Autoweb's Automotive Information Center Augments its Research Tools with Automotive Lease Guide; ALG to provide leasing and residual value data to AIC customers

    WESTBOROUGH, Mass.--July 2, 2001--Autoweb.com, Inc.'s Automotive Information Center (AIC), a leading information services provider of automotive content and research software, today announced a deeper relationship with automotive residual value provider Automotive Lease Guide (ALG).
    ALG has provided residual values, analytical data products and consultation to AIC for the past five years. ALG will now provide additional data for AIC's consumer-focused outreach that will work in tandem with AutoSuite(TM), AIC's market-leading integrated complete automotive research tool, as well as other AIC configuration and comparison tools.
    "Leasing and residual values are key factors that consumers need to understand when shopping for a vehicle," notes Bill Barrett, AIC president. "The ALG brand name and its experience of more than three decades in this area makes them a natural partner to enhance AIC's industry-leading data."
    The agreement allows AIC to include ALG residual value data in AIC's renowned online research tools and price and specification data. These tools are found on www.autosite.com, as well as the consumer Web sites of nearly all automakers. ALG data can be accessed at the front-end of the search process through lease-specific search criteria, as well as at the back-end of the process after a vehicle has been fully configured. In all cases, users will be able to obtain more comprehensive research and make more informed decisions.
    AIC's AutoSite Pro(TM) has featured ALG data for several years as an integral part of its automotive industry-centric approach. Automotive industry professionals use AutoSite Pro to perform complex assignments such as competitive assessments, market positioning, and content analyses. ALG data in AutoSite Pro plays an instrumental role in making automotive industry research and its results more applicable and beneficial to the consumer.
    "We have long enjoyed our relationship with AIC and look forward to strengthening it." said Raj Sundaram, Vice President of ALG. "AIC's impressive tools were already quite comprehensive, and the addition of our residual value and leasing data only adds to the experience."

    About AIC

    The Automotive Information Center (AIC) division of Autoweb is a leading provider of automotive content, data and intelligent tools used to power Internet services, portals and manufacturer web sites. AIC researchers rely on decades of industry experience to create the most accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date research platform in the business. All AIC data and tools feature our unique optimal price capabilities, which enable consumers to configure and compare vehicles on the basis of lowest possible price. Visitors to sites powered by the AIC technology are able to configure a vehicle by manufacturer, make, model, trim specifications and other option packages, as well as perform side-by-side competitive vehicle comparisons. This proprietary technology provides a competitive advantage for dealers and enhances the shopper's experience by offering realistic, actionable information.

    About ALG

    Automotive Lease Guide (ALG), a privately held company in Santa Barbara, California, has been the benchmark for residual values in the United States market since 1964 and Canadian market since 1983. In addition to the annual publication of 1.5 million new and used guides, ALG provides residual values, analytical data products and consultation to the automotive industry. ALG has a wide staff of editors, analysts and information technology specialists who provide products and services to a diverse customer base. Clients of ALG include automotive manufacturers, financial institutions, insurance companies, investment groups, rating agencies, as well as automotive websites (www.alg.com).

    About Autoweb

    Autoweb is a leading automotive Internet service, guiding users through every stage of vehicle ownership. Through its direct and referral commerce channels, Autoweb offers consumers a variety of ways to purchase new and used vehicles in conjunction with vehicle manufacturers, local Member Dealers, and other commerce partners. The Company's Web site also provides consumers with a wide range of automotive-related products to support the complete lifecycle of the vehicle, including finance, insurance and maintenance. Autoweb features comprehensive, unbiased research from its Automotive Information Center (AIC) division.
    Autoweb also continues to set the standard in the business-to-business marketplace by providing Web sites with the most advanced technology to view automotive information, and the most accurate and reliable automotive data and content. Currently, major automobile manufacturers, including BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda and Toyota, use Autoweb's automotive data to power their sites. The major consumer portals also use Autoweb's content and technology, including AOL, Lycos and MSN Carpoint. AIC AutoSuite is highly configurable for any individual AIC customer, as the interface can match any look and feel, while vehicles (both target and competitor) and specific features can be limited to any selection desired. For more information, please visit http://www.autoweb.com and http://www.autosite.com.

    Safe Harbor Statement:

    Certain statements in this news release regarding attractiveness of the product and its widespread use by consumers, and other customers of AIC, may be construed as forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results. The Company faces many risks and uncertainties in its business, including the fact that the Company received a Nasdaq Staff Determination letter on March 1, 2001, indicating that the Company has failed to comply with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing, and is subject to delisting from the Nasdaq National Market; changes in competitive behavior or market forces; uncertainties regarding response from the vehicle manufacturers; changes in the legal or regulatory environment, changes or lack of changes in consumer preferences over time, technological challenges and an inability to forecast future traffic and transactions, and failure to consummate its merger with Autobytel. Further information on risk factors that could affect results is detailed in Autoweb's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-71177) and its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2001, filed with the Securities and Exchanges Commission, including (without limitation) under the captions, "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". Additional information which is set forth in those sections in Autoweb's Annual Report on Form 10-KA for the year ended Dec. 31, 2000.