ATLANTA -

Late last week, AutoTrader.com launched a new vehicle commercial inventory listing program for Chevrolet and GMC Business Elite dealers.

The site contends the new offering gives dealers the opportunity to “differentiate their commercial truck and van listings on the site and create program awareness with small business owners.”

Commenting on the news, Matt McKenna, senior vice president of national accounts at AutoTrader.com, said, “GM has a history of being ahead of the curve in the third-party shopping space, as they were the first to list CPO vehicles on our site, and we’re excited to partner with them again to create yet another first in the industry that brings significant additional value to dealers and consumers.”

Through the program, AutoTrader.com will receive a national feed of GM’s commercial inventory displayed on the site.

The company said that inventory will also include specialized branding, “including custom ad tiles to offer shoppers Business Elite Program information and Business Choice incentive information.”

The GM inventory that will be included in the automated feed includes: Chevy Express vans, GMC Savana vans, Chevrolet Silverado work trucks and GMC Sierra work trucks.

Through this feed, each listing will automatically include nine photos, one make-specific video and branded ad tiles that “offer shoppers the opportunity to learn more about the Business Elite program and Business Choice incentives,” officials said.

The site is also offering “turn-key co-op packages” available to Business Elite dealers that work to give dealers’ inventory more visibility and merchandising opportunities.  

Strength in the Pickup Market

The new offering comes on the heels of a strong season for trucks and commercial vehicles as the housing market continues to improve.

“This program couldn’t have come at a better time, as the rebounding housing market and overall economic recovery have fueled increasing interest for work-related vehicles, particularly trucks, on AutoTrader.com,” McKenna said.

“Shopper interest in the truck segment is up 13 percent year-over-year on our site, and it is currently the most-shopped segment, capturing 13.1 percent of all shopping activity.”

And according to recent wholesale analysis from Manheim analysts, pickup trucks continued to outperform all other used-vehicle segments during the first half of 2013.

Wholesale prices increased 3.6 percent year-over-year due to increased demand from the improvement in the housing industry, combined with limited supplies in the wholesale market, especially for units with less than 100,000 miles.

In fact, pickup segments have experienced much stronger price retention in the lanes this spring and early summer.

Speaking to this trend regarding pickups’ performances in May, Tom Webb, Manheim chief economist, said, “Within market classes, pickups continued to significantly outperform all other segments,” Webb said.

Sarah Rubenoff can be reached at srubenoff@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.