The acquisition of Cox Australia Media Solutions, which operates CarsGuide.com.au and Autotrader.com.au, has been completed. eBay have announced in an updated version of their press release originally published in December 2019.
Australian consumers will be blessed with what eBay describes as an attractive car buying platform created through the strengths of the Cox Australia platforms CarsGuide.com.au and Autotrader.com.au as well as Gumtree combined. The acquisition is set to form a comprehensive automotive ecosystem for dealers providing more reach, insights and tools. Using the things that make each company unique alongside their new joint propositions the formation will deliver a seamless car buying experience for consumers and more value for eBay’s dealer partners. Together, Autotrader.com.au, which has about 2,300 dealers and approximately 90,000 listings, and Gumtree, which has approximately 1,800 dealers and about 80,000 private-party listings, provide a compelling car-buying service offering and enabling Gumtree to develop a more competitive and attractive platform for Australian consumers.
“This acquisition is an important part of eBay Classifieds Group’s verticalization strategy in the automotive market, following our successful acquisition of Motors.co.uk in the United Kingdom earlier this year. Gumtree is already an established player in the Australian private sales market, and the addition of CarsGuide.com.au and Autotrader.com.au will make our offerings even more compelling by giving Australian consumers and dealers more reach and choice in market,”
– Alessandro Coppo, Senior Vice President and General Manager, eBay Classifieds Group
“This acquisition will strengthen our position in the automotive market by providing consumers with access to thousands of additional listings, automotive research, reviews and content, as well as a strong dealer tool and car buying destination. Together with Gumtree Australia, these brands create a robust customer experience in auto buying — from research to purchase.”
– Richard Dicello, Head of Motors, Gumtree Australia
