DriveChicago Continues to Evolve
DriveChicago.com, a significant complimentary benefit to all CATA dealer members, launched a completely redesigned website in 2024. The primary mission of DriveChicago.com is to capture in-market vehicle shoppers and deliver them to CATA member dealers. Ancillary to that is advancing CATA marketing initiatives like the Chicago Auto Show, Chicago Drives Electric, DriveChicago Radio and Drive for the Troops.
Extending a more than 10-year partnership with automotive digital marketing powerhouse Automotive Internet Media (AIM), DriveChicago.com takes advantage of the latest cloud-based database management and webhosting software. The site is focused and extremely fast, delivering vehicle listings in the blink of an eye. The AIM team continues to refine dealership listings and deploy tools like WebBuy’s digital retailing tool for trade-in quotes and values.
DriveChicago.com does not get in the way of the shopping experience; rather, it delivers the customer right to your door. When a site user clicks a vehicle listed on DriveChicago.com, a new tab opens displaying that vehicle on your dealership’s website. Over the past year, DriveChicago has, on average, delivered 15,000 users directly to vehicle information pages on dealer sites each month.
DriveChicago.com continues to list ONLY the new and used inventory of CATA dealer members. There are no priority, sponsored or featured listings. Vehicle search results are solely based on the user’s filter options. AIM also developed a way to eliminate inventory feeds and instantly update the more than 100,000 vehicle listings on the site.
In addition to vehicle listings, users can find direct access to the weekly DriveChicago Radio program podcasts following their airing on WLSAM-890 on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. The program features CATA’s Jim OBrill along with Mark Bilek and Ramblin’ Ray Stevens as they discuss weekly automotive news, review vehicles, and interview OEM and industry guests. Also on the site are new vehicle reviews from Chicago-based journalists, the Dealer Search tool, the Recall tool and listings of local car shows and cruise nights. However, the biggest value of DriveChicago.com remains: driving traffic to YOUR website.
