From hundreds to thousands of inquiries in two months: how AI on WhatsApp is transforming how South Africans buy cars

From hundreds to thousands of inquiries in two months: how AI on WhatsApp is transforming how South Africans buy cars

Cape Town, South Africa – Cars.co.za’s AI WhatsApp chatbot has achieved a significant increase in dealership leads in just two months, thanks to its latest AI-powered feature developed in partnership with local chatbot specialists, rather.chat.

The new ‘Virtual Car Showroom’ feature, which went live in July 2025, was designed to boost dealership inquiries nationwide and simplify the customer journey for financing, buying, or selling vehicles. Within weeks, WhatsApp purchase inquiries surged by over 1000%: a record-breaking leap that confirms South African consumers want faster, smarter ways to shop for cars.

“The whole process happens in a single WhatsApp conversation,” says Alan Quinn, Executive in Charge of Product and Partnerships at Cars.co.za. “We’re proud to give our users a new interface to browse for their dream car plus provide our dealers with valuable leads to sell cars.”

Dubbed the ‘Virtual Car Showroom’ for a reason, the AI solution delivers personalised vehicle recommendations tailored to each customer based on their previous interactions on Cars.co.za. From make and mileage to colour and model year, the AI-bot analyses key preferences to instantly generate a tailored carousel of up to 10 vehicle options. Once a buyer finds a match, they’re connected directly with the relevant dealership, completing the lead journey in one seamless chat.

Conversions have soared alongside inquiries. More than one in three users who engaged with the carousel went on to submit their details as potential buyers, delivering a 31.3% engagement-to-lead rate for dealerships.

“This is the strongest proof yet that South African consumers want to continue their car purchase journeys inside WhatsApp, rather than return to a website,” says Jonathan Elcock, co-founder and CEO at rather.chat. “This is an exciting opportunity for dealerships, as Cars.co.za continues to strengthen its ability to drive meaningful conversions in an increasingly competitive market. The new WhatsApp tool, available exclusively for dealerships under Cars.co.za, is designed to connect dealerships with these serious buyers while providing data insights, tools, and support that help turn inquiries into real sales.”

The success story offers a blueprint far beyond motoring. Elcock believes sectors like property finance and insurance will be next: “Customers want one thing: fast, personalised service inside the channel they already use every day. Businesses like Cars.co.za that seek to adopt this new way of doing business, today, will lead the market, tomorrow.”

With Cars.co.za setting the benchmark, chat-commerce is now positioned to redefine how South Africans buy, sell, and finance not only cars, but virtually every major purchase decision.