Digitising India’s Auto Dealerships: Insights From Meta & FADA’s Whitepaper

The whitepaper and playbook highlight the changing consumer behavior and preferences in the automotive segment driven by digital adoption

Meta and Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) unveiled a joint whitepaper and playbook highlighting the changing consumer behavior and preferences in the automotive segment driven by digital adoption. With digital influencing consumer behavior and powering the growth of the sector, the findings and recommendations from the whitepaper can unleash digital transformation of auto OEMs and dealerships across India.

In 2023, Meta and FADA had launched ‘Move with Meta’, an upskilling and enablement program to upskill more than 3000 auto dealers across the country. The initiative aimed to help them build a social presence and digitise their customer outreach and lead generation using the Meta Platforms.

Since its launch, the program has delivered exceptional results, driving a 3X growth in dealer digitisation and successfully upskilling 6,000+ dealers through the hyperlocal program, surpassing the initial commitment of 3,000 dealers. More than 3000 auto dealers had been upskilled before the start of the program, which takes the total number of auto dealers that have been upskilled to 10,000.

The program resulted in improving leads and sales for auto dealers with 32 per cent improvement in lead generation efficiency reported by dealers. In addition, the program has directly impacted sales for leading auto OEMs across the country.

Commenting on the initiative, C S Vigneshwar, President, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said, “At FADA, our vision is to empower dealers nationwide with the right digital tools and insights to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. This whitepaper underscores the potential of AI, Reels, and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to strengthen customer relationships and drive growth.”

Saugato Bhowmik, Director, Auto, CPG, and D2C for Meta in India, said, “Over the last two years we’ve upskilled nearly 10,000 dealers along with FADA to digitise their outreach and experiences through our unique hyperlocal solutions and key products ranging from Reels and AI to messaging. We’re thrilled to deepen our partnership with FADA and take on the ambitious target of upskilling 5000 more dealers in the next 2 years. This program has not only benefitted thousands of auto dealers but also proven to drive strong sales results for leading OEMs.”

Looking ahead, Meta and FADA aim to further scale the program by upskilling 5,000 additional dealers over the next two years, reinforcing their commitment to driving innovation and efficiency in the automotive sector. FADA currently represents 15,000 auto dealers across the country.

Key Insights from the Auto Playbook 2025

●    Meta’s influence in driving discovery & evaluation, powered by AI: 72 per cent of new automotive buyers who were surveyed in this research discovered the brand on the Meta family of apps. Further, 69 per cent stated that the Meta family of apps played a role in their purchase decision.

●    WhatsApp Leads Buyer-Dealer Communication: Among new automobile buyers, 48 per cent used WhatsApp to directly connect with dealerships for vehicle availability inquiries, making it the most preferred communication channel. Moreover, 47 per cent expressed interest in receiving service reminders via messaging platforms.

●    Advantage+ Placements Revolutionizing Advertising: To improve cost per lead and lead volume by Meta for their Hyperlocal dealer campaigns, Hyundai India, used AI-powered Advantage+ Placements to place their dealer ads across all Meta surfaces. They saw 18 per cent an increase in Lead Volume and 34 per cent decrease in Cost Per Lead.

●    Reels and Creator Content Drive Purchase Decisions: 72 per cent of automotive buyers find creator content on Instagram Reels helpful for vehicle evaluation, with 41 per cent regularly engaging with vehicle-related Reels. By partnering with creators, dealers can build authenticity and amplify their reach.

Source: New Automobile Buyers Consumer Journey Study by Kantar Profiles. Meta-commissioned online survey with respondents aged 18-64, India, 2023.

Also Read

Stay in the know with our newsletter