Auto Trader has launched a service enabling retailers to advertise their entire stock of brand-new unregistered cars for free on the site until early 2019.
Auto Trader estimates that 100,000 brand-new unregistered cars in the UK are not being actively advertised online.
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The slump in UK new car registrations showed a 20.4% drop in September and a fall of 2.9% in October, with SMMT figures showing a year-on-year drop to 153,599 vehicles registered.
As with September 2018’s fall in registration, blame has been attributed to the introduction of stringent WLTP emissions regulation and wider economic concerns. The Auto Trader offer comes with the stated aim of “helping brands and retailers reach their targets.”
With a recently introduced search experience on Auto Trader, car buyers can now choose from new or used in one function.
Auto Trader director, Ian Plummer, said: “Whether it’s the result of new WLTP regulations, fuel type confusion, Brexit anxieties or simply not enough in-store visitors, the increased complexities of the new car market has made hitting sales targets more challenging than ever. As a result, many industry experts estimate that somewhere around a quarter of all new cars today are tactically registered in one way or another.”
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By GlobalDataWe want to offer a genuine alternative to that sort of unsustainable business, by creating a one-stop-shop experience for consumers which enables our retailers to promote their entire stock of new and used cars to millions of engaged buyers.”
Search results will display cars within a default 50-mile radius and ranks by distance. According to Auto Trader: “By focusing on local consumers, this helps retailers retain more value through aftersales and repeat sales.”
On the site over 1,000 franchise retailers across the UK already advertise more than 16,000 new cars.
Retailers can send their brand-new stock to Auto Trader in a number of ways, including via their existing data-feed for used car stock.
