AutoTrader.com, an Internet auto classifieds destination and marketplace, on April 16 announced recent enhancements to its Ad Manager tool for auto dealers that list their inventories on AutoTrader.com.

According to Joe George, vice president of product management at AutoTrader.com, Ad Manager will have a new look and offer dealers more user-friendly functionality so they can view their inventory, revise information presented to the consumer, and renew or delete inventory in real-time through an online administration area.

"Ad Manager allows dealers to completely manage their listings online, to make sure that the latest inventory is featured, along with the most current photos and accurate information about each vehicle," George said. "The new enhancements will make the process even more efficient by allowing dealers to edit information for more than one vehicle at a time, search and sort inventory by a variety of criteria, like make and model, year, VIN or price and upload multiple images at the same time."

By making this information immediately available for consumers, dealers can generate instant leads and maximize their sales potential, according to George, who said the enhanced Ad Manager tool is available at no cost to all dealers.

“With the enhanced Ad Manager, auto dealers can have total control over the information they provide to consumers,” George said. “This is just one of the many tools that we offer auto dealers so they can conveniently and cost-effectively get the most out of every ad they place on our site.”

According to Jupiter Communications, 38 percent of today's car buyers are conducting research online, with that percentage expected to increase dramatically over the next few years. A recent study by AutoTrader.com also shows that the site is visited by 42 percent of buyers who purchased a vehicle found online.

Among the more than 40,000 dealers that list their new and used vehicles on AutoTrader.com, the site was viewed as the number one brand for delivering quality leads at a lower cost. On average, non-paying dealers receive 20 leads per month and dealers who purchase enhanced services, such as dealer tiles and site links, receive about 200 leads per month.

AutoTrader.com offers dealers who advertise on the site access to a user base of more than 4 million site visitors per month.

“AutoTrader.com presents a very prosperous, lucrative addition to my sales performance each month,” said Gary Gendron, Internet sales representative, Artioli Dodge in Enfield, Conn. “Since joining AutoTrader.com, our Internet sales have increased dramatically and now it’s even easier to update our Web site inventory or specials and make them available to customers instantly.”

AutoTrader.com provides auto dealers with advertising and marketing tools to prominently display their inventories and maximize the sales potential of each lead. In addition to Ad Manager, AutoTrader.com’s dealer service offerings include Interactive Display Ads, full-page, color ads that link off of vehicle listings and Who’s Calling’s tracking technology, that provides dealers with real-time reports on all calls to their dealership, to increase the sales and revenue potential of the telephone.

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com is an Internet destination and marketplace for buyers and sellers of used cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles and for consumers seeking information regarding automotive products and services, such as insurance, financing and warranties.

AutoTrader.com, through its strategic alliances, aggregates in a single location an extensive network of industry participants and a comprehensive database of 1.5 million vehicle listings and automotive information to create an open marketplace that is local, regional and national in nature.

AutoTrader.com was formed in 1997 and is a majority-owned subsidiary of Manheim Auctions, Inc., which has been in business since 1945, and is the world's largest operator of wholesale auto auctions.

Manheim Auctions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., a leading media conglomerate, is AutoTrader.com's principal stockholder and one of AutoTrader.com's strategic partners. Other investors and strategic partners include Trader Publishing Company, ADP, Inc., eBay, Inc. and the venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.