Auto Trader has launched a new car website which links customers searching for a new car in the UK to their respective local dealers.

Customers can now search Auto Trader’s website for listings of new cars, request a brochure or test drive and they will be directed to their local dealer and that dealer’s latest offers.

Dealers can use regional advertising through Auto Trader’s new car site to target the new car buying audience on Auto Trader. Dealers can also upload their information and offers to the “dealer directory”.

Tom White, head of new product dvelopment at Auto Trader said: “Our research clearly demonstrates a gap in the UK market that no one else is filling, namely to offer consumers a full start-to-finish solution when buying a new car.

“Auto Trader is already the UK’s leading destination for used cars and we feel the step into new cars is a natural progression for our business, making us the leading brand for buying and selling any vehicle quickly, easily and with confidence.”

The new car section of Auto Trader’s website also features new car reviews, image galleries, side-by-side car comparison as well as expert and owner reviews.

Auto Trader expects the new car site to receive in excess of 350,000 unique users within one month of launch.