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Meta and the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) have revealed a joint whitepaper highlighting the growing role of digital adoption in shaping consumer preferences in the automotive sector. The findings underline how tools like AI, Instagram Reels, and WhatsApp are revolutionising lead generation and sales for auto OEMs and dealerships across India.
Since its launch in 2023, Meta and FADA’s ‘Move with Meta’ initiative has successfully upskilled over 10,000 auto dealers, far exceeding its original goal of 3,000. The program has led to a 3X increase in dealer digitisation, with a notable 32% improvement in lead generation efficiency, significantly impacting sales for leading auto OEMs.
C S Vigneshwar, President, FADA, commented,
“At FADA, our vision is to empower dealers nationwide with the right digital tools and insights to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. Through our partnership with Meta, we’ve not only exceeded our commitment of upskilling 3,000 dealers—surpassing 6,000—but we’ve also seen a 3X increase in digitisation and a marked 32% improvement in lead generation efficiency. 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, added,
“Our platforms and products are well positioned to enable rapid and efficient digital customer acquisition and engagement for auto dealers in a hyperlocal manner. 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.”
The Meta x Kantar study revealed that 72% of new automotive buyers discovered brands through the Meta family of apps. Moreover, 72% found creator content on Instagram Reels helpful when evaluating vehicles.
Virat Khullar, Group Head of Marketing, Hyundai Motor India, said, “We’re excited to see outstanding business results through our partnership with Meta and OnlineSales on the Hyperlocal program. Together, we’ve developed a custom model that efficiently onboarded over 600 dealers in record time. In H2 '24, Meta’s hyperlocal program drove a remarkable 37% growth in sales compared to H1, while delivering 29% reduction in Cost per Retail.”
Manjari Upadhye, Chief Marketing Officer, Mahindra and Mahindra, said, “Our partnership with Meta has helped amplify the impact of our passenger vehicle launches. Mahindra has leveraged the best and latest in technology to drive launch impact through Meta’s family of Apps. Some of the key activations include leveraging WhatsApp for the Thar ROXX launch, using Partnership ads for driving consideration for the XUV 700, and the Auto Industry’s first chat-based car configurator on Messenger and Instagram Direct for XUV 3XO, which saw 29% increase in conversation volumes.”
Looking ahead, Meta and FADA aim to upskill 5,000 more auto dealers over the next two years, continuing their commitment to driving innovation in the automotive sector.
Key insights from the Auto Playbook 2025 highlight the impact of WhatsApp and AI in customer communication, as well as the growing influence of Reels and creator content in shaping consumer purchase decisions.
