eBay is buying online car marketplace Motors.co.uk from Cox Automotive, in a bid to take on the likes of AutoTrader in the UK.
The plan is for the car buying and selling platform to become part of Gumtree UK, an eBay classifieds business.
According to eBay, “combining the inventory, customer relationships and traffic available on Gumtree UK, eBay Motors UK and Motors.co.uk, along with (its) cutting-edge tools and services, would help UK car dealers increase their leads and bring buyers more choice and value.”
The acquisition builds on the partnership between Gumtree UK Motors and eBay UK Motors, launched last January. That partnership enables UK car dealers to easily reach customers on both platforms and gives buyers access to more listings.
Gumtree UK, eBay Motors UK and Motors.co.uk currently have a combined offer of more than 620,000 car listings. By joining forces, they could become a leading alternative to AutoTrader, the current UK motors market leader, with 500,000 listings.
“Combining Motors.co.uk’s extensive inventory, dealer engagements, traffic and cutting-edge tools and services with the considerable audience of in-market car buyers provided by eBay and Gumtree would give UK car dealers a significantly broader reach,” says Matt Barham, Gumtree UK General Manager.
Motors.co.uk is a subsidiary of Cox Automotive. With over 350,000 used-car listings on its platform, it is one of the UK’s largest dealer-facing brands, helping over 5,000 dealers sell their cars.
Motors.co.uk was acquired by Cox back in 2012. It has since doubled its consumer audience and the number of vehicles that it advertises.
The firm has produced mobile-focused search tools that aim to help car buyers look for potential vehicles, and introduced a tool that enables dealers to monitor their advertising spend and their top performing stock.
By acquiring Motors.co.uk, Ebay will also gain other websites in its network including Parkers.co.uk, Topgear.com, Autovillage, Raccars.co.uk, and Honest John which reach a combined 5.4 million readers per month.