AutoTrader.com Launches Interactive Display Advertising; Online Auto Classifieds Leader Offers Dealers a Simple and Cost-Effective Alternative to Conventional Print Ads

    ATLANTA--Feb. 14, 2001--AutoTrader.com, the leading Internet auto classifieds destination and marketplace in the United States, today unveiled a new advertising service for auto dealers.
    Interactive Display Advertising will give auto dealers who advertise on AutoTrader.com the option to create a full-page, color display ad that links off of their vehicle listings. Now customers searching for a used vehicle on AutoTrader.com can click on a "See our Specials" link next to their selection and be taken directly to an interactive display ad, where they can get more detailed information, learn about other promotions, view the dealer's entire inventory and even email the dealer directly through an Email Seller Link.
    "Interactive Display Advertising is just another way that AutoTrader.com provides auto dealers and consumers with tailored services to meet their needs," said Clark Wood, vice president of marketing, AutoTrader.com. "IDA is a cost-effective option for online auto classifieds that allows dealers to promote more vehicles, generate more leads and move more inventory quickly to boost sales."
    Dealers who advertise their vehicles on AutoTrader.com using a new interactive display ad can choose from four full-page templates, where they can list up to ten special deals from their inventory. Features like the specials link and email seller link allow dealers to capture more price sensitive shoppers, target a wider audience range and generate more immediate contacts, all with one ad. If dealers have their own Web site, they can provide customers with a link to view their entire inventory through the interactive display ad.
    Dealers also have the convenience of updating their advertisement with new deals and special listings any time and as often as they like, by calling AutoTrader.com. The cost of an interactive display ad includes an initial setup fee, plus a monthly fee with contract.
    Today, Jupiter Communications expects that by 2004 approximately 1.3 million cars will be sold online, up from 17,000 in 1999. With more and more consumers researching and buying vehicles online, dealers are investing larger percentages of their advertising budget on the Internet. Recent research conducted by AutoTrader.com also shows that 80% of auto dealers view online classifieds as a valuable tool for their business, as the Internet continues to have a significant impact on the auto industry. Among these dealers, AutoTrader.com was viewed as the number one brand for delivering quality leads at a lower cost. As the leader in the online auto classifieds marketplace, AutoTrader.com offers dealers who advertise on the site with access to a user base of more than 4 million site visitors per month. J.D. Power & Associates' 2000 Used Autoshopper.com Study also reported that twenty-one percent of buyers who located their vehicle online that year used AutoTrader.com.

    About AutoTrader.com

    AutoTrader.com is the leading Internet destination and marketplace in the United States for buyers and sellers of used cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles and for consumers seeking information regarding automotive products and services, such as insurance, financing and warranties. AutoTrader.com, through its strategic alliances, aggregates in a single location an extensive network of industry participants and a comprehensive database of 1.5 million vehicle listings and automotive information to create an open marketplace that is local, regional and national in nature.
    AutoTrader.com was formed in 1997 and is a majority-owned subsidiary of Manheim Auctions, Inc. which has been in business since 1945 and is the world's largest operator of wholesale auto auctions. Manheim Auctions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., a leading media conglomerate, is AutoTrader.com's principal stockholder and one of AutoTrader.com's strategic partners. Other investors and strategic partners include Trader Publishing Company, ADP, Inc., eBay, Inc. and the venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

    Editors' Note: Images of the IDA are available at ftp://ftp.accesspr.com/public/AutoTrader.com/IDAimage.pdf