Autobytel Inc. CEO Jeffrey Schwartz to Open The NASDAQ
Market; Company Celebrates 9 Years of Redefining How America Buys and
Sells Cars
What: On the fifth anniversary of Autobytel's successful NASDAQ
IPO, President and CEO Jeffrey Schwartz, accompanied by
Autobytel board members, senior management and company
founder Peter Ellis, will open The NASDAQ Market.
Where: NASDAQ MarketSite - 4 Times Square, 43rd and Broadway,
Broadcast Studio
When: Tuesday, March 23rd at 9:30 am
Why: Nine years ago, most car-buyers walked into the dealership
without the benefit of even basic pricing and comparative
information about the cars or trucks they were interested in
buying. The transaction experience tended to be stressful and
time-consuming. Dealers and automakers relied on costly,
inefficient traditional media to market their inventory ...
That is, until Autobytel.com launched in March 1995 and
transformed the trillion-dollar auto industry with the click
of a mouse. The company empowered consumers with free,
comprehensive automotive information and an innovative
'no-haggle' buying experience, while providing America's auto
dealers with one of the world's most cost-efficient marketing
platforms. Today, Autobytel generates over a billion dollars
a month for its subscribing dealers, while helping the Web's
largest monthly audience of new auto shoppers* make smart,
informed buying decisions. The company has also evolved to
become a leading provider of marketing and customer retention
programs that span the entire industry -- from customer
management tools for dealers to dynamic online marketing
solutions for automakers. In short, Autobytel has become the
place where the majority of manufacturers and more than
29,000 dealers nationwide turn to sell more cars for less.
Autobytel's vision and leadership have been good for the
company as well as for the market it serves; Autobytel
recently enjoyed its sixth consecutive quarter of net income
and a 500% year-over-year market cap increase.
Autobytel Through the Years:
* Invented online car buying (1995), introducing now-standard 'no
haggle' car-buying model and providing free consolidated pricing and
vehicle information
* First online car-buying program to offer certified pre-owned vehicles,
complete with warranties and money-back guarantees
* Acquired Carsmart.com and Autoweb.com, key components of what is today
the Internet's most popular network of car-buying/research sites
* Appointed Jeffrey Schwartz as CEO in 2001.
* Created web's first integrated suite of Spanish-language vehicle
research tools. Today Autobytel stands as the most-visited online car-
buying destination for Hispanic shoppers.
* Study by Economics professors at Yale and U.C. Berkeley concludes that
customers who use Autobytel tally over $240 million dollars a year in
savings ($400-$650 on each new vehicle purchase)
* Launched first public accreditation of dealer customer service by an
independent, multi-brand online car-buying company -- designed to
build customer trust and reward dealers who deliver outstanding
customer service.
* Acquired AIC (Automotive Information Center), a trusted provider of
authoritative vehicle information, providing the industry with
comprehensive vehicle data and innovative online marketing tools.
* Acquired AVV, a leading provider of dealership CRM solutions,
extending Autobytel's position as a leading provider of
cost-efficient, innovative CRM solutions for both dealers and
manufacturers.
* Autobytel ranked as the most visited new vehicle buying and research
network for 2003 according to comScore Media Metrics, attracting an
average of 7.7 million unique monthly visitors -- 27% more than its
next-closest competitor.*
