December 18, 2025
CUTTING THROUGH AUTOMOTIVE TECH SPEAK AT AM LIVE
The automotive world is full of acronyms, buzzwords, and tech-speak that sound clever but often confuse more than they clarify. So at AM Live, we took to the floor with one mission: cut through the noise. We asked dealers, OEM reps, partners and even a few competitors to tell us what the jargon they hear every day actually means.
Vendors all “revolutionize the customer journey” but rarely explain in real terms the “how”. Dealerships are drowning in acronyms: LLM, DMS, OEM, API, SMP, FSM, CDP, EVCP, MCP, but few actually know what these letters mean and more importantly how they help turn more wrenches, sell more cars and make more money.
So we put the AM Live audience to the test to cut through the automotive tech speak with some jargon busters.
Let's find out AM Lives take here
Can you tell the difference between an AI chatbot and an AI agent?
Let's test the audiences AI IQ?
What does the AM Live audience know about these acronyms?
AI wish list
If you could do AI perform one process for you, what would it be?
Sometimes it doesn't go to plan
See behind the scenes at AM Live here.
Visit us at NADA – Booth #7707 in the North Hall
The automotive industry is evolving fast; connected vehicles, digital retailing, AI-driven customer journeys. At NADA 2026, we’ll show you how the Pinewood Automotive Intelligence™ Platform is helping dealerships unlock growth, drive profitability, and create customer loyalty.
Join us in Las Vegas to see how the right technology transforms every part of your business; from sales and service to accounting and beyond.
Pinewood.AI’s Take: What These Terms Actually Mean?
Let’s cover some of the basics, the industry doesn’t need more jargon it needs more clarity. As always, we’re trying to help you stop wasting time deciphering systems instead of serving customers.
DMS
Dealer Management System – The core system running sales, service, parts, CRM, stock management, and accounting in a dealership.
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer – The vehicle brand or manufacturer (e.g. BMW, Toyota, Ford).
VHC
Vehicle Health Check – Digital or paper inspection carried out during service visits to measure vehicle condition.
CSI
Customer Satisfaction Index – OEM-provided scoring metric measuring customer satisfaction after purchasing or servicing a vehicle.
VIN
Vehicle Identification Number – A unique 17-digit code identifying every vehicle globally.
API
Application Programming Interface – A standardized set of rules that allows two software systems to communicate and exchange data.
SDK
Software Development Kit – Tools and libraries that help developers build applications for a platform.
MCP
Model Context Protocol – An open standard that allows AI models to securely access external tools, data sources, and services so the AI can take informed actions rather than simply generate text.
LLM
Large Language Model – A model trained on vast amounts of text to generate human-like language (e.g., GPT).
GenAI
Generative AI – AI capable of creating text, images, code, or other output based on learned patterns.
OCR
Optical Character Recognition – Technology that converts images or PDFs of text into machine-readable text.
RAG
Retrieval-Augmented Generation – Technique where AI retrieves factual data from a source and uses it to generate accurate responses.
AIP
Automotive Intelligence Platform – A single connected platform where your data lives, learns, and works for you.
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