• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, April 29, 2009

Auto shopping and information site Edmunds.com has relaunched its mobile presence with Volvo riding shotgun as exclusive sponsor. Under the ad deal, Volvo will be featured in Edmunds.com's "Vehicle Spotlight" on the home page promoting the launch of its 2010 XC60 Crossover vehicle.

Edmunds.com tapped mobile ad network Quattro Wireless for the overhaul of its mobile site, which offers car news and reviews, vehicle pricing, buying guides, and a loan calculator and dealer locator, among other features. The site is designed to be compatible with all types of handsets.

Quattro also helped develop an expandable mobile landing page and ad unit for Volvo in connection with the XC60 campaign. Mobext, the mobile arm of Havas' Media Contacts, Volvo's digital media agency, handled media buying and strategy for the sponsorship.

"What we've created for Volvo is a destination that will drive high consumer engagement and also give them the tools to steer consumers into their dealerships," said Steven Rosenblatt, senior vice president of ad sales for Quattro Wireless. He added that the marketing effort includes mobile video and access to a Twitter page where users can share comments on the XC60.

"We're leveraging features people want to have within the mobile experience to make it distinct and unique," he said.

Edmunds.com emphasized the mobile site's value as a tool for consumers when they are out kicking the tires. "Car shoppers can save money and time when they access our information and tools while at the dealership," said Donna Sechrist, vice president of business operations for Edmunds.com. She added that advertisers benefit as well by getting in front of in-market buyers via the auto site when they are on the car lot.

Auto advertising online has been hit hard by the economic downturn in the last year, with spending up only slightly in 2008, at $2.8 billion. But Quattro's Rosenblatt noted that car advertisers have been among the most aggressive in expanding into mobile. In addition to Volvo and Edmunds.com, New York-based Quattro is working with brands including Toyota, Mazda, and Lincoln as well as Car and Driver magazine.

Quattro last month secured $10 million in third-round funding led by Highland Capital Partners and Globespan Capital Partners. It has raised $28 million to date, and boasts running 1,000 brand and direct-response campaigns across its network of more than 700 publishers in 2008.