Americans Renew Their Love for Cars - Online

Editors Note: And don't forget the first automotive site of all (and still the best) TheAutoChannel.Com; thanks for TACH'n reader...

WASHINGTON, DC - August 28, 2009: The AIADA newsletter reported that for consumers, the internet is helping to solve some of the most confounding aspects of buying a car, from comparing prices and reading reviews to getting tips on bargaining tactics. And the plethora of new sites for automotive buffs appears to demonstrate that Americans' love affair with cars is alive and well.

According to the Wall Street Journal, even as U.S. auto sales have fallen by about 30 percent this year from a year earlier, more than 100 new auto-related Web sites have been launched, says research group Hitwise.

That brings the total number of such sites to nearly 5,000, more than for all but a few other industries. Since 2005, the ranks of automotive writers have grown to 2,700 from 1,600, says Autowriters.com, a site that tracks car writers for the auto industry. Demand for automotive sites is increasing.

A J.D. Power & Associates survey found that in 2008 more than 75 percent of car buyers conducted online research before shopping, up from 70 percent a year earlier. Almost no niche is too small. Online auto publications are appealing to readers based on geography, type of car, and ethnic identity.