SAN JOSE, Calif. --(BUSINESS WIRE)--eBay today announced the debut of the “World’s Fastest Car Show” – an original video series for the eBay Motors website and mobile application. This is the first originally produced media content for eBay Motors, and the first to be featured in any of eBay’s mobile applications. Hosted by former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and FIA GT2 World Champion Justin Bell, the series chronicles the fast-paced automotive lifestyle, designed to engage automotive enthusiasts through both the web and mobile platforms.
“This is going to be the ultimate car show on the web and on mobile - quick, exciting, insider access”
“We know car fans are also avid mobile users, with 2,600 cars and 117,000 parts purchased on eBay mobile apps every week,” said Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile at eBay. “Our goal is to interact with these enthusiasts on an even deeper level by providing compelling, meaningful content within the app itself, and also through the eBay Motors website. The World’s Fastest Car Show is not only an entertainment vehicle, but also signals eBay’s commitment to engaging the automotive community.”
There will be two versions of each weekly episode, one produced for the eBay Motors mobile application, and the other produced for the eBay Motors website. Episodes will feature segments such as automotive adventures, celebrity interviews and car collections, road trips, and a Mystery Car segment where viewers will be given clues to a car, the identity of which will be revealed at the end of the show.
The series is produced by Swirl.net in partnership with Justin Bell Productions and directed by Nicolai Iuul of Ammo Productions.
“This is going to be the ultimate car show on the web and on mobile - quick, exciting, insider access,” said Justin Bell. “It's not about stats and facts. It's about fun on four wheels. Going places, meeting people and sharing the excitement that cool cars can ignite. Within the speed limit, of course!"
"eBay Motors was already a great automotive content destination – just ask those who stay up all night feasting on cars, parts and accessories listings,” said Martin Lauber, founder, Swirl.net, and Co-Creator, Executive Producer of the World’s Fastest Car Show. “Now, with the success of the eBay Motors Mobile app, enthusiasts want to ‘snack’ on content anytime, anywhere. With this in mind, we created The World's Fastest Car Show to help meet that demand. It's entertainment and information that leads to conversation, with eBay facilitating the dialogue."
In addition to the video series, a host of new features for the eBay Motors mobile application are now available in the latest release, including:
- Updated Car Cards – Users can select their own photo to represent their Car Cards, which, similar to baseball cards, represent information and photos of vehicles they’ve stored within the app.
- Share Car Cards – Users can now share their Car Cards with friends via email, Facebook, and Twitter.
- Simpler Search – It’s now easier for users to sort through search results to find what they’re looking for even faster.
In 2010, eBay’s global mobile gross merchandise volume (GMV) — the value of all goods sold — was nearly $2 billion. eBay expects to generate more than $4 billion in global mobile GMV in 2011.
About eBay Inc.
Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc., (NASDAQ:EBAY) is about connecting buyers and sellers. We do so through eBay, the world's largest online marketplace, which allows users to buy and sell in nearly every country on earth; through PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to securely, easily and quickly send and receive online payments; and through GSI, which facilitates ecommerce, multichannel retailing and digital marketing for global enterprises. We also reach millions through specialized marketplaces such as StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace, and eBay classifieds sites, which together have a presence in more than 1,000 cities around the world. For more information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands, visit http://www.ebayinc.com/.
About Justin Bell
Former world champion race car driver Justin Bell is the host of "The World's Fastest Car Show." Justin has also been a TV host and pit-lane reporter for the Speed Channel since 2008, and is a correspondent for "Jay Leno's Garage." Justin has been behind the wheel or in front of the camera since he started racing in 1988. He grew up in England as the son of five-time Le Mans champion Derek Bell, but Justin made his own mark on racing, winning the FIA GT2 World Championship in 1997 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998. He also had second-place finishes in Le Mans and Daytona and a pair of SCCA Trans-Am wins. He's raced for major car manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW, Dodge and Chevrolet.
Forward Looking Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements about the future performance of eBay’s businesses that are based on its current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. These statements include future growth in mobile commerce for eBay’s Mobile applications and involve risks and uncertainties - actual results may differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause such differences include consumer acceptance and use of eBay’s mobile applications.