Protomiq, the conversion and experience platform for auto dealers, today announced the launch of tradeIQ, offerIQ, and paymentsIQ. These three new products are designed to help dealers understand a consumer’s readiness and ability to buy, potentially leading to higher-quality sales conversations and conversions into closed sales. Protomiq, formerly known as TradePending, is backed by Capstreet, a Houston-based lower middle market private equity firm.
The launch expands Protomiq's portfolio of website experiences by introducing IQ products, new offerings that translate shopper activity and context into actionable buyer intelligence that dealership sales teams can use the moment a lead arrives in their CRM.
"Most dealers don't have a lead generation problem. They have a lead intelligence problem,” said Jorge de Castro, CEO of Protomiq. "We believe the future belongs to dealers who can identify meaningful buyer signals earlier, and we believe Protomiq’s new IQ tools will help dealers have smarter sales conversations from the first interaction, increasing the possibility of converting more leads into sales.”
The launch of the three new IQ products comes as dealers face a rapidly changing retail environment and look for new ways to create value. According to S&P Global Automotive Insights (dated May 21, 2026), consumers are holding on to vehicles an average of 12.8 years, which Protomiq believes has caused affordability pressures to remain elevated. As a result, trade activity continues to be one of the clearest indicators of purchase readiness.
As shoppers value a trade-in, request an offer, estimate car payments, monitor vehicle equity, or re-engage with dealers, these behaviors provide valuable context about intent, timing, and potential readiness to transact.
Protomiq's 2026 Dealership Intelligence Report, built from vehicle market data collected daily from more than 17,000 North American dealership websites during the past five years, found that while dealers are not struggling to attract shopper interest they are challenged to understand which shoppers are most prepared to have a meaningful buying conversation.
The Protomiq report also found that auto dealers who rely on national used-car market averages for pricing, appraisal, acquisition, and inventory strategy may expose themselves to appraisal risk, margin compression, and slower inventory turn."
Dealers are navigating a marketplace that no longer behaves as a single, monolithic entity,” said de Castro. “Our research shows significant variance in vehicle demand, valuation performance, and acquisition opportunities across OEMs, body styles, regions, engine types, and shopper demographics. In this market, we believe understanding a shopper’s readiness and ability to purchase has become as important as understanding inventory.”
For more information or demonstrations of Protomiq’s new IQ products, visit https://protomiq.com/demo.
About Protomiq
Protomiq is an intelligent digital sales conversion platform that uses connected website experiences to help dealers understand shopper intent, have higher-quality sales conversations, and convert more shoppers into buyers. Through experiences including tradeIQ, offerIQ, paymentsIQ, AutoBio, Value Watch, and Service Offers, Protomiq helps dealers capture high-value shopper signals, turn shopper activity into action, and move faster and smarter on sales opportunities. For more information, visit https://protomiq.com.
About Capstreet
Founded in 1990, Capstreet invests in lower middle market business service companies. With more than 50 platform investments and more than 200 add-on acquisitions since inception, Capstreet’s investment strategy is focused on utilizing its Capvalue Framework® to help accelerate growth and profitability, and create long-term sustainable businesses. The majority of Capstreet’s investments have been with founder or entrepreneur-owned businesses. For more information, visit the Capstreet website, https://capstreet.com.