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Autotrader is to introduce live three-hour car auctions on its UK

site (www.autotrader. co.uk) from October. The auctions will aim to shift

ex-demo cars to its traditional consumer audience.

The initiative will add to the site’s existing delayed auctions. ”We’re

moving to a three-hour window because our dealers can’t have the cars off

their forecourts for too long,” said Peter McCullough, managing director

of autotrader.co.uk. ”We have a brand to protect, so we need to satisfy

our dealers.”

The move will coincide with a revamp of the site, which is being developed

by agency Circle.com.

McCullough said the redesign would set out to make the site less cluttered

and easier to navigate, with sections for cars, bikes, commercial vehicles

and leisure vehicles, such as caravans.

”At the moment, a lot of the content is buried well down the site. We

might drop some of the niche areas that don’t get much traffic, such as

spare parts,” added McCullough.

The new version will also offer a more streamlined search facility, based

on vehicle manufacturer, model and price, enabling users to view up to 20

vehicles with their main details and a thumbnail picture that clicks

through to deeper content.