If there is one thing James Lawrence has gained from his nearly 30 years in various technological fields, it’s an appreciation for detail. The former Bell & Howell EPC, ChromeData and Compli executive is the founder or co-founder of several companies, including DealerEFX, Sensitive Data Protect and SelfServiceHR.

Working in a software product management role at ChromeData, at the turn of the century, Lawrence helped the team that deployed one of the first online vehicle configurators. Accurate manufacturer data for the configurator and rigorous options logic for electronic parts catalogs — ensuring, for example, that users couldn’t order a convertible equipped with a moonroof — were non-negotiables.

“Building out these systems and making them work with orderable vehicles was serious business and a huge challenge,” he says. “But it taught me invaluable lessons about data accuracy, and that data precision has fueled my other endeavors.”

Lawrence’s latest venture, ImagineMyDreamCar, applies those lessons to create an immersive, AI-powered shopping and buying experience tailored to the needs of luxury and exotic dealers and the ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clientele they serve.

What Do You Get for the Shopper Who Has Everything?

UHNW individuals are accustomed to and appreciative of a concierge-like experience, which Lawrence says is exactly what ImagineMyDreamCar, an empathic lead generator, was built to deliver. Configuration and feature selection is only part of the journey. Advanced personalization elements imbue every input to pick up on cues relating to lifestyle, preferences, intent and — critical to the UHNW market — emotions and personal aspirations.

Users of Aston Martin Palm Beach (Fla.)’s ImagineMyDreamCar-powered website can click to create and share a realistic AI selfie, one of a number of features designed to help build emotion and intent.

The high-empathy approach rewards shoppers with extras like scenic “mood vistas” and realistic, AI-generated depictions of them with their vehicle of choice, which they can easily share on social media. Lawrence says that, in ImagineMyDreamCar’s pilot phase, an Aston Martin shopper configured a 2025 DB12, chose a color and trim level and, for her AI photo, selected a dramatic desert background.

“Her husband calls and says, ‘Where the hell are you? Did you just buy that car?’ And it hit me that this is going to expand our ability to get dealers into their UHNW prospects’ social circles with something fun and interesting.”

A Lead That Tells a Story

The expected result is more than a lead, Lawrence says. It’s a detailed profile of an in-market, ready-to-buy, emotionally charged consumer. It tells a story sales professionals can make their own and use to create a presentation that will help them connect with and, ultimately, close each prospect.

“Every AI-driven platform I’ve seen leads to extensive process analysis and operational complexity dealers fundamentally dislike,” he says. “I’m trying to reduce the AI fatigue mentioned so much in automotive articles and posts on LinkedIn and make AI a mentally digestible step in the right direction for dealers and OEMs.”

In the rapidly advancing field of AI-driven dealer tech, Lawrence believes the most straightforward solutions to clear challenges will prove to be the most effective.

“We figured out how to put a sophisticated piece of technology in front of ultra-high-net-worth individuals that is simple to understand, simple to deploy, simple to share in social media, and helps dealers propagate a hyperpersonalized message that drives sales among emotionally driven vehicle buyers.”

Tariq Kamal is the publisher of AI Dealer News as well as Auto Dealer News and Dealer Agent News.