The Cobalt Group Expands and Extends Agreement with Subaru; Leading car company to enhance national parts locator database with Cobalt's PartsVoice
SEATTLE--Jan. 2, 20040, 2004--The Cobalt Group today announced they have expanded and extended their agreement with leading car company Subaru of America, Inc. Under the terms of the new agreement, Subaru of America, Inc. will utilize Cobalt's PartsVoice(R), a comprehensive parts locating solution for automotive dealers, to enhance its Subaru National Parts Locator (SNPL).The Subaru National Parts Locator provides accurate, timely and open parts locator service to nearly 600 Subaru dealers, enabling them to list their parts inventory for sale to other Subaru dealers, body shops, mechanical shops, and to do-it-yourself customers.
"Cobalt's PartsVoice has proven to be an indispensable tool for helping Subaru dealerships provide superior service, improve customer satisfaction, and attract new customers for the past seven years," said Robert LaBossiere, Subaru of America's Vice President of Parts. "Continued technological advances have enabled Cobalt's PartsVoice to make the Subaru National Parts Locator an increasingly effective tool for Subaru dealers."
For parts buyers, the SNPL features daily updated dealer inventories that feed a central database of Subaru Original Equipment Parts. Buyers can utilize the SNPL service to quickly locate the parts required to repair a vehicle from the closest sourcing dealer, whether that dealer is across town or across the country. For subscribing Subaru dealerships, the SNPL offers Subaru dealerships more flexibility in marketing their parts inventory.
"The Subaru National Parts Locator service is an easy-to-use, powerful tool for Subaru dealerships to effectively market their parts operations," said Kevin Distelhorst, Vice President of PartsWorks for The Cobalt Group. "The SNPL enables dealers to significantly reduce their inventory while at the same time boosting parts and service technician productivity."
Cobalt's PartsVoice provides an open network for dealerships to market their available parts inventories via Internet ( www.partsvoice.com ), phone, and modem-to-modem connectivity. PartsVoice helps dealers build a more efficient and profitable parts and service business. Dealerships can subscribe by contacting a Cobalt sales consultant by phone at (866) 598-4082 or via email at partsvoice@cobaltgroup.com.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered near Philadelphia, the company markets and distributes all-wheel drive Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of nearly 600 dealers across the United States. Subaru is the only car company that features Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive as standard equipment on every vehicle in its product line. Subaru has been the best-selling import wagon in America for the past 20 years, based on R.L. Polk & Company new vehicle retail registration statistics calendar year-end 2002.
About The Cobalt Group
The Cobalt Group ( www.cobaltgroup.com ) works exclusively in the automotive retail market developing integrated e-business programs that help manufacturers and dealers increase their profits and operational efficiencies. Cobalt offers a broad range of products and services, including enterprise software; customer relationship management (CRM) applications; e-commerce applications; the industry's largest OEM parts locating and marketing service; and e-business best practices training and consultation. Cobalt's network includes 12,000 franchised dealers and 72 of the 100 largest dealer groups. Cobalt is the only software technology provider ever endorsed by 18 manufacturers and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA).