• by Shankar Gupta , May 4, 2005

Forbes Tuesday launched a new Web site aimed at luxury car buyers, www. forbesautos.com. The site--which offers content from Forbes.com, product reviews, and expert analysis--is sponsored by a host of big-name car manufacturers, including Audi, Acura, BMW, and six divisions of GM, including Jaguar and Porsche. Most sponsors have committed to deals lasting through the year.

For now, ForbesAutos.com accepts animated .gif ads as well as other, more standard ad units, but is restricting ads from imitating or intruding on editorial content. ForbesAutos.com also allows audio components in ads, provided they are user-initiated. The site also plans to offer streaming video ads in the near future, said a ForbesAuto.com spokeswoman.

ForbesAutos.com also will include video content, such as video interviews, footage of the New York auto show, and "walk-arounds" by auto experts who will take the camera through the car and show off the vehicle's features.

All the editorial content will be contracted from freelancers or produced by staffers, and the site will not host advertorials, the spokeswoman said.