Meet the coolest car expert in the galaxy: Autonaut

Once upon a time, in the bustling hub of car enthusiasts and everyday drivers alike, there was a growing need for a guide — a navigator who could make sense of the endless options, questions, and challenges that came with buying or selling a car. This is where our story begins, with the birth of ‘Autonaut’, CARS24’s revolutionary AI-powered chatbot.

Ask Autonaut Anything!

Not just another Bot!

What sets Autonaut apart isn’t just its technical brilliance — it’s how it transforms challenges into delightful user experiences.

Let’s meet Aryan, an outdoor enthusiast with a dream: he wanted a rugged off-roader for weekend getaways but had a budget capped at ₹16 lakhs. For someone like Aryan, finding the right vehicle could have been overwhelming — until he met Autonaut.

1. A Personalised Car Hunt: Aryan simply asked, “I need an off-roading car under ₹16 lakhs.” on the CARS24 app and Autonaut’s GenAI-powered recommendation engine quickly identified the best options within his budget. Within seconds, Autonaut was showcasing vehicles like Renault Duster, Mahindra Thar, and Jeep Compass — perfect companions for off-roading adventures.

2. Answering Aryan’s Questions: Aryan had follow-up questions (obviously):

• “I want to know more about features and specifications” Autonaut provided a crisp, easy-to-understand summary, highlighting key features and specs.*
• “What’s the ground clearance of this car?” Autonaut accurately shared the ground clearance measurement.*
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3. Seamless Exploration: Aryan’s curiosity grew:

• “What’s the odometer reading on this car?” Autonaut shared the exact odometer reading, enabling Aryan with better clarity about the car’s usage.
• “Where is the car parked? Pls share map link” Autonaut promptly provided a Google Maps link to the nearest CARS24 hub, making it easy for Aryan to locate the car.
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4. Transparent Assistance: After a test drive, Aryan had deeper questions:

• “What’s the car’s service history?” Autonaut pulled a detailed service report, ensuring complete transparency. Mind you, this is taking seconds to unfold, not even minutes.
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5. Process Pro: Aryan asked process-related queries:

• “How long will the RC transfer take?” Autonaut explained the timeline step by step, giving him peace of mind about the post-purchase process.
• “Can I return the car later if I don’t like it?” Autonaut clarified the return policy, explaining the conditions under which returns are possible and any associated timelines, ensuring Aryan had clear expectations.
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6. Finance Made Simple: Aryan asked about loans:

• “Can I get a discount?” Leveraging smart API integrations, Autonaut checked for ongoing offers and secured Aryan a special deal.
• “What documents are required for the loan process?” Autonaut provided a clear list of required documents, ensuring Aryan was well-prepared for the loan application.
• “I want to check my loan eligibility.” Autonaut quickly assessed Aryan’s profile and shared a tailored pre-approved loan offer, making the process seamless and hassle-free.
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The End Result: Aryan drove home his dream off-roader feeling informed, confident, and stress-free. Autonaut didn’t just assist — it guided him through every step of his journey, proving it’s more than just a Bot.

How We Built Autonaut

Creating Autonaut was no small feat. Our dedicated team fused advanced machine learning techniques with a deep understanding of user needs to develop this intelligent assistant.

At the core of Autonaut lies a robust in-house intent and entity detection architecture. This sophisticated architecture enables it to parse and comprehend user input, regardless of how it’s articulated. Whether you type a complete question or just a few keywords, Autonaut immediately understands your intent. This capability is powered by advanced large language models (LLMs) that have been fine-tuned to grasp the specific nuances of car-related queries. Additionally, Autonaut retains context from the chat history, allowing it to understand your intent even better by building on prior interactions.

To ensure seamless conversations, we’ve also integrated suggestive nudges — smart prompts that guide users through their inquiries. This feature acts like a conversational GPS, helping users find the information they need quickly and efficiently without getting lost in the process.

The Architecture

Our extensive knowledge base serves as a treasure trove of car information and CARS24 internal data. It operates on our in-house Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system, merging the strengths of retrieval-based and generative models. This means Autonaut can fetch precise information from a vast database while generating accurate and contextually relevant responses in real-time. The magic behind this integration lies in our deep deployment of GenAI technology, which allows Autonaut not only to retrieve data but also to comprehend context and produce human-like responses that feel natural and engaging.

Finding the perfect car can often feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. To simplify this process, our proprietary personalized recommendation engine, powered by GenAI, employs advanced algorithms that match user preferences with the best available options. It takes into account factors such as budget, desired features, and even user behavior patterns, delivering tailored suggestions that make the car-buying journey more straightforward and enjoyable.

None of this would have been possible without our rockstar GenAI Labs team. Kudos to Vikas from the Founder’s office, Deepak, Raj, Bharat, Akhil, Aman, Rtivik, Aditya & Bharti from the engineering team, Atish from the data science team, and Sameen from the design team. Their hard work and innovation have made Autonaut a stellar assistant.

We believe this is just the beginning of a much better customer experience on the CARS24 app. Or as we like to often say — we are only getting started.