8:52 am, November 27, 2023
Used Car Awards sponsor eBay Motors Group has been rebranded as Motors as of today.
The move sees the new and used car dealer-facing eBay Motors Group brand and consumer-facing Motors.co.uk brand come together as a single entity.
Car dealers will still have access to multi-site advertising across eBay and Gumtree, with no immediate changes to their advertising packages.
The Motors website has dropped the .co.uk branding it has had since being launched 15 years ago, and has unveiled a new identity with a green theme. An all-new Motors mobile app will follow early next year.
Chief executive Barry Judge said: ‘The market for buying and selling cars has fundamentally shifted, so it is time to rethink how advertising platforms best support their consumer and trade audiences.
‘Rebranding our operations as Motors provides an opportunity for us to drive the business forward and expand our role as a key partner for car retailers across the UK.
‘The past two years have seen considerable change across the business with new ownership and increased investment. What has never changed is our focus on helping dealers reach in-market car buyers cost-effectively.
‘By aligning under the Motors brand, we are doubling down on our commitment to growing as both a consumer site and as an industry partner.’
Motors is one of the sponsors of tonight’s Car Dealer Used Car Awards, putting its name to the Used Car Supermarket category, as well as hosting the drinks reception and post-event fun casino.
Judge added: ‘We know from our latest Digital Touchpoints Survey of 3,000 car buyers that they are visiting more websites than ever before, currently averaging 4.2 compared with 3.5 in June 2021.
‘That’s why it is important for us to continue to provide retailers with a single access point to multi-site advertising through our partnerships with eBay and Gumtree.
‘This ensures we reach audiences at scale to fulfil our commitment to deliver cost-effective vehicle advertising.
‘The Motors advertising proposition reaches consumers at various stages of the car-buying cycle, delivering high-quality sales inquiries and compelling market intelligence to help dealers succeed.
‘Financially stretched car buyers are more anxious today about making the right decision around fuel types, makes, models and retailers, and as a business we recognise it can be an overwhelming landscape to navigate.
‘With Motors being one of the UK’s largest destinations for car buyers, we will be doing more to cut through the chaos by giving buyers everything they need and nothing they don’t.’
Launched in 2007 by the Daily Mail & General Trust, it was bought by Cox Automotive in 2010, then sold to Gumtree, which in turn was bought by O3 Industries and Novum Capital in 2021, with the rebrand part of ongoing investment in the business following its most recent acquisition.
Daniel Ozen, president of O3 Industries, said: ‘We are incredibly proud of the important role that our advertising platform plays for car dealers.
‘We believe that by investing further in the Motors business, we will be able to significantly grow the value we deliver to dealers.
‘Our philosophy is simple: We believe that we will be successful if we help our dealers be successful in their day-to-day business.
‘Under our ownership, we have invested heavily in people, technology and marketing. We intend to continue this investment to unlock the full potential of Motors for car buyers and our dealer partners.’
More announcements of major investments to support the new strategy will be made in the coming weeks, said Motors.
