Auto Trader set to strengthen its new car proposition

4:50 pm, October 20, 2016

AUTO TRADER has launched a new proposition for new car buyers and manufacturers.

It will now advertise thousands of brand new cars which will essentially be ‘virtual stock’, as they may not physically exist at the dealership at the time of search.

In addition to over 65,000 ‘nearly new’ vehicles on the marketplace which include pre-registered cars, Auto Trader will now give consumers access to every new car available to order in the UK.

Buyers will be able to browse multiple variants, colours and other optional extras, refining their choice before contacting a franchise dealer of their choice.

Auto Trader’s new car proposition includes make and model editorial pages to match every new car accessible on the marketplace.

This will be combined with an SEO strategy designed to capture buyers using Google at the start of their car search and bring them into the Auto Trader buying journey.

The market leader has also appointed Marc Palmer, previously of Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, to help spearhead manufacturer relationships and identify the current challenges held by car makers.

Palmer said: ‘There are clearly many benefits for consumers looking for a new car on Auto Trader with the introduction of every new car available – but this new proposition also opens up a huge new car audience on Auto Trader for car manufacturers, the scale of which they may have been unaware of before.’

Palmer, who comes to Auto Trader with over 15 years of manufacturing experience with car brands, adds: ‘Manufacturers do not often speak to the buyer who is undecided when it comes to new or used vehicles, but now they can do just that, in an environment that hosts the UK’s largest audience of car buyers.’

Auto Trader digital director, Chris Ward, said: ‘Marc’s appointment and the new car offering will both help us provide more innovative advertising solutions that meet the needs of our customers, led by a detailed understanding of the consumer car-buying behaviours of our vast new car audience.’