Brian Pasch of Mastering Automotive Digital Marketing noted that Google will be rolling out a new mobile ad type for auto dealers in January.

Initially it will be available in limited markets with a limited set of keywords. It is a mobile only ad format will not display on the desktop.

The Dealership Listing Ads (DLA) ads, shown in this example with Toyota dealers, will initially appear when consumers use explicit queries that imply that they are looking for a car dealer. Examples given by Google are:

– Toyota Dealer
– Toyota Dealers
– Toyota Dealership
– Toyota Dealerships

Brian is positioning that ad as a replacement for the 7-Pack. And that very well could be true, or not. It could just be a replacement for local ads that are currently showing. And the pack may continue to show below the ads. I don’t really know. Regardless, the ad doesn’t include review data.

In mobile, the Pack has long been pushed down below the fold by ads as can be seen in this screenshot of a similar search.

The ad format does reflect Google’s growing monetization of vertical, local markets, monetization above the fold and their strong emphasis on brand. And could very well foretell the demise of the Pack in high value local verticals sooner rather than later.