---

MSN AND CARS HUH?? LET THEM FIX SOFTWARE PROBLEMS!

9 March 1999

MSN CarPoint's Customer Numbers Lead the Pack

                                 MSN CarPoint
                                  Fast Facts
                                  March 1999
            MSN CarPoint Revs Up With Largest Number of Consumers

    REDMOND, Wash., March 9 -- Microsoft Corp.'s software
expertise, combined with the tremendous volume of customer traffic driven to
MSN (25.7 million visitors in January, according to Media Metrix), gives
MSN(TM) CarPoint(TM) online automotive service (http://www.carpoint.msn.com/)
a leading position in the online automotive marketplace.  According to
Microsoft research, in the month of January alone, 3.8 million unique users
visited CarPoint -- a 125 percent increase since December 1998.  More than
40 percent of those visitors came to CarPoint from MSN, enabling CarPoint to
drive customer traffic at lower costs.  This puts CarPoint at the top of the
online auto-buying category by increasing its reach 33 percent.
    Other recent growth statistics for CarPoint include the following:

    -- CarPoint generates more than $450 million in monthly automobile sales
        for its affiliated dealers.

    -- CarPoint generates 110,000 leads per month for its affiliated dealers.

    -- CarPoint currently has more than 2,400 dealers enrolled nationwide.

    -- CarPoint has been the most-visited online car-buying Web site for four
        of the past six months.*

   Consumers Rush to Register Cars With the MSN CarPoint Personal Auto Page

    The exclusive personalized car-maintenance program on CarPoint, the
Personal Auto Page, has gained 171,525 registered users since its launch in
November 1998.  The Personal Auto Page helps consumers track their
automobiles' service schedules and manufacturer recalls via automatic e-mail
updates.  Consumers also can find advice on car maintenance and repairs,
pricing information on parts and labor, and discounts from auto-service
outlets.
    "The Personal Auto Page is exactly what I've been looking for," said
W.S. Noble of Nashua, N.H.  "I bought a new truck last June, and the Personal
Auto Page is a great way to track scheduled maintenance for the life of my new
truck."

Dealers Praise DealerPoint -- The New, Simple E-Commerce Tool on MSN CarPoint

    DealerPoint is another example of how Microsoft's software expertise
differentiates CarPoint from its competitors.  Using leading-edge Internet
technology, DealerPoint simplifies a dealership's Web business by tracking and
integrating leads from a wide variety of Internet sources, including CarPoint,
other online car-buying services, and dealer and manufacturer Web sites.
    "In addition to tracking sales performance, DealerPoint allows us to
accurately gauge our costs," said Todd Ledet, development manager,
Price LeBlanc Toyota/Nissan/Lexus in Baton Rouge, La.  "Just last month, we
doubled our Internet sales through DealerPoint."
    Other recent dealer news includes the following:

    -- The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA)
        recently endorsed CarPoint as its official online car-buying Web site.

    -- Ford Motor Co. announced it will advertise its off-lease vehicles on
        CarPoint in four test cities: Atlanta, Boston, Houston and
        San Francisco.

    * According to a January 1999 report of the Media Metrix Web site rating
service Microsoft, MSN and CarPoint are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
    Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their
respective owners.