Auto Trader launches new iPad app

Auto Trader, which operates one of the UK's busiest car-related websites, autotrader.co.uk, is now offering a new way to access its vast database of used cars – a freshly developed iPad app which goes live today.

Auto Trader already provides apps for iPhones and Android handhelds as well as a .mobi version of its website, and mobile access to Auto Trader ads and information has been growing rapidly as car-buyers use their phones to compare and research cars from dealers' forecourts. The new software, though, which is designed to exploit fully the capabilities of tablet devices, rather than being just an adaptation of the existing iPhone app, is expected to be used mainly by customers looking for a more convenient way of looking for their next car from home.

iPad users can perform the same detailed searches as visitors to the autotrader.co.uk website, but the results are presented in a much more readily accessible form; results are presented in a single block which users can scroll through easily using the iPad's touch screen in order to get a quick overview, instead of having to click through several pages of entries. Search criteria can be adjusted quickly without retyping information. Cars that are of particular interest can be placed in a personal “garage” where up to four different vehicles can be compared in detail. Information about individual cars can also be shared by email.

The new Auto Trader iPad app is available at:

www.itunes.com/appstore

Watch how it works