ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The transition of car and truck sales to interactive media is almost complete, so automotive advertising sites worldwide are looking for new revenue streams – in some cases, even jumping into the used-car business themselves, a new report shows.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140108/MN42979)

The 2013-14 Automotive Advertising Report, published this week, identifies new revenue programs at auto sites like AutoScout24 in Germany, which has moved from mere listings of autos to participation in the transactions themselves.

"Even though they still have a lot of growth left, auto websites are maturing, so they are trying to get into more elements of the sale of cars and trucks, like financing, insurance and even direct transactions," said Jim Townsend, editorial director of the AIM Group.

 "Everywhere we look, the focus is the sale and doing whatever it takes to make that happen. It's pushing auto sites to innovate, to invent and to reframe their relationships with buyers, sellers and competitors," Townsend said.

The 73-page report, which profiles 29 companies in 17 countries, is one of the four "vertical" annual editions published as part of the Classified Intelligence Report continuous advisory service. It is distributed to clients as part of their service, and is available for $695. A free "preview edition" is also available at the site.

The report demonstrates the value of auto reviews and the growing use of dealer reviews, identifying one site that offers more than 250,000 consumer reviews of their auto dealers --- both positive and negative.

It also highlights one major auto site, which was No. 1, but became so aggressive on pricing that auto dealers formed their own site. The site now faces a difficult fight for market share, even though it apologized for raising its prices so quickly.

Countries covered include:

1. United States
2. Canada
3. Germany
4. France
5. U.K.
6. Switzerland
7. Spain
8. Finland
9. Denmark
10. Turkey
11. Poland
12. Romania
13. Croatia
14. Slovakia
15. UAE
16. China
17. Southeast Asia

Over 100 companies covered including, but not limited to:

1. Cars.com
2. AutoTrader
3. Craigslist
4. Metroland
5. AutoScout24
6. Motory
7. Caradisiac
8. LaCentrale
9. Gumtree
10. AutoRicardo
11. Coches.com
12. NettiAuto
13. AutoUncle
14. Arabam
15. Otomoto
16. Moto.Gratka
17. Auto.ro
18. Auti
19. Autobazar
20. Yallamotor
21. Autohome
22. BitAuto
23. ICar Asia
24. SGCarMart

(Free copies are available to media for editorial use. See contact information below.)

Note to editors: Jim Townsend, AIM Group principal and editorial directors, and Peter M. Zollman, founding principal, are available for interviews or comments on the research. Townsend is available at 713-550-0699 or jimt@AIMgroup.com; Zollman is at 407-788-2780 or peterz@AIMgroup.com. For free review copies of the report for editorial use, call 407-788-2780 or email jenniferl@AIMgroup.com / info@AIMgroup.com .

About the AIM Group: The AIM Group, formally the Advanced Interactive Media Group LLC, is the world's leading consultancy in interactive media and classified advertising. It publishes Classified Intelligence Report, a continuous advisory service often called"the bible of the classified advertising industry."  Founded in 1998 and based near Orlando, Fla., the AIM Group works with leading media companies, broadcasters, dot-coms, yellow-page publishers and technology companies. It provides strategic and tactical consulting; sales training; proprietary and published research about interactive media; and other services.

Media Contact: Jennifer Waxman-Loyd, Marketing Director, The AIM Group, Advanced Interactive Media Group  LLC, 407.949.4444, jenniferl@aimgroup.com

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SOURCE The AIM Group