🚗 How a $17M AI Voice Agent Startup Is Transforming Car Dealerships

Today, I want to share a fascinating story about Toma, a company that just raised $17 million to scale AI-powered voice automation for car dealerships.

At first glance, that number might not sound shocking. But when you consider how narrow their niche is — only car dealerships — it becomes clear: this is a massive opportunity.

The Big Pain Points for Car Dealers

Car dealerships have three recurring problems that AI can uniquely solve:

Too many leads, not enough follow-up Dealers often get flooded with online form submissions but can’t realistically follow up with every single one.

Inconsistent communication Customers want timely calls, reminders, and updates. Human teams miss follow-ups — AI never does.

No-shows at appointments Missed appointments cost time and revenue. A simple automated reminder could prevent that.

Toma is solving these exact pain points with AI receptionists and voice agents.

How the AI Agent Works in Action

I decided to try building a similar setup myself. Here’s what happened:

A user fills out a simple form (e.g., interested in a Honda).

The AI immediately makes a call: “Hi, this is an AI assistant from the dealership. You recently submitted a form about a Honda. Do you have a minute to chat?”

The customer confirms details like model, color, budget, and availability.

The AI schedules an appointment directly into the calendar.

The system follows up with WhatsApp reminders and emails automatically.

Here’s a live demo of how this works in real time: ▶ Watch the demo on YouTube

It felt like talking to a real human — only faster, more structured, and always available.

The Tech Stack Behind It

To recreate this, I used two key tools:

n8n → An open-source automation builder that makes workflows easy. It supports JSON import/export and can run securely on your own server.

VOHO AI Call Center → Handles inbound/outbound AI calls, multiple phone numbers, and even integrates with scheduling tools like Cal.com.

This combo allowed me to design a dealership workflow that handled calls, texts, emails, and appointments seamlessly.

Why This Is a $100M+ Opportunity

Car dealerships don’t want to spend hours on the phone or manually chase leads. The cost of a missed lead or no-show is huge.

That’s why companies like Toma are raising big funding rounds — because every dealership with leads to manage has this problem. And once the infrastructure is set up, it’s scalable to:

Real estate agencies

Healthcare clinics

Law firms

Local service businesse

Anywhere with appointments, leads, and reminders = AI automation goldmine.

The Business Angle

This isn’t just about building cool workflows — it’s also about charging for value:

$5,000 setup fee

$3,000 monthly subscription

Ongoing optimization for clients

That’s the kind of business model agencies and solo AI entrepreneurs can build on top of these tools.

Final Thoughts

What Toma is doing with car dealerships is only the beginning. With tools like n8n and VHO AI, you can set up the same systems yourself and bring AI-powered receptionists to almost any industry.

AI agents are not just futuristic toys anymore — they’re solving real, expensive problems today.

💡 Imagine scaling this for multiple businesses in your city. That’s where the next $100M idea could come from.