Chris Walsh takes Reynolds’ vision for automotive retail’s future to industry leaders
Reynolds’ outlines its vision for AI in automotive retail, combining connected data, intelligent workflows, and dealership-wide context to enable smarter decisions.
DAYTON, Ohio
Oct 21, 2026
Reynolds and Reynolds today announced Chris Walsh, president and acting CEO, is sharing the company’s vision for the future of automotive retail through a series of speaking appearances.
Following September appearances at Northwood University, CXAUTO2026, and Autovate, Walsh also appeared at the 2026 Presidio Auto Technology Summit in Denver on October 14. The vision centers on dealer success by putting connected data and evolving technology to work so dealers can make better decisions, improve daily work and spend more time with customers. It’s a vision for artificial intelligence that moves beyond making existing tasks faster to executing workflows and creating opportunities that were never possible before.
Walsh’s recent CXAUTO2026 appearance put the next generation of AI front and center. “The industry has spent the past several years proving that AI can make existing work faster,” said Walsh. “The more consequential question for dealers and manufacturers is whether AI is making their decisions better.” Reynolds’ approach shifts dealership focus from reactive reporting and siloed workflows to proactive decisions informed by a unified view of the business.
That future starts with a unified AI data layer built on complete, accurate and deduplicated data. Giving AI access to the right context enables more meaningful recommendations and helps avoid a fundamental risk – poor data accelerating poor decisions.
For this to work, technology and processes must evolve together. New tools cannot simply be placed into old workflows. Reynolds believes the future is not a collection of individual AI agents operating within disconnected context windows. Transforming the dealership requires a unified AI agent with context across the business, connecting data, decisions and workflows.
Technology alone, however, will not deliver the future. Reynolds’ vision also emphasizes partnership and support to help dealerships turn technology into measurable results. Walsh highlights Reynolds’ focus on utilization through the company’s new in-product experience, Reynolds Performance Managers and training partnerships, such as the recently announced partnership with RockED.
“Ultimately, the path to the greatest successes will be paved by a more connected dealership, better-informed judgment and technology that supports the people operating these great businesses,” concluded Walsh.
Reynolds is leading the way in AI for automotive dealerships, rapidly changing what is possible through technology.
About Reynolds
Reynolds and Reynolds is the leading provider of automotive dealership technology, award-winning support, and document services. With its Spark AI Unified Data Layer backed by decades of leading innovation, Reynolds is advancing artificial intelligence and robotics to help dealers better engage consumers, drive more efficient operations, and increase profitability. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major U.S. operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, Tampa, Florida, and Celina, Ohio, as well as operations in Canada, the U.K., and Europe. (www.reyrey.com)