ATLANTA, May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace, hit another major milestone in May: the one millionth view on the brand's YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/autotrader). Launched in December 2010, the AutoTrader.com YouTube channel currently houses over 225 videos that are aimed at mainstream car shoppers, rather than car enthusiasts. The one-millionth view occurred on Sunday, May 13, 2012.

"We know that video is an important part of the car shopping process, as the convergence of sight, sound and motion helps create emotional connections between shoppers and vehicles," said Scott Markle, senior manager of content strategy at AutoTrader.com. "With these videos, we aim to bring vehicles to life in a way that engages shoppers, talk about topics that are important to those shoppers and educate them on subjects with which they might not be very familiar."

The majority of the videos are developed by AutoTrader.com's expert editorial team. Videos range from new car reviews, used car reviews, coverage of major auto shows, "5 reasons to buy" and educational content such as "Real SUV Off-Road Features" and "What is a Plug-In Hybrid." Sprinkled throughout are also some fun videos, such as the recent auto cross excursion with AutoTrader.com's long-term Mini Cooper test car and the new AutoTrader.com Dream Machine.

"We're always looking for ways that we can reach more car shoppers, and we know that a lot of younger buyers are already very video centric," added Brian Moody, site editor at AutoTrader.com. "Leveraging our YouTube channel to house videos has been a great way to further showcase the value of how we at AutoTrader.com can help them find the car that's right for them."

Certainly one unique video offering on the AutoTrader.com channel are the used car reviews. Unlike most other used car reviews that are simply repurposed new car reviews, AutoTrader.com's editorial team reviews actual used vehicles, gets feedback from current owners, discusses the differences in the model years and provides key information surrounding known issues and any recalls for those vehicles.

A few additional noteworthy stats:

• Video views on the channel are growing an average of nine percent per month so far in 2012.
• 20 percent of the video views from the channel are occurring on mobile devices, which supports the rising use of mobile devices during the car shopping process.
• Nine percent of traffic is coming from embedded players on other sites, which range from OEM sites, dealer sites and car forums).
• People aged 25-54 make up the majority of the viewers on the channel, which also skews 88 percent male.

A look at the most-viewed videos so far in 2012 show that users are engaging with a wide range of content, from recent auto show coverage to reviews and more:

• Syfy's "Dream Machines" Builds AutoTrader Concept Car
• 5 Reasons to Buy: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
• Top Luxury Cars: 2012 Detroit Auto Show
• 5 Reasons to Buy: 2012 Subaru Impreza
• 2011 Kia Optima - New Car Review

About AutoTrader.com

Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com, created in 1997, is the Internet's ultimate automotive marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers and is a leading online resource for auto dealers, individuals and manufacturers to advertise and market their vehicles to in-market shoppers. The company also provides a robust suite of software tools for dealers and manufacturers to help them manage and market their vehicle inventory and display advertising on the Internet. AutoTrader.com continues to grow key business metrics, including revenue, profitability and site traffic. Today, AutoTrader.com attracts millions of unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to review descriptions, photos and videos of vehicles for sale; research and compare vehicles; review pricing and specials; and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips and editorial coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends. AutoTrader.com operates one other auto marketing brand, AutoTraderClassics.com. AutoTrader.com also owns used vehicle management software company vAuto, Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com), HomeNet Automotive, a leading provider of online inventory management and merchandising solutions for the automotive retail industry and VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end solution platforms for dealers.  AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Providence Equity Partners is a 25 percent owner of the company and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

SOURCE AutoTrader.com