
2.5★
12
Riverside
Santa Ana, CA
Lincoln South Coast
61%
77%
63%
4.8★
4.1★
13
San Francisco Bay Area
San Jose, CA
Stevens Creek Lincoln
40%
82%
65%
4.2★
4.5★
14
Detroit
Sterling Heights, MI
Crest Lincoln
16%*
69%
16%
4.7★
3.5★
15
Seattle
Issaquah, WA
Evergreen Lincoln
35%*
90%
47%
4.4★
3.0★
16
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Bloomington, MN
Lincoln of Bloomington
29%*
89%
37%
4.6★
2.2★
17
Tampa
Tampa, FL
Parks Lincoln of Tampa
27%
81%
51%
4.7★
3.8★
18
San Diego
La Mesa, CA
Sedano Lincoln
Only dealer
98%
-
4.8★
3.9★
19
Denver
Englewood, CO
Landmark Lincoln
49%
98%
92%
4.9★
3.9★
20
Orlando
Orlando, FL
Central Florida Lincoln
40%
92%
42%
4.4★
2.4★
21
Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
Mark Ficken Lincoln
70%
98%
96%
4.6★
2.4★
22
Baltimore
Columbia, MD
Apple Lincoln
28%
77%
25%
3.9★
-
23
St. Louis
Ballwin, MO
Dave Sinclair Lincoln
53%
96%
89%
4.8★
-
24
San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
North Park Lincoln
37%
96%
55%
4.7★
3.7★
25
Austin
Austin, TX
Covert Lincoln
47%
98%
86%
4.5★
2.7★
A share marked * is a near-tie: the runner-up's share is within 1 point, and the ranking follows the unrounded scores. In 5 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer the lead is this close. Only dealer: the metro's measured footprint holds one Lincoln dealer, so share of voice and named-first do not apply there. Bars are scaled to the top share in this table (70%).
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. Each website is shown as its
share of all the citations AI made across the 25 measured metros. Getting listed and
well-reviewed on the sources that rank highest here is how a dealer gets into AI answers.
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 Lincoln - 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 Lincoln 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. In 1 metro the measured footprint holds one Lincoln dealership; that metro is reported by how often AI names that dealer, and is left out of the findings that compare a leader with its rivals.
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. A dealer counts as part of a dealer group only when the group's name is in the dealership's own name, so a store a group owns but brands locally counts as local. Review counts decide which dealers we measure; they never enter the score. 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 Lincoln","searches":15710,"lat":40.71,"lng":-74.01},{"rank":2,"metro":"Los Angeles","leader":"Galpin Lincoln","searches":4490,"lat":34.05,"lng":-118.24},{"rank":3,"metro":"Chicago","leader":"Fair Oaks Lincoln","searches":7190,"lat":41.88,"lng":-87.63},{"rank":4,"metro":"Dallas-Fort Worth","leader":"Grapevine Lincoln","searches":5910,"lat":32.78,"lng":-96.8},{"rank":5,"metro":"Houston","leader":"Bayway Lincoln","searches":7260,"lat":29.76,"lng":-95.37},{"rank":6,"metro":"Atlanta","leader":"Angela Krause Lincoln","searches":3730,"lat":33.75,"lng":-84.39},{"rank":7,"metro":"Washington DC","leader":"Koons Lincoln of Bethesda","searches":2050,"lat":38.91,"lng":-77.04},{"rank":8,"metro":"Miami","leader":"Lincoln North Miami","searches":4230,"lat":25.77,"lng":-80.19},{"rank":9,"metro":"Philadelphia","leader":"Bergey’s Lincoln","searches":2580,"lat":39.95,"lng":-75.17},{"rank":10,"metro":"Phoenix","leader":"Sanderson Lincoln","searches":3110,"lat":33.45,"lng":-112.07},{"rank":11,"metro":"Boston","leader":"Herb Chambers Lincoln of Norwood","searches":1710,"lat":42.36,"lng":-71.06},{"rank":12,"metro":"Riverside","leader":"Lincoln South Coast","searches":950,"lat":33.95,"lng":-117.4},{"rank":13,"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","leader":"Stevens Creek Lincoln","searches":2510,"lat":37.77,"lng":-122.42},{"rank":14,"metro":"Detroit","leader":"Crest Lincoln","searches":4680,"lat":42.33,"lng":-83.05},{"rank":15,"metro":"Seattle","leader":"Evergreen Lincoln","searches":1940,"lat":47.61,"lng":-122.33},{"rank":16,"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","leader":"Lincoln of Bloomington","searches":3560,"lat":44.98,"lng":-93.27},{"rank":17,"metro":"Tampa","leader":"Parks Lincoln of Tampa","searches":3120,"lat":27.95,"lng":-82.46},{"rank":18,"metro":"San Diego","leader":"Sedano Lincoln","searches":1970,"lat":32.72,"lng":-117.16},{"rank":19,"metro":"Denver","leader":"Landmark Lincoln","searches":2720,"lat":39.74,"lng":-104.99},{"rank":20,"metro":"Orlando","leader":"Central Florida Lincoln","searches":2950,"lat":28.54,"lng":-81.38},{"rank":21,"metro":"Charlotte","leader":"Mark Ficken Lincoln","searches":2490,"lat":35.23,"lng":-80.84},{"rank":22,"metro":"Baltimore","leader":"Apple Lincoln","searches":1570,"lat":39.29,"lng":-76.61},{"rank":23,"metro":"St. Louis","leader":"Dave Sinclair Lincoln","searches":2060,"lat":38.63,"lng":-90.2},{"rank":24,"metro":"San Antonio","leader":"North Park Lincoln","searches":3650,"lat":29.42,"lng":-98.49},{"rank":25,"metro":"Austin","leader":"Covert Lincoln","searches":2680,"lat":30.27,"lng":-97.74}]}
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TX","home":"Houston, TX","near_tie":false,"leader":"Bayway Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.3504,"visibility":0.937,"first_rate":0.563,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":4.9,"yelp":2.8},{"rank":6,"metro":"Atlanta","anchor":"Atlanta, GA","home":"Alpharetta, GA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Angela Krause Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.2833,"visibility":0.8999,"first_rate":0.2167,"google":4.6,"dealerrater":4.4,"yelp":5.0},{"rank":7,"metro":"Washington DC","anchor":"Washington, DC","home":"Bethesda, MD","near_tie":false,"leader":"Koons Lincoln of Bethesda","group":null,"sov":0.2471,"visibility":0.7516,"first_rate":0.5091,"google":4.8,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":2.4},{"rank":8,"metro":"Miami","anchor":"Miami, FL","home":"North Miami, FL","near_tie":false,"leader":"Lincoln North Miami","group":null,"sov":0.2348,"visibility":0.7951,"first_rate":0.4511,"google":4.8,"dealerrater":4.9,"yelp":4.0},{"rank":9,"metro":"Philadelphia","anchor":"Philadelphia, PA","home":"Lansdale, PA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Bergey’s Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.2186,"visibility":0.7371,"first_rate":0.3061,"google":4.6,"dealerrater":4.5,"yelp":3.3},{"rank":10,"metro":"Phoenix","anchor":"Phoenix, AZ","home":"Phoenix, AZ","near_tie":false,"leader":"Sanderson Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.4071,"visibility":0.9683,"first_rate":0.6576,"google":4.8,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":4.0},{"rank":11,"metro":"Boston","anchor":"Boston, MA","home":"Norwood, MA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Herb Chambers Lincoln of Norwood","group":null,"sov":0.3469,"visibility":0.9038,"first_rate":0.4824,"google":4.8,"dealerrater":4.8,"yelp":2.5},{"rank":12,"metro":"Riverside","anchor":"Riverside, CA","home":"Santa Ana, CA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Lincoln South Coast","group":null,"sov":0.6127,"visibility":0.7746,"first_rate":0.6278,"google":4.8,"dealerrater":5.0,"yelp":4.1},{"rank":13,"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","anchor":"San Francisco, CA","home":"San Jose, CA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Stevens Creek Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.4015,"visibility":0.8229,"first_rate":0.654,"google":4.2,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":4.5},{"rank":14,"metro":"Detroit","anchor":"Detroit, MI","home":"Sterling Heights, MI","near_tie":true,"leader":"Crest Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.1607,"visibility":0.6905,"first_rate":0.1607,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":4.8,"yelp":3.5},{"rank":15,"metro":"Seattle","anchor":"Seattle, WA","home":"Issaquah, WA","near_tie":true,"leader":"Evergreen Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.3488,"visibility":0.9012,"first_rate":0.4705,"google":4.4,"dealerrater":4.9,"yelp":3.0},{"rank":16,"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","anchor":"Minneapolis, MN","home":"Bloomington, MN","near_tie":true,"leader":"Lincoln of Bloomington","group":null,"sov":0.2909,"visibility":0.8926,"first_rate":0.3695,"google":4.6,"dealerrater":4.0,"yelp":2.2},{"rank":17,"metro":"Tampa","anchor":"Tampa, FL","home":"Tampa, FL","near_tie":false,"leader":"Parks Lincoln of Tampa","group":null,"sov":0.2722,"visibility":0.8119,"first_rate":0.5115,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":4.9,"yelp":3.8},{"rank":18,"metro":"San Diego","anchor":"San Diego, CA","home":"La Mesa, CA","near_tie":false,"leader":"Sedano Lincoln","group":null,"sov":1.0,"visibility":0.9755,"first_rate":1.0,"google":4.8,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":3.9,"solo":true},{"rank":19,"metro":"Denver","anchor":"Denver, CO","home":"Englewood, CO","near_tie":false,"leader":"Landmark Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.4921,"visibility":0.9814,"first_rate":0.9154,"google":4.9,"dealerrater":4.9,"yelp":3.9},{"rank":20,"metro":"Orlando","anchor":"Orlando, FL","home":"Orlando, FL","near_tie":false,"leader":"Central Florida Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.4045,"visibility":0.9159,"first_rate":0.4249,"google":4.4,"dealerrater":3.6,"yelp":2.4},{"rank":21,"metro":"Charlotte","anchor":"Charlotte, NC","home":"Charlotte, NC","near_tie":false,"leader":"Mark Ficken Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.6994,"visibility":0.9822,"first_rate":0.9587,"google":4.6,"dealerrater":4.4,"yelp":2.4},{"rank":22,"metro":"Baltimore","anchor":"Baltimore, MD","home":"Columbia, MD","near_tie":false,"leader":"Apple Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.2816,"visibility":0.7709,"first_rate":0.2528,"google":3.9,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":null},{"rank":23,"metro":"St. Louis","anchor":"St. Louis, MO","home":"Ballwin, MO","near_tie":false,"leader":"Dave Sinclair Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.5301,"visibility":0.9603,"first_rate":0.8872,"google":4.8,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":null},{"rank":24,"metro":"San Antonio","anchor":"San Antonio, TX","home":"San Antonio, TX","near_tie":false,"leader":"North Park Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.3706,"visibility":0.9554,"first_rate":0.545,"google":4.7,"dealerrater":4.8,"yelp":3.7},{"rank":25,"metro":"Austin","anchor":"Austin, TX","home":"Austin, TX","near_tie":false,"leader":"Covert Lincoln","group":null,"sov":0.4662,"visibility":0.983,"first_rate":0.8581,"google":4.5,"dealerrater":null,"yelp":2.7}]
[{"title":"AI recommends locally","html":"In <strong>13 of 15</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>13 miles</strong> from the city center; the typical measured store sits 20."},{"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>11 of 15</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>10 of the 24</strong> metros with more than one dealer, the dealer AI recommends for service is not the dealer it recommends for buying. In New York, <strong>Lincoln of Queens</strong> wins the purchase questions while <strong>Premier Lincoln</strong> wins service."},{"title":"Yelp is a weak spot for some leaders","html":"<strong>9 of the 23</strong> dealers in the table above with a Yelp listing carry a rating below 3 stars. Yelp is a major review source for AI answers, so the gap matters."},{"title":"DealerRater ratings vary far more than Google ratings","html":"The dealers in the table above are tied on Google, but on DealerRater - a review site AI reads in nearly every measured metro - their ratings run from <strong>3.6★ to 5.0★</strong>. The widest gap: Central Florida Lincoln in Orlando holds 3.6★ on DealerRater against 4.4★ on Google."}]
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[{"metro":"New York","searches":15710},{"metro":"Houston","searches":7260},{"metro":"Chicago","searches":7190},{"metro":"Dallas-Fort Worth","searches":5910},{"metro":"Detroit","searches":4680},{"metro":"Los Angeles","searches":4490},{"metro":"Miami","searches":4230},{"metro":"Atlanta","searches":3730},{"metro":"San Antonio","searches":3650},{"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","searches":3560},{"metro":"Tampa","searches":3120},{"metro":"Phoenix","searches":3110},{"metro":"Orlando","searches":2950},{"metro":"Denver","searches":2720},{"metro":"Austin","searches":2680},{"metro":"Philadelphia","searches":2580},{"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","searches":2510},{"metro":"Charlotte","searches":2490},{"metro":"St. Louis","searches":2060},{"metro":"Washington DC","searches":2050},{"metro":"San Diego","searches":1970},{"metro":"Seattle","searches":1940},{"metro":"Boston","searches":1710},{"metro":"Baltimore","searches":1570},{"metro":"Riverside","searches":950}]
{"pattern_title":"The biggest store does not always win","pattern_html":"In 16 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer, the dealer AI recommends most is not the metro's biggest store by Google review count. The most extreme example: Premier Lincoln leads New York while ranking #10 of 14 stores by review count.","fine_html":"","buckets":[{"count":8,"title":"The metro's biggest store wins","sub":"size predicted the winner","items":[{"metro":"Riverside","pos":"#1 of 2"},{"metro":"St. Louis","pos":"#1 of 2"},{"metro":"Phoenix","pos":"#1 of 3"},{"metro":"Denver","pos":"#1 of 3"},{"metro":"San Antonio","pos":"#1 of 3"},{"metro":"Houston","pos":"#1 of 4"},{"metro":"Boston","pos":"#1 of 4"},{"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","pos":"#1 of 4"}]},{"count":8,"title":"A top-half store wins","sub":"big, but not the biggest","items":[{"metro":"Miami","pos":"#3 of 6"},{"metro":"Orlando","pos":"#2 of 4"},{"metro":"Detroit","pos":"#4 of 9"},{"metro":"Washington DC","pos":"#2 of 5"},{"metro":"Los Angeles","pos":"#2 of 6"},{"metro":"Tampa","pos":"#2 of 7"},{"metro":"Chicago","pos":"#3 of 11"},{"metro":"Philadelphia","pos":"#2 of 8"}]},{"count":4,"title":"A bottom-half store wins","sub":"the winner is a smaller store","items":[{"metro":"Baltimore","pos":"#4 of 5"},{"metro":"Dallas-Fort Worth","pos":"#3 of 4"},{"metro":"Atlanta","pos":"#3 of 4"},{"metro":"New York","pos":"#10 of 14"}]},{"count":4,"title":"The smallest store measured wins","sub":"dead last in size - and still the AI leader","items":[{"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","pos":"#3 of 3"},{"metro":"Seattle","pos":"#3 of 3"},{"metro":"Charlotte","pos":"#2 of 2"},{"metro":"Austin","pos":"#3 of 3"}]}]}
[{"value":"67%","label":"of metros with more than one dealer: the biggest store (by review count) is not the AI leader"},{"value":"58%","label":"of leaders do not hold their metro's highest Google rating"},{"value":"100%","label":"of leaders carry their own local name, not a national group brand"},{"value":"29%","label":"of leaders are based in the metro's busiest shopping city"}]
[]
{"groups":[{"key":"contested","count":16,"title":"Contested races","sub":"the runner-up is within striking distance","items":[{"metro":"Seattle","ratio":1.02},{"metro":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","ratio":1.03},{"metro":"New York","ratio":1.04},{"metro":"Los Angeles","ratio":1.04},{"metro":"Atlanta","ratio":1.06},{"metro":"Orlando","ratio":1.06},{"metro":"Baltimore","ratio":1.06},{"metro":"Detroit","ratio":1.06},{"metro":"San Antonio","ratio":1.07},{"metro":"Boston","ratio":1.08},{"metro":"Washington DC","ratio":1.08},{"metro":"Philadelphia","ratio":1.08},{"metro":"Miami","ratio":1.09},{"metro":"Austin","ratio":1.09},{"metro":"Dallas-Fort Worth","ratio":1.09},{"metro":"St. Louis","ratio":1.13}]},{"key":"clear","count":7,"title":"Clear leads","sub":"comfortably ahead, but not out of reach","items":[{"metro":"Chicago","ratio":1.21},{"metro":"Phoenix","ratio":1.23},{"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","ratio":1.24},{"metro":"Tampa","ratio":1.25},{"metro":"Houston","ratio":1.42},{"metro":"Denver","ratio":1.42},{"metro":"Riverside","ratio":1.58}]},{"key":"dominant","count":1,"title":"Dominant leads","sub":"the leader holds at least 2x the runner-up's share","items":[{"metro":"Charlotte","ratio":2.33}]}],"scatter":[{"metro":"New York","full":"New York","dealer":"Premier Lincoln","leader":0.1564,"runner":0.151,"searches":15710,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Los Angeles","full":"Los Angeles","dealer":"Galpin Lincoln","leader":0.2254,"runner":0.2171,"searches":4490,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Chicago","full":"Chicago","dealer":"Fair Oaks Lincoln","leader":0.17,"runner":0.1401,"searches":7190,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Dallas","full":"Dallas-Fort Worth","dealer":"Grapevine Lincoln","leader":0.3032,"runner":0.2777,"searches":5910,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Houston","full":"Houston","dealer":"Bayway Lincoln","leader":0.3504,"runner":0.2473,"searches":7260,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Atlanta","full":"Atlanta","dealer":"Angela Krause Lincoln","leader":0.2833,"runner":0.2679,"searches":3730,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Washington DC","full":"Washington DC","dealer":"Koons Lincoln of Bethesda","leader":0.2471,"runner":0.229,"searches":2050,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Miami","full":"Miami","dealer":"Lincoln North Miami","leader":0.2348,"runner":0.216,"searches":4230,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Philadelphia","full":"Philadelphia","dealer":"Bergey’s Lincoln","leader":0.2186,"runner":0.2024,"searches":2580,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Phoenix","full":"Phoenix","dealer":"Sanderson Lincoln","leader":0.4071,"runner":0.3316,"searches":3110,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Boston","full":"Boston","dealer":"Herb Chambers Lincoln of Norwood","leader":0.3469,"runner":0.3216,"searches":1710,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Riverside","full":"Riverside","dealer":"Lincoln South Coast","leader":0.6127,"runner":0.3873,"searches":950,"status":"held"},{"metro":"San Francisco Bay Area","full":"San Francisco Bay Area","dealer":"Stevens Creek Lincoln","leader":0.4015,"runner":0.3234,"searches":2510,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Detroit","full":"Detroit","dealer":"Crest Lincoln","leader":0.1607,"runner":0.1513,"searches":4680,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Seattle","full":"Seattle","dealer":"Evergreen Lincoln","leader":0.3488,"runner":0.3421,"searches":1940,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Minneapolis","full":"Minneapolis-St. Paul","dealer":"Lincoln of Bloomington","leader":0.2909,"runner":0.2822,"searches":3560,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Tampa","full":"Tampa","dealer":"Parks Lincoln of Tampa","leader":0.2722,"runner":0.2174,"searches":3120,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Denver","full":"Denver","dealer":"Landmark Lincoln","leader":0.4921,"runner":0.3461,"searches":2720,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Orlando","full":"Orlando","dealer":"Central Florida Lincoln","leader":0.4045,"runner":0.3821,"searches":2950,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Charlotte","full":"Charlotte","dealer":"Mark Ficken Lincoln","leader":0.6994,"runner":0.3006,"searches":2490,"status":"held"},{"metro":"Baltimore","full":"Baltimore","dealer":"Apple Lincoln","leader":0.2816,"runner":0.2654,"searches":1570,"status":"open"},{"metro":"St. Louis","full":"St. Louis","dealer":"Dave Sinclair Lincoln","leader":0.5301,"runner":0.4699,"searches":2060,"status":"open"},{"metro":"San Antonio","full":"San Antonio","dealer":"North Park Lincoln","leader":0.3706,"runner":0.345,"searches":3650,"status":"open"},{"metro":"Austin","full":"Austin","dealer":"Covert Lincoln","leader":0.4662,"runner":0.4282,"searches":2680,"status":"open"}],"intro_html":"Today's leaderboard can still change. In 16 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer the runner-up is within striking distance of the leader, and only 1 leader holds a dominant share. San Diego has one measured rooftop, so there is no race to measure there and it is not grouped below. The groups below sort the raced 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. 8 of the 10 biggest markets shown are in the striking-distance zone.","callout_title":"Most answers do not put the leader first","callout_html":"Metro leaders are named in 85% of answers but are the first dealer named in only 51%. How often AI names a dealer and how early it names them are separate measurements, and this report keeps them separate."}
Build real pages for the nearby markets you want to win
AI recommends locally: in 13 of 15 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 10 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer, 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 (4.6★ to 4.5★), 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 16 of the 24 metros with more than one dealer 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.
Claim and work your Yelp listing
9 of the 23 leading dealers we could rate score below 3.0 on Yelp, while those same dealers average 4.6★ on Google. AI assistants read both. Claim the listing, reply to the reviews already there, keep your hours and services current, and ask satisfied customers to post where shoppers are already looking.
Edmunds, AutoTrader and KBB are cited in every measured metro, but they sit well below the dealers' own sites and local sources - AutoTrader peaks at #4 (San Diego); KBB peaks at #7 (San Diego); Edmunds never cracks a metro's ten most-cited.
