Yahoo! Unveils Automotive Enthusiast Site at 2005 SEMA

LAS VEGAS--Nov. 1, 2005--Yahoo! today announced the beta launch of Yahoo! Autos Custom, a new site that provides a suite of online tools and services that enable enthusiasts to find, use, share and expand their automotive knowledge. Premiering today at the 2005 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show, Yahoo! Autos Custom (http://autos.yahoo.com/custom) brings together a number of powerful features and resources never before available on one site, including personalized gallery pages, a new Installer Search tool, exclusive content and more.

Yahoo! Autos Custom embraces community and facilitates interaction among enthusiasts with robust online community tools that enable them to find inspiration, share information and ideas, and locate parts and service online. Users can search across 1,000+ of the top auto enthusiast Web sites, and search a directory of more than a half million auto businesses that perform installation work. Enthusiasts can find ideas through user-created vehicle photo galleries and specialized message boards, or from exclusive online content from partners such as Funkmaster Flex, host of popular car customization programs "Ride with Funkmaster Flex" and "All Muscle with Funkmaster Flex." Yahoo! Autos Custom can be personalized to fit the specific make/model of the user, and enthusiasts can add as many of their own customized car pages as they wish into their "Garage."

"Auto enthusiasts are a very passionate, engaged and growing community on the Web. We're excited to provide them with a comprehensive resource for making the most of their cars," said Jennifer Dulski, general manager, Yahoo! Autos. "We designed Yahoo! Autos Custom as an open exchange to facilitate the sharing of customization ideas and trends, and it delivers what enthusiasts need to translate their inspiration into action."

Yahoo! Autos Custom builds on the Yahoo! product platforms of search, content, community and personalization. Features of Yahoo! Autos Custom include:

Automotive-related search tools

-- Installer Search - Yahoo! has partnered with the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) to create Installer Search, a special feature that combines SEMA's membership base with more than a half million automotive installers listed on Yahoo! Local. This provides consumers the most comprehensive search tool for locating installers in their area, and includes ratings and reviews to pinpoint the best shops.

-- Enthusiast site search - Yahoo! Autos Custom offers a search tool that allows users to search either the entire Web or a specific subset of 1000+ top-rated enthusiast sites, providing the most relevant results for a particular enthusiast-related query.

-- Make/Model narrowing - Users can easily customize their Yahoo! Autos Custom experience, including the photo gallery and message boards, to fit their make and model of interest. Enthusiasts can also search specifically by make and model.

Online enthusiast community

-- Exclusive online content - Yahoo! Autos Custom is the online daily news host for the 2005 SEMA show (http://custom.autos.yahoo.com/semanews) and is providing exclusive online video of television host Funkmaster Flex's "Ride with Funkmaster Flex" and "All Muscle with Funkmaster Flex" episodes. The site also features content from expert industry writers.

-- Gallery - The site features an extensive user-generated gallery of vehicle photos. Users can upload pictures of their own cars and provide details of the modifications they have made. The gallery also has ratings, comments and featured rides, creating a 24/7 virtual car show.

-- Message Boards - Integrated with user ratings and reviews, Yahoo! Autos Custom message board postings are also RSS-enabled, allowing users to exchange information and conveniently track communication exchanges as soon as they are posted.

-- User recommendations - The site features links to user-contributed favorite automotive sites outside the Yahoo! network. It also offers listings of top parts and accessories based on user data and can be filtered by make and model to show which parts are being installed most often on particular vehicles.

Reaching the Enthusiast Audience

Yahoo! also announced today an impressive group of Yahoo! Autos Custom launch advertisers. These companies are among the first to leverage this unique new platform to connect with automotive influencers and to reach the next generation of car buyers. Launch advertisers include Honda for the new Civic, Dodge for the new Caliber and Volkswagen for the new Passat. Mitsubishi Motors is co-sponsoring a sweepstakes for a one-of-a-kind, 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution customized with Ralliart performance parts (the sweepstakes kicks off today; visit http://autos.yahoo.com/custom for details.). Yahoo! Autos Custom also provides a compelling marketing vehicle for advertisers outside of the automotive market -- Sony will be promoting the new PlayStation(R) on the site.

"We are very pleased so many of our marketing partners are seeing the value of engagement with Yahoo! Autos Custom," said David Leider, category development office, automotive, Yahoo! Inc. "The site is an important forum for this key influencer audience and we believe advertisers will quickly see the benefits of reaching this audience in such a targeted way."

About Yahoo! Autos Custom

Yahoo! Autos Custom (http://autos.yahoo.com/custom) enables auto enthusiasts to find, use, share and expand automotive knowledge. Yahoo! Autos Custom offers a full suite of tools and services to help enthusiasts "get inspired and get it done" for their specific vehicle. Yahoo! Autos Custom is part of Yahoo! Autos, (http://autos.yahoo.com) a trusted, informative and objective automotive site for people looking to buy, sell or research automobiles.

Editor's note: Screenshots and images available

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