Online Auto & Web 3.0 (Part 2)

Top Players and Rankings

With more and more users going online in search of quality content on automobiles, vehicle performance, model specs, crash-test ratings, classified info, car finance, auto insurance, etc., there has been a rise in traffic to the various automobile sites. According to Nielsen//NetRatings, the top auto sites are eBay Motors, Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, AutoTrader and AOL Autos.

eBay Motors is the leading automotive site and in June 2007 it attracted over 14.65 million visitors. EBay Motors is followed by Kelley Blue Book with 5.83 million visits. According to Hitwise, eBay Motors’ market share is 14.41% in the shopping category.

AutoTrader is the largest motoring site in Europe. It is also the leading automotive site in the UK. It had 4.44 million unique visitors in June 2007.

New entrants and Innovators

With a large cross section of the auto purchasers researching their purchase and doing auto related transactions online, there is an increasing demand for online auto sites and this has resulted in the emergence of a number of new sites and categorization within the online auto space.

Many sites are focusing on niche spaces and providing specialized and customized services and high quality content to the consumers. Earlier this year, Autobytel.com launched MyRide, a fully integrated automotive vertical search engine. The site is a one stop destination for auto search as it allows users to search for new or used cars, car parts, accessories, and even local businesses for service and repairs. The site also provides information on dealers, manufacturers and other service providers.

A few years ago, Pcars was launched to cater to the needs of performance car buyers and sellers. Users can create their personalized homepage where they can add customized product information and links and post photos.

CarGurus is a next generation Online Autos community site.

Mother Proof is a niche auto site that caters to the needs of women users. AskPatty is another site dedicated to women and provides advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics.

Automotive sites have also realized the benefits of user-generated content and many sites have already included community features within them. A number of social networking sites like, boompa, have emerged.

(To be Continued)

[Part 1]

This segment is part 2 in the series : Online Auto & Web 3.0
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