RouteOne Enters 2005 With 14,000 Dealers Enrolled On System

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Jan. 24, 2005 -- RouteOne LLC announced today that 14,000 dealers are now enrolled with the joint venture. Formed in 2002 by DaimlerChrysler Services, Ford Motor Credit Company, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, and Toyota Financial Services, RouteOne is a free, web-based credit application management system providing access to 28 finance sources, including prime, non-prime, and credit unions.

The application was introduced to dealers nationwide throughout 2004, and rollout continues into the first quarter of 2005. DaimlerChrysler Services, Ford Motor Credit, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, and Toyota Financial Services followed a geographic rollout strategy to introduce their dealers to the system, starting in the southeastern United States. Enrollment numbers are expected to exceed 16,500 by the end of the first quarter of 2005. RouteOne is an open system, available to new vehicle franchised and independent (used) vehicle dealers.

"RouteOne has made tremendous progress over the past months, and we are excited about our future growth," said RouteOne CEO Mike Jurecki. "Dealer adoption has been rapid throughout the country, and more and more finance sources continue to recognize the benefits of participating on our system. At the same time, the end consumer benefits by spending much less time in the F&I office."

Product Features

RouteOne allows dealers to submit credit applications to and receive decisions from multiple finance sources, all from a single desktop.

RouteOne is significant because it provides dealers unprecedented access to their finance sources by combining the unique advantages of the major captive systems with access to other finance sources. RouteOne also offers a comprehensive reporting suite that allows dealers to better manage their business.

RouteOne will provide dealers seamless integration with their Dealer Management Systems, eliminating the need to re-enter deal information. Integration enables dealers to exchange credit application and decision information with their finance sources in near-real time, simplifying and improving the credit application process.

Dealers contributed to the development of RouteOne, right from the start. RouteOne tapped this valuable group for their critical insight into developing and designing a credit application management system that would change the auto finance world. RouteOne's Dealer Advisory Board provides ongoing guidance to ensure that RouteOne continues to meet dealers' needs.

Interested dealers can log on to the RouteOne website at http://www.routeone.com/ or call the RouteOne Enrollment Desk at 1-866-713-6765 for more information.

About RouteOne

Established in April 2002, RouteOne LLC is a joint venture formed by DaimlerChrysler Services, Ford Motor Credit Company, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, and Toyota Financial Services to improve the credit application process for automobile dealers, their customers, and participating finance sources. The joint venture has developed a web-based system that enables dealers and their finance sources, including captives, banks, and other financial institutions, to exchange credit application and decision information online. More information is available at http://www.routeone.com/ .