Markdown

ADF

ADF is the Acronym for Auto Dealer Format

A standardized XML data format designed to enable real-time communication of vehicle inventory, pricing, and customer lead data between automotive dealers, OEM systems, and third-party vendors in the automotive ecosystem. Developed and maintained by the National Automobile Dealers Association in collaboration with the Auto Industry Action Group, ADF serves as a common language for data exchange across dealership management systems (DMS), CRM platforms, inventory systems, and digital marketing tools.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ADF>
  <!-- DEALER INFORMATION SECTION -->
  <Dealer>
    <DealerID>12345</DealerID>
    <DealerName>Sunset Motors Group</DealerName>
    <Address>
      <Street>4821 Commerce Drive</Street>
      <City>Orlando</City>
      <State>FL</State>
      <PostalCode>32801</PostalCode>
      <Country>USA</Country>
    </Address>
    <Phone>
      <PhoneNumber type="main">407-555-0123</PhoneNumber>
      <PhoneNumber type="sales">407-555-0124</PhoneNumber>
      <PhoneNumber type="service">407-555-0125</PhoneNumber>
    </Phone>
    <Email>
      <EmailAddress type="general">info@sunsetmotors.com</EmailAddress>
      <EmailAddress type="sales">sales@sunsetmotors.com</EmailAddress>
    </Email>
    <Website>https://www.sunsetmotors.com</Website>
  </Dealer>

  <!-- VEHICLE INVENTORY RECORD -->
  <Vehicle>
    <VehicleID>98765</VehicleID>
    <VIN>1HGCV1F32LA123456</VIN>
    <ModelYear>2023</ModelYear>
    <Make>Honda</Make>
    <Model>Accord</Model>
    <Trim>EX-L</Trim>
    <BodyStyle>Sedan</BodyStyle>
    <Transmission>Automatic</Transmission>
    <Engine>
      <Size>2.0L</Size>
      <Type>Inline 4-Cylinder</Type>
      <Displacement>1997</Displacement>
      <FuelType>Gasoline</FuelType>
    </Engine>
    <Drivetrain>Front-Wheel Drive</Drivetrain>
    <Mileage>
      <Odometer>15847</Odometer>
      <OdometerUnit>miles</OdometerUnit>
    </Mileage>
    <ExteriorColor>
      <ColorName>Pearl Blue Metallic</ColorName>
      <RGBCode>#004B87</RGBCode>
    </ExteriorColor>
    <InteriorColor>
      <ColorName>Black</ColorName>
    </InteriorColor>
    <Upholstery>Leather</Upholstery>
    <MPG>
      <City>28</City>
      <Highway>37</Highway>
      <Combined>32</Combined>
    </MPG>
    <Options>
      <Option>Sunroof</Option>
      <Option>Leather Heated Seats</Option>
      <Option>Apple CarPlay</Option>
      <Option>Android Auto</Option>
      <Option>Adaptive Cruise Control</Option>
      <Option>Lane Keeping Assist</Option>
      <Option>Backup Camera</Option>
      <Option>Blind Spot Monitor</Option>
      <Option>Premium Audio System</Option>
      <Option>Navigation System</Option>
    </Options>
    <Pricing>
      <MSRP>35500</MSRP>
      <SalePrice>32995</SalePrice>
      <CurrencyCode>USD</CurrencyCode>
    </Pricing>
    <Warranty>
      <WarrantyDescription>3 Years / 36,000 Miles Basic</WarrantyDescription>
      <PowertrainWarranty>5 Years / 60,000 Miles</PowertrainWarranty>
    </Warranty>
    <Status>Active</Status>
    <StockNumber>ACC-2023-0847</StockNumber>
    <Description>Stunning Pearl Blue 2023 Honda Accord EX-L with premium leather, sunroof, and full suite of Honda Sensing safety features. Immaculate condition, meticulously maintained service records available.</Description>
    <PhotoUrls>
      <PhotoUrl>
        <URL>https://images.sunsetmotors.com/vehicles/ACC-2023-0847-01.jpg</URL>
        <Position>1</Position>
      </PhotoUrl>
      <PhotoUrl>
        <URL>https://images.sunsetmotors.com/vehicles/ACC-2023-0847-02.jpg</URL>
        <Position>2</Position>
      </PhotoUrl>
      <PhotoUrl>
        <URL>https://images.sunsetmotors.com/vehicles/ACC-2023-0847-03.jpg</URL>
        <Position>3</Position>
      </PhotoUrl>
    </PhotoUrls>
    <DateAdded>2024-06-15T14:32:00</DateAdded>
    <LastModified>2024-07-03T09:15:00</LastModified>
  </Vehicle>

  <!-- CUSTOMER LEAD RECORD -->
  <Lead>
    <LeadID>LEAD-2024-087543</LeadID>
    <LeadSource>Website Contact Form</LeadSource>
    <LeadSourceURL>https://www.sunsetmotors.com/vehicles/ACC-2023-0847</LeadSourceURL>
    <Customer>
      <FirstName>Sarah</FirstName>
      <LastName>Johnson</LastName>
      <Email>sarah.johnson@email.com</Email>
      <Phone>407-555-9876</Phone>
      <PreferredContact>Email</PreferredContact>
      <TimeZone>Eastern</TimeZone>
    </Customer>
    <VehicleOfInterest>
      <VIN>1HGCV1F32LA123456</VIN>
      <StockNumber>ACC-2023-0847</StockNumber>
      <Make>Honda</Make>
      <Model>Accord</Model>
      <ModelYear>2023</ModelYear>
    </VehicleOfInterest>
    <LeadType>Inventory</LeadType>
    <Comments>Interested in scheduling a test drive this weekend. Also inquired about trade-in value for current vehicle (2019 Toyota Camry)</Comments>
    <RequestedFollowUp>
      <ContactMethod>Phone</ContactMethod>
      <PreferredTime>Evening</PreferredTime>
      <TimeZone>Eastern</TimeZone>
    </RequestedFollowUp>
    <DateReceived>2024-07-07T16:45:23</DateReceived>
    <Timestamp>2024-07-07T16:45:23Z</Timestamp>
  </Lead>

  <!-- ALTERNATIVE VEHICLE EXAMPLE (USED) -->
  <Vehicle>
    <VehicleID>98766</VehicleID>
    <VIN>2T1FB1E31DC123789</VIN>
    <ModelYear>2022</ModelYear>
    <Make>Toyota</Make>
    <Model>Camry</Model>
    <Trim>LE</Trim>
    <BodyStyle>Sedan</BodyStyle>
    <Transmission>Automatic</Transmission>
    <Mileage>
      <Odometer>28564</Odometer>
      <OdometerUnit>miles</OdometerUnit>
    </Mileage>
    <ExteriorColor>
      <ColorName>Silver</ColorName>
    </ExteriorColor>
    <InteriorColor>
      <ColorName>Gray</ColorName>
    </InteriorColor>
    <Upholstery>Cloth</Upholstery>
    <Pricing>
      <MSRP>25200</MSRP>
      <SalePrice>24495</SalePrice>
      <CurrencyCode>USD</CurrencyCode>
    </Pricing>
    <Status>Active</Status>
    <StockNumber>CAM-2022-0412</StockNumber>
    <Condition>Used - Certified Pre-Owned</Condition>
    <Description>Well-maintained 2022 Toyota Camry LE with 28K miles. Single owner, comprehensive service history, and Toyota CPO warranty.</Description>
    <DateAdded>2024-07-01T10:15:00</DateAdded>
  </Vehicle>

</ADF>

Core Data Flows

At its core, ADF facilitates three primary data flows:

  • Vehicle inventory syndication: Listing available vehicles with attributes like VIN, mileage, trim, features, and pricing.
  • Customer lead routing: Capturing inquiry data from websites, landing pages, and third-party portals and delivering it to dealership systems.
  • Service request handling: Appointment scheduling and service history tracking.

Rather than building custom integrations between dozens of disparate systems, dealerships implement ADF as a plug-and-play standard, allowing vendors to publish or consume vehicle and customer data in a predictable, parseable format.

Technical Structure and Adoption

ADF documents are XML-based and follow a defined schema that includes vehicle records (<Vehicle> elements), dealer information (<Dealer>), and lead transactions (<Lead> elements). Most modern DMS platforms (Reynolds, CDK, Dominion, Lightspeed, etc.) support native ADF export, either via direct file output or HTTP endpoint. Vendors typically consume ADF via polling (periodic file downloads) or push (webhook-based delivery).

Practical Martech Implications

For marketing technologists working in or serving the automotive vertical, understanding ADF is essential. When evaluating DMS platforms, vendor integrations, or CRM solutions, ADF capability (export/import quality, latency, error handling) is a key integration criterion. When building custom automotive marketing stacks, designing around native ADF consumption rather than custom API parsing reduces vendor lock-in and accelerates go-to-market. ADF also serves as a diagnostic lens: if vehicle inventory isn't syncing between a DMS and a marketing platform, or lead routing is failing, the issue often traces back to a malformed ADF feed, schema mismatch, or vendor-specific attribute mapping. Martech practitioners supporting dealership clients benefit from basic ADF literacy when troubleshooting data quality issues or auditing system integrations.