Chrome Systems Joins STAR

MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 13, 2005 -- STAR (Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail), the IT standards body for the North American retail automotive industry, has announced that Chrome Systems (Chrome), provider of automotive data, configuration technology and commerce solutions, has joined its organization. STAR now has 48 members.

STAR is a non-profit, auto industry-wide initiative to create voluntary IT standards for the data elements and transmission format used by manufacturers, dealers, and retail system providers to communicate with each other.

Serving the auto retail industry since 1986, Chrome has experienced first- hand the value of establishing clear and consistent data communication standards between OEMs and dealers. This experience is a key reason why Chrome elected to join STAR.

With partners and clients in all segments of the auto retail channel, including OEMs and dealers, Chrome looks forward to employing STAR standards, particularly in the areas of vehicle model code data and vehicle inventory. Chrome believes the common data transmission and vehicle description standards proposed by STAR will help its own clients meet marketing requirements, while making their operations more efficient.

Today, Chrome collects, normalizes and enriches raw automotive data and delivers it in ways that are both easy to use and tailored for a client's specific needs. The company fully and accurately describes more than 40 makes, domestic and exotic, and serves more than 13,000 clients. Its vehicle data, for example, is used by the Reynolds and Reynolds Company to help power dealership applications.

"STAR and Chrome are aligned in our mission to streamline IT efforts for dealers and manufacturers," said David Mingle, Chrome's president. "We look forward to working with STAR to create standards that will benefit our customers."

STAR's initiatives will result in a more efficient data exchange between dealers and manufacturers, with lower costs, more accurate and timely data, and increased levels of customer satisfaction.

  About STAR (http://www.starstandard.org/ )
   Source: STAR

The Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR) organization is the Information Technology (IT) standards organization for the retail automotive industry. The goal of the STAR organization is to use IT standards as a catalyst in fulfilling the business information needs of dealers and manufacturers while reducing the time and effort previously required to support this activity.

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, STAR is a not-for-profit volunteer organization and its members include Dealers, Manufacturers and Retail System Providers (RSPs). As members, they are interested in developing, promoting, and administering voluntary IT standards in the retail automotive industry and improving the effectiveness, timeliness and competitiveness of the IT solutions needed within the retail automotive industry.

  STAR membership roster:

  Dealer Groups: CCAQ, NADA

Retail System Providers: ADP, Advent Resources, Inc., AIAG, AFSA, Arkona, Autodata Solutions, AutoDESA, Auto/Mate Inc., Cyclone Commerce, Chrome Systems, DealerTrack, EDS, Motorcycle Industry Council, NAT, Inc., NeoSynergy, LLC, PBS Financial Systems Inc., OAGI, Oxlo, Procede Software, Quorum Information Systems, Reynolds & Reynolds, RouteOne, Sprint, Sun Microsystems, Tibco, UCS, Unipart Automotive Logistics, 5Square Systems Corporation

Manufacturers: American Honda Motor Co., Inc., American Suzuki Motor Corp., BMW of North America, Inc., DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corp., Hyundai Motor America, Jaguar Cars, Kia Motors America, Land Rover, Mazda North American Operations, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc., Nissan North America, Inc., Porsche Cars North America, Inc., Renault, Saab Cars USA, Subaru, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Volkswagen of America

  About Chrome Systems (http://www.chrome.com/ )
   Source: Chrome Systems

With more than 13,500 clients, including half of all automotive dealers in the U.S. and Canada, Chrome provides vehicle content, software, technology and services to deliver complete enterprise solutions to all segments of the retail automotive industry. These segments include manufacturers, fleet companies, dealers, Internet sites and financial institutions. Chrome pioneered the technology behind electronic vehicle configuration with the introduction of PC Carbook(R), and since 1986 has collected, analyzed and enhanced "raw" automotive data from all manufacturers.