New Chinese consumers are driving car sales in the United States and Canada. With an estimated buying power of $300 billion, Chinese-Americans and Chinese-Canadians are among the most powerful cultural markets in North America, over-indexing on new car purchases.
Chinese consumers who have lived in North America for less than fifteen years are considered ‘Newcomers’ or ‘Establishers.’ They typically arrive in the United States and Canada through pathways like skilled immigration, entrepreneurship, or college study. In the past five years, the Chinese population grew 24% in the United States to reach 4.9 million. And in Canada, the Chinese population grew 19% to reach 1.8 million.
Generally affluent with high educational attainment, new Chinese consumers are an important market for automotive brands and car dealers across the US and Canada.
To target Chinese consumers in North America who are in-market to buy a new car, your media plan should include car review sites trusted by Chinese consumers. Below, we’ve listed the top 5 car review sites for Chinese shoppers in North America.
The inventories on these sites are not available through the open auction, meaning that placements cannot be purchased through most DSPs or ad exchanges in North America. This is due to Chinese censorship that regulates access for Western advertisers.
Fortunately, Eastward Media is an authorized Chinese programmatic inventory vendor, helping media agencies and brands target Chinese consumers in North America through their favorite Chinese websites, apps, and streaming platforms.
Eastward Media’s programmatic platform is also able to activate first-party audience data from these sites to inform campaign strategy.
Autohome was founded in 2005, and is now one of China’s largest and most trusted platforms for car shopping content. Writers at Autohome produce in-depth car reviews, and are often the first to break industry news. Autohome also hosts one of China’s largest marketplaces for new and second-hand vehicles.
- Open Auction: No
- Inventory through Eastward Media: Yes (Programmatic Direct, Private Exchange)
- Ad Formats: Standard Display
- Open Auction: No
- Inventory through Eastward Media: Yes (Programmatic Guaranteed, Private Exchange)
- Ad Formats: Standard Display
Chexun is an online car magazine and marketplace. In addition to producing in-depth and thoughtful consumer reviews, Chexun also hosts one of China’s largest e-commerce platforms for new and used vehicles.
- Open Auction: No
- Inventory through Eastward Media: Yes (Programmatic Guaranteed, Private Exchange)
- Ad Formats: Standard Display
BitAuto helps its readers make informed car buying decisions. In addition to publishing car reviews and auto industry news, BitAuto hosts one of the world’s largest consumer review platforms. Millions of verified car purchasers have scored their cars out of ten, and described why they made the purchase.
- Open Auction: No
- Inventory through Eastward Media: Yes (Programmatic Guaranteed, Private Exchange)
- Ad Formats: Standard Display
Che168 is a perhaps the best-known online marketplace for cars in China. Users of this site are actively in-market to buy a new or second-hand vehicle, comparing prices and available trims at nearby dealerships.
While it primarily services shoppers in China, Chinese shoppers in North America will often reference Che168.com for price comparisons.
- Open Auction: No
- Inventory through Eastward Media: Yes (Programmatic Direct, Private Exchange)
- Ad Formats: Standard Display
Honourable Mentions
Other popular car review sites include the following, all of which are available through Eastward Media programmatic guaranteed buys.
Reach Chinese consumers in North America with Eastward Media.
We help media agencies and brands target Chinese consumer audiences through their favorite Chinese websites, mobile apps, and video streaming platforms. Tapping into private exchange inventories, we access inventories on thousands of Chinese websites to deliver your message.