Cars.com launches a reimagined brand identity, branching out from being just a car marketplace to a comprehensive auto services platform.

Jennifer Vianello, Cars.com's CMO, elaborates, "We are proud of our heritage as an original dot.com company and search engine for automotive and have evolved into a comprehensive platform of possibilities for car buyers and sellers."

Cars.com has been a renowned player in the automotive classifieds realm since its inception in June 1998. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and it has firmly established itself as the second-largest automotive classified site focused on the United States.

The company's journey started as an initiative of Classified Ventures, LLC, a collaborative project among Gannett, The McClatchy Company, Tribune, Graham Holdings, and A.H. Belo. It has grown significantly since then, undergoing ownership changes and embracing new opportunities. For instance, Gannett took over the remaining stakes in Classified Ventures in 2014 for a whopping $2.5 billion.

Cars.com also expanded its repertoire by acquiring DealerRater, a dealer and service shop rating site, in July 2016. The company became a publicly traded entity on June 1, 2017, as a result of Gannett's broadcasting properties spin-off as Tegna, Inc.

In February 2018, Cars.com diversified further by buying Dealer Inspire, a digital marketing agency dedicated to serving automotive dealerships. These strategic maneuvers have allowed Cars.com to enrich its platform and services, contributing significantly to its latest rebranding. The new brand identity signifies Cars.com's evolution from being merely a car marketplace to a comprehensive auto services provider.