Sector · Automotive

DMS software shouldn't take your margin on every sale.

Automotive dealerships and workshops run on specialised DMS (Dealer Management Systems), inventory, parts catalogues, and financing integration. Most of it is locked, expensive, and behind in features. Open source Odoo Fleet, Dolibarr Auto, and Vehicle Fleet Manager handle real dealer workflows.

R 4.57M

Typical annual licence spend

Across 6 common automotive tools

R 4.12M

Recoverable each year

After self-hosted OSS migration

3

Sector pain points we cover

From licensing to compliance to access control

The automotive stack, on the books

Tap a tool. See the open-source swap and the saving.

Bars show what the typical automotive firm spends annually on each licence. The sage portion is what the hosted open-source equivalent costs.

Typical Automotive stack

6 tools · R 4.57M/yr in licences

● Migrate to OSS · save 90%
Proprietary
Hosted OSS

Replace

CDK Global

DMS / Dealer Management · R 2.66M per year

With

Dolibarr Auto / Odoo Fleet

Self-hosted on your infra

Annual savings

R 2.40M

After hosting · approx 90% reduction

See migration brief →

Current annual spend

R 4.57M

Estimated OSS hosting

R 457K

Annual savings

R 4.12M

Tap any tool to see the open-source replacement and the per-tool saving

Where the automotive bleed starts

Three things we hear on every automotive discovery call.

01

DMS monthly per-user pricing is punishing

Dealership DMS often starts at R3k per user per month. Floor staff, finance, admin, service — the bill is brutal for an SME dealer.

02

Parts catalogue APIs gated behind premium tiers

Real-time parts availability often requires the top tier. Open source alternatives with the same API integrations exist.

03

Service history trapped in vendor software

Decades of service records on a DMS with a renewal hammer. Migrating means losing history unless you have leverage.

How we handle the automotive edges

The sector-specific things we get right.

01 · Concern

Customer POPIA and FICA obligations

Auto dealers are FICA-accountable for large transactions. Self-hosted keeps the customer file and the proof-of-compliance on your server.

02 · Concern

Floor-stock financing integrations

Bank floor plans need clean interfaces. Open source DMS with proper ERP underneath integrates with SA banks without vendor middleware.

03 · Concern

Service bay throughput tracking

Workshop efficiency metrics without per-bay licence. Open source gives you the dashboard and the data.

What we bring to a automotive engagement

The services your sector usually starts with.

See your numbers, not the industry average. 30-minute audit, on us.

Send us the licence list. We'll run it against the open-source map and quote a migration window for your automotive stack. The audit is on us.