Auto Town Unveils First ``Portable'' Dealership At NADA 2001

    HAYWARD, Calif.--Jan. 24, 2001--Automotive software provider Auto Town Wednesday announced its release of the first wireless retail environment for auto dealerships.
    Auto Town's DealerTrak was the first customer relationship management (CRM) software to integrate all of a dealership's existing sales processes and legacy databases. Auto Town has now taken that solution wireless with the addition of a hand-held computer interface which makes access to DealerTrak's CRM, F&I and inventory functions completely portable. The wireless capability will be available for demonstration at the February, 2001, NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) convention in Las Vegas.
    The new hand-held units, comparable in size and weight to a PDA (personal digital assistant) will offer numerous advantages to those using DealerTrak to perform their daily functions. First and foremost, the portable device is expected to assist dealerships to close more Internet leads. The J.D. Power and Associates 2000 New Autoshopper.com Study found that 54% of all new vehicle buyers turn to the Internet for help. However, it notes that only 4.7% of new vehicles are actually sold through an online buying service.
    This statistical gap between shopping and buying online has generally been explained by a consumer's need to test-drive the vehicle before purchasing. Auto Town's wireless capability enables a car salesman to take a vehicle to the customer, test-drive it and complete the sale on the spot if the customer is interested.
    Beside Internet-generated leads, DealerTrak's wireless capabilities open other remote-selling opportunities; including customers at home, at work, at off-site sales events, or during a fleet rep's calls on business customers. A salesperson using the device can access real-time inventory data and customer relationship histories including past sales, service, or financing information. A portable printer can download most of the forms needed for a sales transaction.
    Mike Taheri, General Manager of Beverly Hills Limited Mercedes-Benz, stated: "A unique aspect of our market is that 60-65% of our sales are repeat buyers and referrals. DealerTrak is crucial to maintaining these core relationships with timely and appropriate communications to our customers. Many of our clients are `wireless', so having that capability gives professionalism as well as mobility, the ability to do deals faster and in real time. The whole process is that much more customer responsive."
    "The predicted downturn means dealers will have to expand their market or shrink with it," stated Al Babbington, Auto Town's CEO. "DealerTrak enables a dealership to stockpile and monitor more prospects and repeat buyers, while DealerTrak's wireless capability enables delivery of units exactly when and where the customer wants."

    About Auto Town

    Auto Town, located near Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area, was founded in 1996 to provide software solutions for the retail automotive industry. With DealerTrak, Auto Town provided the first integrated customer relationship management product specifically designed for auto dealerships. An integrated CRM's advantages over generic products include reduced transaction times, increased sales, higher customer satisfaction, precision marketing of services and significantly improved net profits.
    DealerTrak integrates with all of a dealership's existing sales systems and legacy databases. Sales personnel use DealerTrak to access electronic worksheets, credit applications and trade appraisals as well as organized daily work plans, follow-up letters and e-mails. Managers use DealerTrak to monitor sales activity, create custom reports and selectively market their customer and prospect databases. DealerTrak coordinates in an "open" framework with more than 90 other strategic partners (NADA, Kelley Blue Book, the Blackbook, CarPoint.com, etc.) to speed dealership operations.
    Auto Town has the financial backing of the TCW Group Inc., and the Jardine Matheson Group through Jardine International Motor Holdings Limited. TCW (Trust Company of the West) manages assets of approximately $70 billion, representing more than 1,250 institutional and private clients.
    Jardine Matheson is a multinational group of leading businesses in the fields of financial services, supermarkets, consumer marketing, engineering and construction, motor trading, property and hotels. Jardine International operates an international dealership and distribution network located in Asia, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and the United States.
    Auto Town product information can be accessed online at www.autotown.com, or by phone at 877/877-8696.