THE Australian introduction of a version of Autotrader, Cox Automotive’s mammoth US car classified website, remains under review as the company works through its options on the kind of features it wants here that are most suitable to car buyers, advertisers and retailers.

Autotrader is the most-visited third-party auto website in the US and, combined with its partner site, Kelley Blue Book, gets 30 million unique visitors a month.

Cox Automotive has already announced its intention to bring Autotrader to Australia. Last year it secured ownership of the autotrader.com.au website address from automotive publisher Ash Hunter, and has appointed a specific product director for Autotrader in Australia.

As to what the final site would look like, the recently-appointed CEO of Cox Automotive Australia, Gary Martin, told GoAutoNews Premium: “At this stage we still don’t know. We are still working through it.

“We are literally in the phases of our discovery of where we want to be in terms of Carsales and we are asking where the consumer wants to be today. We don’t profess to have all the answers.

“So what we are doing is working internally, externally and with our dealer partners to put that together.

“Suffice to say we are working through that plan right now and we we are looking to have something in the market, whatever that may be, towards the end of 2017,” Mr Martin said.

Disclosure: Cox Automotive has a minority interest in GoAutoMedia Pty Ltd.

By John Mellor