Car Project
AutoScout24 operates Europe's largest online automotive marketplace across eight countries, connecting private buyers and sellers with professional dealers through web, iOS, and Android platforms, monetizing via dealer subscriptions, advertising, financial services referrals, and the Smyle vehicle subscription product.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersGrünwald, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Car Project does
AutoScout24 operates Europe's largest online automotive marketplace, connecting private vehicle buyers and sellers with professional car dealers through country-specific platforms in eight European markets (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Luxembourg). The Belgian operating entity, AutoScout24 Belgium S.A., is headquartered in Brussels and operates under the AutoScout24 GmbH parent in Grünwald, Germany. The core platform supports vehicle search, free private-seller listings, premium dealer subscriptions, vehicle valuation, integrated auto financing (Santander Consumer Finance), insurance, leasing, and content (automotive magazine, news, tests). It is delivered through web (autoscout24.be), native iOS and Android applications, and country-specific sub-brands including Smyle (vehicle subscription), AutoProff, LeasingMarkt.de, and AutoScout24 Media.
The technology stack centers on a two-sided marketplace platform with AI-mediated inquiry assistance (LeadAssistant, built on OpenAI's ChatGPT) for optimizing buyer-to-dealer communications, supported by extensive analytics infrastructure (Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, Adjust, Optimizely, Datadog, Iterable) and integrations with advertising networks (Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, Amazon Ads, Bing Ads) plus identity and audience platforms (ID5, LiveRamp, Lotame, Eyeota, Mediarithmics, zeotap). The platform processes fewer than 45 million average monthly active EU users (July-December 2024, per Digital Services Act Article 24(2) reporting) and operates GDPR-compliant data processing across all eight national entities.
The business model combines five revenue streams: (1) recurring professional dealer subscription fees for listing vehicles and lead management tools, (2) premium listing upgrades for enhanced visibility, (3) display and behavioral advertising across owned inventory, (4) third-party referral and integration fees for financing, insurance, and leasing, and (5) Smyle recurring vehicle subscription revenue bundling vehicle sale, registration, insurance, delivery, warranty, and financing. Private sellers list for free under a freemium model. The company is privately held as a national entity of AutoScout24 GmbH with no publicly disclosed funding history or revenue figures.
Car Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Car Project
- Legal name
- AutoScout24 Belgium S.A.
- Website
- https://autoscout24.be
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AutoScout24 operates Europe's largest online automotive marketplace across eight countries, connecting private buyers and sellers with professional dealers through web, iOS, and Android platforms, monetizing via dealer subscriptions, advertising, financial services referrals, and the Smyle vehicle subscription product.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Car Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Automotive Marketplace
- NAICS
- Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441), Automobile Dealers (4411), Other Motor Vehicle Dealers (4412)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- New & Used Auto Purchase Loans (FSAKADAA), Non-Standard / High-Risk Personal Auto Insurance (FSAJAAAD)
Keywords
Where Car Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grünwald
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Car Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Dealer Subscriptions: Professional car dealers pay subscription fees for listing vehicles, accessing dealer tools, and receiving leads from the platform. Dealers register with company details, VAT number, and receive dedicated support.
- Premium Listing Services: Professional sellers can purchase premium/exclusive listing options beyond basic free listings, with features like enhanced visibility and extended listing duration.
- Advertising Services: The platform monetizes through online advertising including display ads, targeted advertising based on user behavior, and integration with advertising networks (Google Ads, Facebook, Amazon Ads, etc.).
- Third-Party Services Integration: Commission or referral fees from integrated financial services including auto financing (Santander Consumer Finance), auto insurance, and leasing services offered through the platform.
- Smyle Vehicle Subscription: Smyle, a subsidiary of AutoScout24 Germany, offers vehicle subscription services including vehicle sale, registration, insurance, delivery, breakdown assistance, warranty, and financing. Revenue from subscription fees and transaction processing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free listings for private sellers |
| Subscription | Monthly | Professional dealer services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels13 records
Car Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AutoScout24 operates a pan-European online automotive marketplace connecting private sellers and professional car dealers with buyers across 8 countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Luxembourg). The platform enables vehicle search, listing, valuation, dealer inquiries, and integrated financing/insurance/ leasing via third-party partners, supplemented by an AI-powered LeadAssistant and a vehicle subscription sub-brand (Smyle).
Product overview
AutoScout24 operates as a comprehensive online automotive marketplace platform across Europe. The core offering is the AutoScout24 Marketplace, where users can buy and sell new and used vehicles. The platform includes various supporting products: LeadAssistant (AI-powered inquiry assistant), Express Selling and Direct Selling modules for quick vehicle transactions, and AutoScout360 for account management. Additional brands in the AutoScout24 family include Smyle (vehicle subscription service), AutoScout24 Media (advertising), AutoProff, and LeasingMarkt.de. The platform also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, integrating with various third-party services for analytics, advertising, and customer support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AutoProff: Online automotive marketplace and classifieds platform for vehicles
- LeasingMarkt.de
- Smyle
- AutoScout24 Media
Products and services
- AutoScout24 Marketplace Pan-European online automotive marketplace that lets users search, list and compare new and used vehicles (cars, motorcycles, electric vehicles, classic cars), contact sellers, get a free vehicle valuation, and access integrated financing, insurance and leasing options. Available via website and iOS/Android apps in multiple languages including Dutch and French for the Belgian/Luxembourg market.
- Smyle Vehicle Subscription Vehicle subscription service offered by AutoScout24 Smyle GmbH that lets customers subscribe to a vehicle with registration, insurance, delivery, breakdown assistance, warranty insurance and financing bundled in. Operated from Grünwald, Germany.
- LeadAssistant AI-powered inquiry assistant that automatically completes and linguistically optimizes user messages sent to professional car sellers. Built on OpenAI's ChatGPT model with anonymized dialog data retained for a maximum of 30 days.
- AutoScout24 iOS App Native iOS application that gives users access to the AutoScout24 marketplace on iPhone and iPad, including vehicle search, listing management and dealer communication.
- AutoScout24 Android App Native Android application that gives users access to the AutoScout24 marketplace on Android smartphones and tablets, including vehicle search, listing management and dealer communication.
- AutoProff Wholly-owned sub-brand of the AutoScout24 Group providing an online platform focused on automotive professional services.
- LeasingMarkt.de Wholly-owned sub-brand of the AutoScout24 Group operating an online marketplace for vehicle leasing offers.
- AutoScout24 Media Wholly-owned sub-brand of the AutoScout24 Group providing advertising and media services to automotive marketers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Platform with less than 45 million average monthly active users in the EU (July-December 2024)
Companies that use Car Project
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Car Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration28 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Car Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Smyle (AutoScout24 Smyle GmbH)coreSmyle is a subsidiary of AutoScout24 Germany offering vehicle subscription services including vehicle sales, registration, insurance, delivery, breakdown assistance, warranty, and financing. AutoScout24 Germany and Smyle jointly process customer data for order fulfillment and customer support. Located at Tölzer Str. 16, 82031 Grünwald, Germany.
- AutoScout24 Subscription GmbHcoreJointly processes data for the automobile subscription service alongside AutoScout24 Belgium and Casi AS. Located at Bothestraße 11-15, 81675 Munich, Germany.
- Meta Platforms Ireland (Facebook)majorFacebook single sign-on (SSO) integration for user registration/login. Facebook Pixel and iOS/Android SDK integrated for advertising, retargeting, and audience measurement. Joint controllership for Insights data processing on AutoScout24 Facebook page.
- LinkedInmajorLinkedIn Page integration for company presence and professional networking. Joint controllership for LinkedIn Insights data on AutoScout24 LinkedIn page.
- Google Ireland LimitedmajorGoogle Analytics for web analytics, Google Ads for advertising, Google Ad Manager 360 for ad serving, YouTube video integration, and Google Firebase Crashlytics for app crash reporting. YouTube used in enhanced privacy mode.
- OpenAI Ireland Ltd.majorChatGPT language model used for LeadAssistant AI feature that optimizes buyer inquiry messages. Data processing agreement in place per Article 28 GDPR.
- Iterable Ireland Ltd.majorCross-channel communication platform managing email, push notifications, SMS, and in-app messages for marketing campaigns and transactional communications.
- Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited (Clarity)majorMicrosoft Clarity service for behavioral analytics, heatmaps, and session recordings on the website. Also Bing Ads advertising.
- Adjust GmbHmajorMobile app analytics service for analyzing app usage, user behavior, and engagement. Certified according to ePrivacyseal European privacy standard.
- Santander Consumer Finance S.A.majorAuto financing services integrated on the platform through software plugin and financial calculator. Includes firewall for security and user behavior analytics for the financing components. Also processes financial data for Smyle vehicle purchases.
- Eyeota Pte LtdminorAudience analytics platform for targeted advertising. Data transfers to Singapore under standard contractual clauses per GDPR Article 46.
- ID5 Technology LtdminorOnline identification service creating individual usage profiles for targeted advertising based on browser and device characteristics.
- LiveRamp SASminorOnline identity platform creating cross-device identifiers for personalized advertising and multi-platform marketing.
- LIFULL CONNECT S.L (Trovit)minorClassified ad aggregation platform and Trovit search engine collecting automotive listings from various sources. Tracking pixel integrated for usage analytics.
- Lotame Solutions Inc.minorOnline advertising service collecting user activity data through cookies for behavioral targeting and interest-based advertising.
- Mediarithmics SASminorCustomer Data Platform (CDP) for processing pseudonymized personal data, comparing device identifiers, and creating targeted advertising audiences.
- TikTok Technology LimitedmajorTikTok Pixel and iOS/Android SDK for advertising evaluation, retargeting, custom audiences, and remarketing campaigns on the TikTok platform.
- zeotap Data GmbHminorOnline identification and targeted advertising platform for cross-device personalization using mobile device IDs, cookie IDs, and hashed email addresses.
- digitalAudience B.V.minorOnline advertising network collecting user activity data for interest-based advertising through cookie and individual pseudonymous identifiers.
- Social Audience B.V. (digitalAudience)minorOnline advertising service collecting and recording user activity information for behavioral targeting and personalized advertising.
- Amazon Web Services Inc. (Amazon Ads)majorAmazon advertising tag for usage-based advertising on the platform and third-party websites, including event data sharing and personalized ad targeting for Amazon users.
- AXA InsuranceminorAuto insurance provider for Smyle vehicle subscription services, handling provisional liability insurance and vehicle insurance coverage.
- AllianzminorWarranty insurance provider for Smyle vehicle subscription services.
- KroschkeminorVehicle delivery service partner for Smyle subscription services.
- DAD (vehicle registration)minorThird-party service provider handling vehicle registration through registration authorities for Smyle subscription services.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Car Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CarGurus: US-headquartered automotive marketplace expanding internationally; runs a comparable dealer subscription model with listing prominence, lead routing, and transparent pricing analytics. Closest publicly traded peer in business model and dealer-side value proposition.
- Mobile.de: Germany's largest online automotive marketplace and AutoScout24's closest direct competitor; now operated by Adevinta after the 2024 spin-off from eBay. Comparable two-sided marketplace model, professional dealer subscriptions, and premium listing tiers serving the same buyer/seller segments across overlapping DACH geographies.
- Coches.net: Spain's leading automotive classifieds site (Schibsted/Adevinta). Direct comparator to AutoScout24 Spain in dealer subscriptions, listing upgrades, and lead generation across the Iberian market.
- Marktplaats: Dutch classifieds platform owned by Adevinta, with a strong automotive vertical and large private seller base in the Netherlands — directly comparable to AutoScout24's marketplace mechanics and target segments in Benelux.
- Auto Trader UK: UK's largest online automotive marketplace, operating a near-identical professional-dealer subscription and private-listing model with cross-country brand recognition. Highly comparable in monetization mechanics, content/SEO strategy, and dealer toolset despite different geography.
- LeBonCoin: France's leading classifieds site (Adevinta-controlled) with a material automotive vertical. Comparable to AutoScout24's French operations in terms of private/dealer supply, professional subscription tiers, and integrated financing partnerships.
- Subito.it: Italy's largest classifieds platform with a strong auto vertical. Direct comparable to AutoScout24 Italia in marketplace mechanics, free private listings, and professional dealer tools within the same geography.
Emerging players
- Carwow: UK-based online car-buying and lead-generation platform that connects buyers with dealers via a bidding/reverse-auction model. Compares on the dealer-side demand-generation layer and emerging EV/new-car aggregation opportunity.
- Auto1.com: Pan-European online used-car platform (publicly listed on Frankfurt) with a B2B-focused remarketing business and a consumer-facing brand. Compares on cross-border European used-car infrastructure and dealer network effects.
Broad incumbents
- Cars.com: US-listed automotive marketplace platform with a comparable dealer subscription model, OEM partnerships, and lead-generation tools. Broader portfolio (dealer software, research) makes it an incumbent comparable rather than a niche peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Car Project social profiles
Digital presenceCar Project compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Car Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Car Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Car Project subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Car Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Car Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Car Project
What does Car Project do?
AutoScout24 operates a pan-European online automotive marketplace connecting private sellers and professional car dealers with buyers across 8 countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Luxembourg). The platform enables vehicle search, listing, valuation, dealer inquiries, and integrated financing/insurance/ leasing via third-party partners, supplemented by an AI-powered LeadAssistant and a vehicle subscription sub-brand (Smyle).
Is Car Project a public or private company?
Car Project is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Car Project founded?
Car Project was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Car Project based?
Car Project is headquartered in Grünwald, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Car Project make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Professional Dealer Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are premium Listing Services, advertising Services, third-Party Services Integration and smyle Vehicle Subscription.
Who are Car Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CarGurus, Mobile.de, Coches.net, Marktplaats, Auto Trader UK, LeBonCoin and Subito.it. Emerging players are Carwow and Auto1.com. Cars.com is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Car Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for Car Project.
What industry is Car Project in?
Car Project's product category is Online Automotive Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAKAE, Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C, with a secondary code of FSAKADAA, New & Used Auto Purchase Loans. Its NAICS code is 441 and its SIC code is 5500.