CarsDirect.com Launches Dedicated Automotive Research Center
LOS ANGELES--Aug. 22, 2001--Research Center Will Provide Comprehensive Pricing Information, Cost-of-Ownership Data, In-Depth Vehicle Reviews, Other Useful Tools
CarsDirect.com, the leading online automotive provider, today announced the launch of a comprehensive research center on its award-winning Web site.
The new research capability will help CarsDirect.com customers make more informed car buying decisions by offering easy access to essential pricing information, enhanced vehicle comparison tools and in-depth automotive reviews from Automobile Magazine and NewCarTestDrive.com.
During a phased rollout, CarsDirect.com will expand its research offerings to include "cost of ownership" data; residual values; vehicle safety information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); and expanded car reviews. The CarsDirect.com home page has been re-designed to reflect the Web site's expanded research capability.
"In planning the new research center, we looked at the market to identify which research tools really brought value to the car buyer -- which tools worked and which tools didn't," said Bob Brisco, CEO, CarsDirect.com. "Our customers wanted easy access to quantitative pricing information, valuable comparison tools and unbiased reviews to help them decide which car to buy and at what price.
"CarsDirect.com is the only Web site where consumers can instantly see a guaranteed upfront price. We have become the new car pricing authority because we offer real transactional prices at which consumers can actually buy a car."
As the leading online source of actionable car price data, CarsDirect.com now draws more than two million unique visitors per month.
In building its new research center, CarsDirect.com is responding both to customer requests and industry research. According to J.D. Power and Associates, 54 percent of car buyers used the Web for purchase-related research in 2000.
Phase I -- Research Tools
The first phase of the new research center is now functional and includes a full menu of services geared toward helping consumers make an informed car buying decision.
| -- | Ultimate Buying Guides: CarsDirect.com's Ultimate Buying Guides present an objective, unbiased source of comparative reviews and information for different vehicle types, to help consumers select the vehicle that's right for them. The research center currently offers Ultimate Buying Guides for cars, SUVs, trucks and vans. |
| -- | Pricing Tools: Expanding upon its existing pricing aide, the "How Much Car Can I Afford?" calculator that helps customers determine their automotive budget, CarsDirect.com now also offers a search function to identify specific makes and models within that budget. |
| -- | Comparison Tools: CarsDirect.com customers can now quickly "cross-shop" up to three different models or styles, comparing specifications, options and photos. |
| -- | Car Reviews: To help consumers narrow their purchase decision further, CarsDirect.com has added a search engine for its independent car reviews, licensed from the authoritative Automobile Magazine and NewCarTestDrive.com, an international syndicator of vehicle reviews and content. |
| -- | 360-degree Views: CarsDirect.com has redefined virtual shopping with its popular 360-degree views of many vehicle models. With a click of the mouse, consumers can do a virtual "walk around" of their vehicle of choice and view it in any available color. These 360-degree views are now located in an easy-to-find section of the new research center. |
Phase II -- Enhancements
CarsDirect.com will continue to upgrade its research center in the second phase of implementation scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2001. The research center will provide "cost of ownership" projections to provide customers with a realistic indicator of how much a certain vehicle will cost to own and maintain over five years. In Phase Two, CarsDirect.com will also employ tools that will help customers determine leasing residual values, or what the market predicts a vehicle will be worth at the close of a lease. Content on the research center also will expand to include vehicle safety information and ratings from the NHTSA and more in-depth professional reviews from respected automotive industry sources.
About CarsDirect.com
Los Angeles-based CarsDirect.com (www.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.