At NADA 2026 in Las Vegas, Covideo announced a new suite of AI video capabilities for its cutting edge video product serving auto dealerships.
Covideo, based in Indianapolis, was founded more than 20 years ago by two engineering students from Purdue University, said Covideo CEO Craig Zeutzius. “They were doing video before video was cool,” Zeutzius said. “They met a guy who had a close partnership with a dealer. So, we had this opportunity to bring the dealership experience to people through a customized and personalized video.”
The company also worked with other industries in the early years – all before the iPhone – but now it is virtually 100% in the automotive space. “They started out with the auto dealers and it was optimized for auto dealers,” Zeutzius said. “Then, of course, everything exploded with the iPhone.”
He added AI takes everything up to another level. Zeutzius emphasized AI “doesn’t replace the human connection, but it can make everything else so much easier.” Videos can be used for five or six major engagement points, but lead response is the most popular use, he said. For example, when an in-bound lead comes from the dealer’s CRM system, the dealer or salesperson can do more than just send a written description of the vehicle.
“You can actually have a conversation (on video) with a person who hasn’t come into the dealership, while you’re showing them the car,” Zeutzius said. “That is critically important, especially in the case of a used car, because they want to see that car.”
This is a video crafted in advance that the customer can look at and share with family or friends as they consider a car purchase, he said. Consumers can look at the video intro and walkaround in their own time, “Our (clients) are trying to build a relationship the way the buyers want,” Zeutzius said. “It’s on their terms.”
This means the buyer can know the dealer or salesperson before they even come into the dealership. This personalized video is the engagement piece and Covideo will track the engagement rate. Once they click on that, setting an appointment is the next step. “Ultimately, this allows the sales person to bring them into the dealership and close the deal,” Zeutzius said.
He said video walkaround is critical for used car dealers, where each car is different and customers look for different option packages. “We feel the video solution just fits hand-in-glove with what they need,” Zeutzius said.
There are certain characteristics of the used car the salesperson will want to highlight in a walkaround since the condition of the car and the specific options are so important to that customer. Questions may come in with the lead, so the video walkaround can help the dealership address those specific concerns, while also pointing out other details. But speed to lead is crucial, so Covideo’ system can two different walkarounds – a standard one when they receive the car and keep that in the library at the ready.
Zeutzius said Covideo’s new AI capabilities will help expand the benefits of the walkaround."While human-created videos remain the gold standard, our new AI solutions help busy dealerships achieve speed, consistency, and polish in their outreach," said Zeutzius.
Covideo's new AI video products–VIN Reels and AI Video Agent–require no recording or manual input from users to create professional, on-demand video content ready to send to customers. VIN Reels generates instant video showcases using VIN-specific photos and data from a dealer's inventory management system. “We build a production-ready video from those photos,” Zeutzius said.
It provides voiceover and background music tailored to the specific vehicle while highlighting its most prominent features in a polished video. “It actually looks at what the lead has requested and tris its best to talk about it in the way the lead wants, matching the narration with the image sequencing,” Zeutzius said.
Covideo’s other new tool is a virtual agent. AI Video Agent is a lifelike AI avatar that can provide personalized video responses to customers when prompted. Dealers can also use their agent as on-demand talent for videos covering new inventory, special deals, or other dealership-wide news.
For example, if a customer is looking at a specific Tacoma, the agent would respond in this way: “I’m Craig. I’m John’s personal assistant I’ve prepared a package of information for you on the Tacoma that you’re interested in. Check it out and schedule an appointment and test drive.” All this can be done with two clicks with AI, Zeutzius said. The VIN Reel can be added on to the response.
Covideo gives dealers full control of when to use AI in their workflow—it does not deploy automatically or without approval. Covideo AI can help ramp up new or hesitant users, provide additional coverage for busy dealerships, and send videos when conditions like weather, staffing, or time prevent in-person recording.
All of these tools are guided by the dealers, using their expertise to get the most out of the technology, Zeutzius said.
