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Microsoft CarPoint Selected by Detroit Auto Dealers Association

23 September 1997

Microsoft CarPoint Selected by Detroit Auto Dealers Association

                    CarPoint To Be Official Site of NAIAS

    REDMOND, Wash, - Sept. 23 - Microsoft(R) and the Detroit Auto
Dealer's Association (DADA) announced today that Microsoft CarPoint
 (http://www.carpoint.com/) has been selected as the official Internet site for
the 1998 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).  CarPoint is the
Internet's most comprehensive automotive destination, designed to facilitate
every step of the new and used car-buying process.
    Microsoft CarPoint will be the on-line destination site for media,
consumers, show attendees and a World Wide Web audience, to experience the
events taking place at Detroit's Cobo Center from January 5-19, 1998.  The
NAIAS is America's premier automotive event with over 50 new vehicle
introductions and 5000 journalists representing 50 countries in attendance.
    As with last year's show, notable new car unveilings will be Webcast in
real time.  Comprehensive coverage of the show will be updated several times
per day and will include all new car launches and press conferences.
    Another featured area of the site will be the Digital Showcase; an
interactive system that will highlight new car launches with internal and
external surround video, audio and video clips and make and model histories.
"The showcase will allow manufacturers the opportunity to buy a virtual show
space in a specially designated section of the Show Site within CarPoint,"
said Lindsay Sparks, General Manager of Microsoft's automotive unit.  "We will
be offering this feature to all manufacturers, giving them a forum to
articulate their own consumer marketing messages."
    "The North American International Auto Show is constantly seeking new ways
to continue the show's exciting growth and success.  This partnership with
Microsoft CarPoint allows us to extend the reach of the show to the ever
growing Internet audience.  It also provides additional benefits to the
manufacturers participating in NAIAS and to the consumers who want more news,
information and photos of the exciting vehicles introduced at the show," said
Pete Rosenau, Co-Chairman, Detroit Automotive Dealers Association.
    Founded in 1907 as the Detroit Auto Show, NAIAS is the longest running
auto show in the country and is considered one of the five premier shows in
the world together with Frankfurt, Tokyo, Geneva and Paris.    The NAIAS is
the only American show sanctioned by the prestigious Organization
Internationale Constructeurs des Automobiles (OICA).
    Microsoft CarPoint is a comprehensive automotive Web site, offering users
complete car buying information.  First available in August 1996, CarPoint
gives users access to detailed specifications, reviews from the world's
leading automotive writers, detailed pricing information and interactive
decision-management tools.
    Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers.  The company offers a wide range of products
and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of
making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full
power of personal computing every day.

SOURCE  Detroit Auto Dealers Association