Motors.co.uk has recruited the former head of product classifieds at rival Auto Trader.

David Hearns has been appointed product director in the latest move as Motors.co.uk continues to pursue plans to knock its rival off the number one spot for consumers looking to buy a used car.

Hearns is the second senior appointment at the company in recent weeks, following that of sales director Ian Webber who joined from Yahoo! where he was automotive category director for the UK and Europe.

Hearns, who has worked for some of the UK’s biggest classified sites including Yell.com, Fish4 and Teletext Holidays in addition to his time at Auto Trader, will have responsibility for product development and the management of existing products on the Motors.co.uk new look website.

The business recently developed its website and is undertaking a national advertising campaign featuring words of wisdom for car buyers from its new brand icon - Motor Sensei.

The campaign was developed by the creators of the Compare the Meerkat adverts, VCCP.

Hearns said: “This is a great opportunity to bring an established player to the forefront of the market and to become a strong challenger to Auto Trader and other online used car retailers.

"My ambition is to build on the business’ strong product offering and to work with the development team to continually look for ways to improve the user experience for both consumer and trade customers."