CarsDirect.com Announces Marketing Alliance With LoJack; Consumers Can Now Purchase the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System from CarsDirect.com

    LOS ANGELES--Feb. 5, 2001--CarsDirect.com, the leading direct online automotive provider, today launched a new marketing alliance with LoJack Corporation, , the world leader in stolen vehicle recovery.
    The alliance gives consumers the opportunity to purchase the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System when buying a new car or truck online at the CarsDirect.com Web site (www.carsdirect.com). By providing this valuable safety option to consumers, the agreement reinforces CarsDirect.com's commitment to creating the most comprehensive, no-pressure car-buying experience.
    After the LoJack Recovery System is purchased and the vehicle has been delivered, CarsDirect.com will coordinate with the customer to have LoJack technicians install the product at the customer's convenience. Available now, the price of the LoJack system is $595.
    "Offering LoJack to our customers is an ideal way to give them greater peace of mind in their car-buying decisions, especially because LoJack is the most high-profile theft recovery system in use today and the only one used by police," said Bob Brisco, CEO of CarsDirect.com. "LoJack's presence in key markets around the country also provides a strong match with the largest geographic concentrations of CarsDirect.com's customer base, allowing us to bring yet another convenient service to our loyal car and truck buyers."
    The LoJack system consists of a small, silent transmitter hidden on a vehicle that allows police to track it if the vehicle is stolen. The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery Network currently includes the following markets: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia. Additional U.S. markets are added on an ongoing basis.
    "We were attracted to CarsDirect.com because of their extensive network and close fulfillment relationships with top automotive retailers such as United Auto Group and Penske Automotive Group," said Joseph F. Abely, president, LoJack Corporation. "We're pleased that CarsDirect.com appreciates the importance of offering our theft recovery system, which can protect vehicles in a way that goes far beyond what traditional alarms and other anti-theft devices can provide."
    Theft recovery is an important issue for American car and truck buyers. In 1999, a vehicle was stolen every 27 seconds, according to FBI data. In addition, the National Insurance Crime Bureau has found that vehicle theft is the costliest property crime in the United States, costing consumers more than $7 billion annually. More than 40,000 stolen vehicles equipped with the LoJack System have been recovered by U.S. law enforcement agencies.

    About LoJack Corporation

    LoJack Corporation (http://www.lojack.com) markets and licenses the LoJack System, a unique, proprietary system used by law enforcement personnel to track, locate and recover stolen vehicles. The LoJack System is currently operational in 19 states in the United States, including the District of Columbia, and in 17 international markets.

    About CarsDirect.com

    Los Angeles-based CarsDirect.com is the leading multi-brand online car buying service, providing new automobiles and related products and services, such as loan and lease financing and in-demand aftermarket products including extended warranties. As the pioneer of the direct online car buying model, CarsDirect.com offers upfront pricing to consumers, who can research, price, order, purchase, insure and finance a vehicle online via an intuitive Web site that offers product information for nearly every make, model and style of new automobile available in the United States today. Shoppers can also simultaneously compare the specifications of competing vehicles.
    CarsDirect.com has received top awards and honors from Forbes Magazine, PC Computing, PC World, Time Digital, Yahoo! Internet Life and e-commerce authority, Gomez. The company is funded by idealab!, idealab! Capital Partners, UnitedAuto Group/Penske Automotive Group, Primedia Ventures, Foundation Capital, MSD Capital LP, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Hambrecht & Quist, E*O Investors, LLC, Oracle Corp., Liberty Digital, TMCT Ventures, L.P, Hikari Tsushin and Soros Private Equity Partners LLC.