Automotive
2 industries · 13 businesses scored · Rank 7 of 11
Automotive sits dead on the national average at 64.0, but that number hides a stark internal divide. The sector has only two industries and a 7.7-point gap separates them. Mechanics and Servicing scores 67.9. Dealerships score 60.2. One is adapting to digital. The other is still figuring out how.
Data and Tracking at 62.9 is the sector's quiet strength, nearly 5 points above the national average. This is driven largely by mechanics and service centres that have adopted workshop management software with built-in CRM, automated service reminders and review solicitation. Dealerships contribute less to this score despite having larger teams and bigger budgets.
Retention and Loyalty at 59.9 is the sector's weakest point, 3.2 points below the national average. For an industry where repeat purchases and service loyalty should be natural advantages, this is a missed opportunity. Dealerships in particular lose contact with buyers after the sale and fail to capitalise on service, finance renewal and trade-in cycles.
Mechanics outscore dealerships by 7.7 points despite having a fraction of the marketing budget. Smaller businesses with tighter customer relationships and automated service reminders are outperforming large dealer groups with national ad spend.
Dimension breakdown
Automotive leads on Data & Tracking (62.2, +4.6 vs national) and has the most room to move in Retention & Loyalty (57.7, -4.7 vs national).
Industries in Automotive
Dimension breakdown by industry
Each row is one industry. Each bar shows its score on that dimension. The dashed line marks the sector average.
Does bigger mean better?
Average score by industry and company scale
| Industry | Enterprise | Large | Medium | Small Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive Mechanics & Servicing | — | — | — | — |
| Automotive — New & Used Car Dealerships | — | 63.9 3 businesses | 59.2 4 businesses | 46.5 1 biz |
Inside each industry
Every scored business, grouped by industry. Taller bars mean higher scores.
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What to watch in Australian automotive
The EV transition is creating a new class of automotive retailer. Direct-to-consumer brands (BYD, Tesla, Polestar) bypass the dealership model entirely. Traditional dealers who do not build their own digital acquisition and retention infrastructure risk being disintermediated.
Service and aftermarket is the growth play. As the average age of cars on Australian roads increases, the businesses that own the post-purchase relationship will capture more lifetime value than those focused solely on new vehicle sales.
What the numbers reveal
Based on 13 scored businesses across 2 industries. Updated as new audits complete.
Digital Maturity (65.7) is the sector's edge. Retention & Loyalty (57.7) is the drag.
A 8-point spread between the strongest and weakest dimensions. Retention & Loyalty sits 4.7 points below national average.
0.4 points below the national average of 63.7
Automotive ranks 7 of 11 sectors. Trails Technology (65.5) by 2.2 points. The gap is closeable. These are not structurally weak businesses. They are businesses that have not prioritised digital marketing.
NSW dominates with 8 of 13 businesses
62% of scored businesses in this sector are headquartered in NSW, averaging 61.9. VIC (2), QLD (2), ACT (1) follow.
13 businesses scored across 2 industries
Every score uses the same 6-dimension model with up to 150+ data points per business. 3 have multi-source verified data. Evidence depth ratings show the data behind each score.
2 Large businesses score 5+ points above sector average
Guzman y Gomez (GYG), Jim's Group prove that large companies can compete with larger peers. Average of 73.9 vs sector benchmark of 63.3.
Acquisition Performance: +2.5 vs national average
The sector scores 65.4 in acquisition performance, 2.5 points above the national average of 62.9. A genuine competitive advantage.
What people ask about this sector
Top performers in Automotive
Highest-scoring businesses across all automotive industries
Sector rankings
How does your business compare?
Get your own score across all 6 dimensions, benchmarked against 2 automotive industries and 700+ Australian businesses.