AutoUSA and Edmunds.com Partner to Promote New Premier Dealer Program

SANTA MONICA, Calif. & FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--Sept. 19, 2006--Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, today announced the launch of its newly upgraded "Premier Dealer Program." AutoUSA, the automotive retail industry's most proven and productive web-based lead sourcing service, has endorsed the program and is actively promoting it to their dealer clients with the knowledge that it generates tremendous business for participating dealers.

Edmunds.com serves millions of in-market car-shoppers each month. Its Premier Dealer Program provides participating dealers with broad exposure in significant locations throughout the Web site.

Each Premier Dealer is presented in over 100 regionally targeted "lower funnel" ad units that generate a significant volume of consumer calls and clicks to that dealer's Web site. Premier Dealers are also guaranteed top placement in Edmunds.com's popular Dealer Locator, producing high-quality purchase requests and positively positioning Premier Dealers in front of consumers when they are making critical dealership selections.

In addition, Edmunds.com endorses each Premier Dealer and promotes that endorsement, which immediately builds consumer trust in that Premier Dealers' brands. This endorsement is based on a customer-service-related agreement between Edmunds.com and each Premier Dealer.

Only one dealer for each make in each territory is permitted to participate, which gives that dealer exclusivity.

According to Steve Hindsley of Tipton Honda in El Cajon, California, "The Premier Dealer Program gives my dealership a competitive advantage because Tipton Honda is more prominently displayed than competitors when area car buyers search for a local Honda dealer on Edmunds.com. The program ensures we come up first in a search and highlights our listing. We purchased two territories because the experience of our Internet sales department indicates that leads from this program are almost certain to turn into deals."

"AutoUSA's mission is to connect our dealer partners with online customers who are ready to buy, and Edmunds.com is known throughout the industry as a top resource for in-market automotive consumers. The deeper the shoppers search on Edmunds.com, the greater the potential exposure to the relevant Premier Dealer's ads," commented Phil Dupree, General Manager of AutoUSA. "This program works, so it's no surprise that exclusive territories are being locked in quickly."