What Motion does

Motion is a Dublin-headquartered digital automotive platform that operates as the B2B umbrella brand for three of Ireland's leading motoring websites: Carzone (Ireland's longest-running motoring marketplace, operating for 25+ years), CarsIreland (the country's largest used-car directory with 60,000+ vehicle listings), and Cartell (Ireland's first automotive data supplier, which owns the National Mileage Register). Through these sub-brands, Motion aggregates 30+ million monthly page views and 2.5 million monthly visits, processing 200,000+ car history checks annually and hosting 750+ dealer websites across franchise, independent, and group dealers. The company makes money through five interlocking revenue streams: advertising solutions (Homepage Takeover, InSearch Native, Targeted Display, High Impact Pre-launch) sold to dealers, manufacturers, and agencies; tiered monthly dealer subscription packages (Starter through Premium) for stock listings on Carzone and CarsIreland; managed dealer website hosting with SEO and finance integrations; transaction fees on car history checks and Auto Book valuations; and B2B API/licensing revenue from Cartell's XML/SOAP VRM data web services and Carstat analytics sold to insurers, financiers, parts suppliers, and manufacturers across Ireland, the UK, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Malta. The Motion brand was unveiled in December 2023 to unify these previously siloed assets under a single commercial identity, and the company is owned by Mediahuis, the European media and marketplace group, operating through the legal entity Digital Odyssey Ltd (company number 410997) with 47 employees.

Name

Motion

Legal name

Digital Odyssey Ltd

Website

https://motion.ie

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Motion operates Carzone, CarsIreland, and Cartell — Ireland's leading motoring marketplace, largest used-car directory, and primary automotive data supplier, serving consumers, 750+ dealers, and European B2B clients with advertising, subscriptions, history checks, and vehicle data APIs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Automotive Marketplace

NAICS

Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441)

SIC

Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)

Keywords

• Automotive marketplace platforms
• Vehicle history data services
• Car dealer advertising solutions
• VRM data APIs
• Used car listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising Solutions: Motion provides advertising solutions to car dealers, manufacturers, agencies, and partners. Offerings include Homepage Takeover, InSearch Native Solutions, Targeted Display, High Impact Pre-launch for New Cars, and various tiered dealer packages (Starter through Premium).
2. Car History Checks: Cartell provides vehicle history check services to consumers and dealers, processing over 200,000 checks per year. Services include finance verification, mileage checks, write-off data, and ownership history verification.
3. Dealer Website Services: Motion manages over 750 dealer websites, providing website hosting, SEO optimization, and various integrations. Revenue generated through website management and hosting fees.
4. B2B Data Services: Cartell provides vehicle intelligence data to insurers, financiers, parts suppliers, vehicle manufacturers, and other automotive sectors. Services include VRM data web services, Trade and Retail Guide pricing, and Carstat analytics.
5. Dealer Stock Listings: CarsIreland and Carzone provide vehicle stock listing services for dealers, with tiered packages offering varying levels of visibility, branding, chat support, and premium search listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Motion operates an integrated automotive digital platform in Ireland comprising three consumer-facing sub-brands — Carzone (new and used car marketplace), CarsIreland (used car directory with 60,000+ listings) and Cartell (vehicle history checks, National Mileage Register, and VRM data APIs). The company sells advertising solutions (Homepage Takeover, InSearch Native, Targeted Display, High Impact Pre-launch), manages 750+ dealer websites, provides stock management software (Uploader), and licenses B2B vehicle intelligence data to insurers, financiers and manufacturers across European markets.

Product overview

Motion is a digital automotive platform operating as a unified B2B umbrella brand encompassing three leading Irish automotive sub-brands: CarsIreland (largest used car directory with 60,000+ vehicles), Cartell (comprehensive vehicle history and data services including car history checks, National Mileage Register, and VRM data APIs), and Carzone (leading motoring marketplace). The platform offers advertising solutions including Homepage Takeover, InSearch Native Solutions, Targeted Display, and High Impact Pre-launch products. For car dealers, Motion provides Dealer Websites (750+ managed sites), Uploader stock management, Dealer Marketing (Google Ads, Facebook/Instagram campaigns), and tiered Carzone Stock Listings. CarsIreland includes Auto Book pricing software and finance integrations with five providers. Cartell offers data products including Trade and Retail Guide (TRG) valuations and Carstat B2B statistics. The architecture is platform-plus-modules, with each sub-brand serving distinct market segments (consumers, dealers, B2B data customers) while sharing advertising and dealer services infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CarsIreland: Largest directory of used cars in Ireland with over 60,000 vehicles online, partnering with Irish car dealers nationwide.
• Cartell
• Carzone

Products and services

• Carzone Ireland's leading motoring marketplace for new and used car buyers, featuring a mobile app for iOS and Android that lets users search thousands of vehicles across all major car brands.
• CarsIreland Ireland's largest used car directory with over 60,000 vehicles online, partnering with car dealers nationwide to advertise stock and featuring iOS and Android mobile apps.
• Cartell Ireland's first and most comprehensive automotive data supplier providing car history checks, finance verification, mileage checks, write-off data, ownership history and vehicle valuations to consumers, dealers and B2B customers. Processes over 200,000 checks per year.
• Homepage Takeover High-impact advertising product offering a dynamic 24-hour homepage takeover on Carzone, available on both mobile and desktop, sold to dealers, manufacturers and agencies.
• InSearch Native Solutions Mobile-focused advertising suite with three offerings: InSearch Video, InSearch Carousel and InSearch Response, designed to shape consumer search patterns and drive purchase decisions on Carzone.
• Targeted Display Display advertising solution that leverages Carzone search parameters to reach in-market audiences online using IAN standard display formats across mobile, desktop, and tablet.
• High Impact Pre-launch for New Cars Multi-channel advertising product for new car launches featuring Search Disruptor, High Impact Native InSearch, Model Hub content environment, and Social Extension across social media channels. Sold to vehicle manufacturers launching new models.
• Dealer Websites Managed website service hosting over 750 dealer websites across Ireland including Groups, Franchise and Independent dealers, with SEO optimization, industry-leading design, and integrations for finance, live chat, valuations, deposits and online part-exchange tools.
• Uploader Stock management system enabling dealers to manage vehicle inventory across CarsIreland.ie and Carzone.ie plus other platforms, with single-upload multi-platform distribution, finance offering management, and lead tracking.
• Dealer Marketing Paid advertising services for car dealerships including full-service Google Ads management with conversion tracking and Paid Social Campaigns on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram). Includes €400 Google Ads sign-up bonus for new clients.
• VRM Data Services XML/SOAP web services for Vehicle Registration Mark data retrieval, enabling B2B customers (insurers, financiers, fleet managers, parts suppliers) to input a VRM and automatically populate Make, Model, Engine Size, Chassis Number, NCT details and more. Available across Ireland, UK, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands and Malta.
• Trade and Retail Guide (TRG) Pricing resource providing Retail Asking Price and Trade Price for vehicles at key kilometer points (10K, 15K, 17K, 20K, 25K, 30K, 33K), based on age, mileage, and condition analysis for the Irish automotive market.
• Carstat B2B statistical solution for the Irish automotive industry providing precise data on new and used car sales including imported vehicles and location statistics, with real-time vehicle location information.
• National Mileage Register National database of vehicle odometer readings, owned by Cartell, providing reliable mileage information for Ireland and access to the UK National Mileage Register through HPI UK partnership, enabling mileage discrepancy investigations.
• Auto Book Vehicle pricing software providing real-time car pricing data, complete stock list valuation, on-the-spot valuations for new and existing vehicles, daily price position monitoring, competitor analysis, and finance integrations for car dealers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ million monthly page views and 2.5 million monthly visits across platforms
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HPI UKcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership with HPI UK, the world's oldest car history-checking company since 1938, granting Cartell access to the most comprehensive UK vehicle database. This partnership enables Cartell to provide thorough vehicle history verification combining Irish and UK data.
• AA IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMotion processes car history service on behalf of AA Ireland, providing vehicle history checks to AA members and customers. This partnership positions Cartell as the data provider for AA's automotive services.
• Hire Purchase Information Limited (HPI)coreTechnology or IntegrationHPI operates the Irish finance register that Cartell accesses for finance check verification. HPI provides data on hire purchase, leasing and other financial agreements on vehicles, which Cartell integrates into its car history checks.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is used for payment processing, analytics, and other business services. Stripe collects identifying information about devices connecting to Motion's services and uses this information for fraud detection and service improvement.
• Google AdscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMotion offers full-service Google Ads management for car dealers as part of its Dealer Marketing services. Special partnership provides €400 Google Ads sign-up bonus for new clients.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cars.com: US automotive marketplace with dealer listings, OEM advertising, and data products. Comparable business model combining marketplace listings with dealer SaaS and advertising tiers similar to Motion's product stack.
• AutoScout24: Europe's largest online automotive marketplace operating across 20+ countries. Comparable to Motion across cartell-grade data services and cross-border marketplace functions relevant to Motion's B2B data expansion plans.
• CarGurus: Global automotive marketplace with dealer subscription tiers and transparency-focused listing model. Direct competitor on dealer pricing dynamics and competitor to CarsIreland's price-transparency positioning.
• Carfax: Vehicle history reports provider with 100M+ CARFAX reports sold. Direct competitor to Cartell's car history check service in the UK/Ireland market and adjacent in continental Europe.
• Auto Trader: UK's largest automotive marketplace with 40M+ monthly visits, dealer subscriptions, and advertising solutions. Closest direct comparable to Carzone/CarsIreland — same classified-model business serving franchised and independent dealers.
• DoneDeal: Ireland's largest general classifieds platform (owned by Adevinta), competing with CarsIreland for used vehicle listings and consumer traffic. Most direct Irish competitor in the online vehicle marketplace category.
• TrueCar: US online automotive marketplace with dealer network pricing and transparent pricing tools. Comparable pricing transparency features (Auto Book) and dealer-focused monetization model.

Emerging players

• Carwow: UK-based online car marketplace enabling dealer-to-consumer price competition. Emerging player targeting same in-market car buyer audience as Carzone, with growing OEM lead-generation services.
• Heycar: European online used car marketplace (Volkswagen-backed) operating in UK, Germany, Spain, France. Emerging competitor with deep OEM backing that could threaten Motion's dealer ecosystem in Ireland.

Broad incumbents

• Cox Automotive: Global automotive services platform (Manheim, Autotrader US, Dealertrack) offering marketplaces, vehicle data, and dealer software. Comparable broad portfolio overlap with Motion's combination of marketplace, data, and dealer SaaS offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/motionireland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Motion