AUTO TRADER AND WHAT CAR? ANNOUNCE MAJOR NEW PARTNERSHIP SET TO REDEFINE FUTURE OF AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL
• From October, all 20,000 in-stock and ‘available soon’ brand-new cars advertised on Auto Trader, will be displayed and accessible on What Car?
• Multi-year partnership set to revolutionise the new car buying experience, creating a seamless journey between researching, finding and buying their next new car.
• Retailers and brands will be able to engage and influence a highly qualified audience at the beginning of their new car buying journey.
3rd September 2024, London: Auto Trader and What Car? have today agreed an extension to its multi-year partnership which will see the UK’s most trusted and influential automotive brands come together to redefine the new car buying and selling experience. It will enable the combined unique audience of nearly 11 million people to research, locate, and buy a brand-new car across both platforms in a single seamless journey. And as challenges increase in the new car market, retailers and manufacturers will be able to significantly extend their reach to a highly qualified audience at the beginning of their new car buying journey, all on a single Auto Trader contract.
As of October, What Car?’s current ‘New Car Deals’ configurator will be replaced with an innovative new car display and search function powered by Auto Trader, which will enable consumers to conveniently access the 20,000 in-stock brand-new cars advertised every day. Selecting one of the advertised cars will seamlessly transition the consumer onto Auto Trader’s award-winning new car platform to complete the rest of their car buying journey.
Since July 2022 Auto Trader has powered the used car listings on What Car? and its sister site, Autocar. The new extension means What Car?’s audience will now have a full view of the market, providing access to the c. 20,000 new cars advertised daily, as well as the 37,000 ‘nearly new’ (those below 12 months old), and the 430,000 used.
Bringing together the huge scale of Auto Trader and complementing its wide-ranging car content with that of What Car?’s will help redefine the consumer new car buying experience, removing many of the traditional pain points. Rather than having to use multiple platforms to research, to find, and to calculate the cost of a new car, consumers will now be able to complete most of the necessary car buying jobs in one convenient and seamless journey. Buyers will continue to benefit from What Car?’s advice and reviews, alongside Auto Trader's own editorial expertise, before benefitting from the largest stock of new cars immediately available.
As well as a long and rich British heritage, both Auto Trader and What Car? are among the UK’s most trusted and influential automotive brands. In a recent study, nearly three quarters[1] of respondents said they were the first sites they’d visit when looking for their next car. For new cars specifically, more than half[2] would choose either site as their first destination, which combined, is four times larger than the closest competitor[3]. What’s more, three out of five[4] said they were the most helpful in narrowing down searches.
The partnership is equally significant for retailers and manufacturers. Whilst Auto Trader’s partners already benefit from the circa 2 million monthly visits to its new car platform, and 6.5 million daily new car searches, the partnership will extend the reach of their new car stock to a highly engaged new car audience at the beginning of their journey. The ability to engage and influence even more consumers higher up in the new car buying funnel, will help drive more highly qualified leads, and in turn fuel more sales. As of October, retailers and brands will receive the benefits of advertising across both platforms, for the cost of a single Auto Trader contract.
At a time when the new car market is facing a growing combination of challenges, the partnership marks another significant milestone in Auto Trader’s commitment to stimulate meaningful retail demand for new cars. It follows the launch of its largest ever marketing investment, which will target new car buyers. Over the course of six months, the multi-million-pound media and creative marketing campaign will reach an estimated 96% of the UK population 35 times with eye-catching creatives across various media formats and consumer touchpoints.
Combined with our significant new car consumer marketing campaign, bringing together two of the UK’s most influential automotive brands marks a very important step in our commitment to helping our partners meet the challenges of the new car market.
Combined with our significant new car consumer marketing campaign, bringing together two of the UK’s most influential automotive brands marks a very important step in our commitment to helping our partners meet the challenges of the new car market. These significant investments will not only make it easier and more cost efficient to access a huge new car buying audience earlier in the journey, but also drive more highly engaged new car buyers to our partners’ stock. We believe it’s among the most powerful ways in which we can support our partners and would encourage brands not to miss out on the huge opportunity it affords.
Building on the success of our used car partnership, we are delighted to now be working with Auto Trader on new cars, too. The synergy between our brands and audiences is obvious, and by working together we can offer consumers, retailers, and car manufacturers an unrivalled end-to-end car-buying and selling experience.
Rachel Prasher, Managing Director of Haymarket Automotive, publisher of What Car? and Autocar
[1] Auto Trader Brand Tracker, March 2024: What is the first site you’d click on when searching for your next car? Auto Trader = 62%, WhatCar? = 9%
[2] Auto Trader Brand Tracker, March 2024: What is the first site you’d click on if you’re thinking about buying a brand-new car? Auto Trader = 46%, WhatCar? = 7%.
[3] Which? = 13%
[4] Auto Trader Brand Tracker, March 2024: Which was the most useful in helping you to narrow down your search to identify what vehicle you would consider buying? Auto Trader = 53%, WhatCar = 6%
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