Auto-By-Tel Ranked Best Online Buying Service

1 July 1998

Auto-By-Tel Ranked Best Online Buying Service; Named "King of the Online Car-Buying Sites" on NewMedia 500 List; and Named to Prestigious Marketing 100 List in Advertising Age

    IRVINE, Calif.--July 1, 1998--Auto-By-Tel, the premier new and used car buying program on the web, received kudos from three top-tier publications this week. First, Advertising Age announced Auto-By-Tel Corporation made its "Marketing 100 List," the only Internet company so named (June 29, 1998). Next, The Washingtonian named Auto-By-Tel the Best Online Buying Service in its Best & Worst issue (July 1998). And, NewMedia Magazine included Auto-By-Tel as the only online car buying service in its prestigious NewMedia 500 report (July 1998).
    "This recognition validates the unique approach we've taken to car buying on the Internet," said Mark Lorimer, Auto-By-Tel's President and CEO. "The information consumers get on our site, combined with the high-quality dealer experience Auto-By-Tel delivers has made us the leader in the future of automobile distribution."
    Pete Ellis, Auto-By-Tel's founder, is featured in Advertising Age's The Marketing 100, which "salutes visionaries who latch onto an idea, run with it and reach their goals." Joining Auto-By-Tel in receiving this award are innovative brands like Southwest Airlines, A&E's Biography, Sing & Snore Ernie and Gap Khakis.
    Auto-By-Tel, rated "king of the online car-buying sites," is the only online car buying program to make it into NewMedia Magazine's NewMedia 500 report. The report names the technology, media and infrastructure companies that play the most influential roles in digital interactive media. Other companies included on the list are Intel, Disney, News Corp., Lucent and TCI.
    The highly-influential The Washingtonian magazine, gave Auto-By-Tel's its highest honors after testing other automotive sites and discovering that Auto-By-Tel was not only "easy to navigate" but its dealer "quoted a price immediately over the phone" that was "about $1,500 less than sticker price." Auto-By-Tel's competitors were marked down for failing to meet Auto-By-Tel's content and dealer fulfillment standards.

About Auto-By-Tel

    Irvine, CA-based Auto-By-Tel Corporation (www.autobytel.com) is the leading nationally branded Internet-based purchasing program for new and certified used vehicles and related consumer services, including automotive financing, leasing and insurance. According to J.D. Power and Associates 1998 Dealer Satisfaction with Online Buying Services Study, Auto-By-Tel was rated #1 in dealer satisfaction. Auto-By-Tel's North American Accredited Dealer Network includes over 2,700 dealerships, representing every major automotive manufacturer. Auto-By-Tel is a registered service mark of Auto-By-Tel Corporation.