Case Study: ernst + könig

More Sales from Existing Inquiries

Find out how ernst + könig uses CoDriver to respond more quickly to inquiries, capitalize on more sales opportunities, and increase its closing rate.

+42% conversion rate

Increase in a before-and-after comparison across all digital inquiries

1 minute instead of 11 hours

CoDriver vs. Sales Team
Initial response to customer inquiries (outside business hours)

~€26,000

Estimated additional annual revenue
(approx. 13 additional vehicles × €2,000 in revenue)

THE DEVELOPMENT

From Invisible Opportunities to Measurable Sales

Before CoDriver · August–October 2025
Very Little Transparency in Digital Sales
87% of vehicle sales (628 out of 724) could not be attributed to a digital source.
One marketplace was estimated to have a 8.7% conversion rate—in reality, it was only 6.1%.
Without clear attribution, it was impossible to determine which channels were actually driving sales.
AutoUncle inquiries achieved a conversion rate of up to 16.4%—2.7 times higher than marketplace inquiries—yet this potential remained invisible in the CRM.
6.1%
Conversion rate before CoDriver
from marketplace inquiries
After the introduction of CoDriver · 2026
CoDriver bridges the gap between inquiry and sale
Marketplace inquiries using CoDriver achieved a 9.9% conversion rate—57% higher than comparable inquiries without CoDriver.
Inquiries without CoDriver remained at 6.3%—the same level as before the launch.
Across all digital inquiry sources, the conversion rate rose from 6.2% to 8.8% (+42%).
CoDriver responds to inquiries outside of business hours within minutes.
9.9%
Conversion rate with CoDriver
from marketplace inquiries

Here’s how we measured it: For the analysis, we cross-referenced various data sources: CRM leads, confirmed sales from the DMS, and inquiries processed by CoDriver. Irrelevant inquiries—such as spam, those with missing contact information, or inquiries with no intent to purchase—were excluded from the analysis. Inquiries received during business hours without AI support served as the control group. The dataset was provided by Ernst + König and covers the period from August through October 2025 as a baseline, as well as the first few months following the introduction of CoDriver in 2026.

thomas hapke e+k logo

“We did the comparison: By processing inquiries more quickly, the number of resulting sales has increased by 42%. CoDriver changes the first few minutes after an inquiry—and that’s exactly what makes the difference.”

Thomas Hapke, Used Car Sales Manager at ernst + könig

COMPARISON OF GRADUATION RATES

The number that shows the difference

Without CoDriver
6.1%
With CoDriver
9.9%
Conversion rate for marketplace inquiries at ernst + könig, measured against the same volume of inquiries, outside of business hours.

The baseline figures before CoDriver (6.1% conversion rate for marketplace inquiries) and comparable inquiries after CoDriver was introduced without AI support (6.3%) are nearly identical. This allows us to better compare the impact of CoDriver with previous results.

Prospects supported by CoDriver clearly stand out: Thanks to automated support, significantly more sales result from existing customer inquiries.

The same pattern is evident across multiple marketplaces: Customer inquiries with AI support achieve a 54% higher conversion rate than comparable inquiries without support.

≈ €26,000

📈

Additional annual return

ANNUAL SIMULATION

379 marketplace inquiries × 57% higher conversion rate
= approx. 13 additional vehicles sold × €2,000 margin

Calculated based on clearly traceable inquiries—the actual effect may be higher.

WHY IT WORKS

Your AI Sales Partner – 24/7 Support for Customer Inquiries

CoDriver doesn’t replace your sales team. It helps your employees respond faster and focus on customers who are ready to buy. Whether CoDriver responds directly or notifies the team, no buyer ever has to wait until the next morning.

NO INQUIRY GOES UNANSWERED.

Direct Response to Buyers

An inquiry arrives at 9 p.m. CoDriver reads the inquiry, assesses the buyer’s intent, checks inventory, and sends a personalized response in under a minute—before any competitor is even awake. The buyer immediately feels heard, right at the moment when they’re most ready to buy.


Information Handoff to Sales

The sales representative’s morning queue is already primed and ready. Each inquiry includes a summary: purchase intent, vehicle match, and conversation history. No time is wasted on unqualified inquiries. Instead, there are more conversations with customers ready to buy and more time for the relationships that matter.


100% positive or neutral buyer sentiment · Buyers respond on average after 27 minutes · Low-quality inquiries are filtered out before they reach the team

I used to have to review every inquiry myself first. Now I receive qualified leads who’ve already provided all the important information. That saves time, and I can focus directly on advising clients and making sales.

Next Steps

Working Together to Reveal the Full Picture

At ernst + könig, CoDriver currently handles primarily customer inquiries outside of business hours—which is only a portion of all inquiries. With three enhancements, the actual impact can be measured even more precisely, revealing the full sales potential.

01 · FULL SUPPORT, AROUND THE CLOCK

By fully covering all inquiries, even during business hours, a larger database is created. This allows for more reliable insights into CoDriver’s impact to be gained within 60 days.

02 · ADD PHONE NUMBER MATCHING

CoDriver captures the phone numbers of prospective buyers. By matching this data with DMS data, we expect to be able to clearly attribute 3 to 5 times more sales and further close the existing attribution gap of 87%.

03 · UNIQUE TRACKING ID IN THE DMS

When the CoDriver ID is recorded in the DMS upon a sale, it’s possible to track exactly which inquiries led to closed deals. This allows future success stories to be backed up with clear results.

Kinnerup's Solution

CoDriver, not Autopilot.

AI does the groundwork; your team finishes the job. Let our experts advise you.