1981 – Origins
Pinewood was founded in 1981 after a Renault dealer in London grew frustrated with the lack of suitable systems to run his business. He assembled a small team of developers to build a better solution, marking the birth of Pinewood as a classic early-1980s tech startup.
1980s–1990s – Early Innovation
The team created one of the UK’s first Sales and Dealer Management Systems (DMS), soon partnering with brands like Saab, Lloyds Bowmaker, and a growing dealer group that became Pendragon PLC.
As Pendragon expanded, it acquired Pinewood to develop a multi-brand DMS capable of supporting large-scale dealership operations. Pinewood became central to Pendragon’s growth, helping introduce new digital processes and efficiency models that later became industry norms.
2000s–2010s – Growth and Modernisation
Throughout the 2000s, Pinewood evolved from traditional on-premise systems to a fully cloud-based DMS, pioneering digital tools for online vehicle sales, customer communication, and data-driven dealership management.
Its software powered thousands of dealerships across the UK and Europe, becoming known for reliability, integration, and innovation.
2020–2023 – Transformation and Strategic Pivot
By the early 2020s, Pendragon was one of Europe’s largest dealer groups, with Pinewood providing its core technology backbone.
In 2023–24, following Pendragon’s strategic sale of its dealer network to Lithia Motors, Pinewood Technologies Group PLC emerged as a standalone public company, focused solely on software and technology for automotive retail.
2024 – Rebrand and Global Expansion
In February 2024, Pinewood spun out independently and began trading as Pinewood Technologies Group PLC (LSE: PINE).
Under the customer-facing brand Pinewood.AI, the company launched its Automotive Intelligence Platform—a unified, AI-powered cloud platform designed for OEMs and dealer groups worldwide.
Led by CEO Bill Berman, Pinewood.AI positioned itself as a global leader in automotive intelligence, blending data, automation, and customer experience tools.
2025 – Strategic Acquisitions and Global Scale
In March 2025, Pinewood.AI acquired Seez, strengthening its capabilities in AI-driven automotive retail. In June 2025, it acquired the remaining 51% stake in its North American joint venture, taking full ownership and accelerating its U.S. rollout.
By late 2025, Pinewood.AI operated in 36 countries, with their technology being utilized in over 2000 dealers with more than 50,000 daily users. With offices in Birmingham (HQ), London, Sweden, Dubai, South Africa, Japan, the Netherlands, and North America, the company is supported by over 300 employees worldwide.
Today
Pinewood.AI is a publicly listed technology company (LSE: PINE; OTCQX: PINWF) dedicated to transforming automotive retail through intelligence, automation, and connected software. Its mission: to make automotive retail simple, intelligent, data-driven, and human-centred—powering OEMs and dealer groups with a single evolutionary platform for the future of automotive retail.
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