The automotive space is changing fast. OEMs talk about big targets from net-zero plans to hydrogen adoption, yet dealers on the ground are still struggling to match that pace. Mismatched timelines, lack of enablement, and underutilised systems create a disconnect between strategy and execution.
For the mobility ecosystem to thrive, OEMs and dealers must work in sync — building capabilities in sustainability, circularity, and advanced aftersales while leveraging AI to bridge complexity with real-time intelligence.
To understand how these elements come together, we spoke with Rehan Khan, Director Strategy & Business Development – Europe, USA, Japan at Ingenious e-Brain. With years of experience in strategy, growth, and consulting across global markets, Rehan outlines the key shifts needed to make dealer networks future-ready.
Keep on reading to know his insights!
Q1. Aligning OEM Sustainability Roadmaps with Dealer Execution
One of the biggest challenges is the mismatch in operational timelines and incentives. OEMs push for long-term sustainability goals — net-zero targets, circularity mandates — but dealers are measured by shorter-term sales and service KPIs.
At the dealer level, the enablement gap is clear: inadequate tools, limited training on new green technologies, and fragmented communications around evolving policies. Unless these gaps are bridged, OEM roadmaps will remain disconnected from day-to-day execution.
Q2. Ensuring Customer Experience and After-sales Reliability in the EV–Hydrogen Transition
As powertrain technologies diversify from ICE to EV and hydrogen, the dealer’s role is shifting from mechanical expertise to technological fluency. The need is for unified platforms that integrate diagnostics, telematics, remote updates, and predictive maintenance — regardless of propulsion type.
Investing in modular service workflows for EVs and hydrogen vehicles, alongside AI-driven support systems at dealerships, will ensure consistent, reliable customer service. But this only works if training and digital tools evolve in parallel with product complexity.
Q3. Circularity and Dealer Systems: Enabling Lifecycle Transparency
To support circularity, dealer systems must evolve beyond CRM and service logs. They should be designed for traceability, reuse, and compliance.
Key features include:
- Parts history and reusability scoring
- Lifecycle-based pricing models (remanufactured vs. new parts)
- Integration with battery passports, VIN-based material tracing, and reverse logistics
This shift ensures OEM sustainability commitments extend across the full lifecycle, not just at the production stage.
Q4. Leveraging Dealer Network Intelligence for Strategy & Engagement
Dealers hold vast volumes of customer, vehicle, and usage data — but much of it remains siloed and underused. With software-defined vehicles and real-time connectivity, dealer networks can become live feedback loops.
Opportunities include:
- · Regional product adaptation
- · Early detection of service anomalies
- · Personalisation of sales and loyalty programs
When activated properly, this transforms the network from a retail channel into a strategic intelligence asset for OEMs.
Q4. The Role of AI-Powered Dealer Management Systems in the Mobility Future
AI is set to reshape dealer management by embedding predictive and adaptive decision-making into everyday workflows.
In sustainability terms, AI can:
- Optimise inventory to cut overstock
- Forecast parts demand for EV and hydrogen technologies
- Flag carbon-intensive operations across the service network
For profitability, AI will enable:
- Dynamic pricing
- Customer lifetime value scoring
- Preventive service outreach
Ultimately, AI helps align dealer-level operations with OEM-level strategic goals for cleaner, more intelligent, and profitable mobility.
– Rehan Khan, Director Strategy & Business Development, Ingenious e-Brain
Wrapping Up
As Rehan Khan highlights, the future of dealer networks lies in alignment — aligning sustainability with execution, aligning customer experience with emerging technologies, and aligning operational efficiency with AI-driven intelligence.
Circularity, hydrogen readiness, and AI-powered DMS tools are not distant visions — they are immediate priorities. Dealers who embrace them will become OEMs’ most valuable partners, while those who lag risk being left behind in the mobility transition.
About The Expert
At Ingenious e-Brain, he leads work on strategic initiatives, sustainability programs, and solutions that help OEMs and dealer networks stay ahead across Europe, the USA, and Japan. With an entrepreneurial mindset and practical experience in due diligence, product strategy, and C-suite collaboration, he is regarded as a reliable advisor in the fast-changing mobility space.
