Cars.com Launches National New Car Shopping Service
16 August 1999
Cars.com Launches National New Car Shopping Service
Service Also Launches in 22 Affiliate Newspaper Web Sites
CHICAGO, Aug. 16 -- Cars.com, the Internet's fastest growing
automotive Web site, announced today the launch of its new car shopping
service on its national Web site and 22 affiliate newspaper Web sites (list of
sites follows release). The new car shopping service, which was previously
test-marketed in Chicago and Los Angeles, allows consumers to easily submit a
quote request for a new car.
To use the cars.com new car shopping service, visitors simply enter their
vehicle of choice and zip code. Car shoppers then choose one of the local
dealers that are listed and submit a quote request, which includes contact
information, vehicle preference and trade-in information. In return, dealers
will provide car shoppers with all the details about their preferred vehicle.
In an effort to further simplify new car shopping, cars.com also embedded
numerous quote request access points throughout the site. This design
function enables consumers to quickly access and submit requests to dealers,
regardless of their position within the site.
"The cars.com new car shopping service is the ultimate panacea for
consumers in the market for a new vehicle," said Mitch Golub, general manager
of cars.com. "Purchasing a new vehicle can be a time consuming and demanding
event in a consumer's life. With the new car shopping service, consumers can
better manage their shopping experience with the capability of reaching
several local dealers and obtaining needed information at their convenience."
The addition of the cars.com new car shopping service on the national Web
site and 20 affiliate local Web sites serves as an important dealer sales tool
and helps drive traffic to cars.com dealer showrooms. Cars.com will continue
to roll out additional affiliate Web sites to increase local vehicle buyer
mindshare, as a result of the cars.com user testing that showed the demand for
information purchase requests on new cars.
"The success of our new car shopping service, combined with our existing
industry leadership in the used vehicle category, provides a well-rounded
product offering for our dealers," Golub said. "The new and used car shopping
services available from cars.com gives our dealers the ability to meet the
needs of a wide range of car buyers."
About cars.com
Cars.com, at http://www.cars.com , simplifies car shopping on the
Internet. Affiliated with more than 130 local newspapers, the e-commerce
publisher currently has inventory in 70 markets, including 25 of the top 30
markets in the United States. Cars.com, the only automotive web site to
provide daily updates of dealer inventories, allows consumers to search
vehicle listings by zip code, vehicle make, model and year. In addition to
vehicle pricing, cars.com provides consumers with trusted automotive
information, including rich editorial content pertaining to real life issues
such as how to purchase a vehicle and tips for parents of young drivers. The
site also provides consumers with tools such as an auto loan calculator, news
and reports on new and used vehicles, more than 3,500 independent automotive
reviews (1983-present), vehicle performance data, and vehicle recall
information. Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, based in Chicago,
Ill.
About Classified Ventures
Classified Ventures provides nationally branded online services for the
developing e-commerce opportunities in the classified advertising marketplace
that build upon the local capabilities and expertise of a national affiliate
network. The company currently operates five Web sites in the apartment,
auction, automotive, relocation, and new home construction markets including
Apartments.com(TM), http://www.apartments.com , Auction Universe(TM),
http://www.auctionuniverse.com , cars.com(TM), http://www.cars.com , Moving
Center(TM), http://www.movingcenter.com and NewHomeNetwork.com(TM),
http://www.newhomenetwork.com . Classified Ventures will also launch
HomeHunter(TM), a local resale real estate service on the web sites of its
more than 130 newspaper affiliates in 1999.
Classified Ventures, Inc., based in Chicago, was formed by eight leading
media companies: Central Newspapers, Inc.; Gannett Co.; Knight Ridder; The
McClatchy Company; The New York Times Company; The Times Mirror Company;
Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company. For more information on
Classified Ventures, please contact William Jefferson Black at 312-396-9728,
william_black@pr21.com , or visit the Classified Ventures Web site at
http://www.classifiedventures.com .
For more information, call Nevenka Todorovic of cars.com, 312-575-2700,
ext. 2768, or email, ntodorovic@cars.com , or Leilani Monsalud of PR 21 for
cars.com, 312-396-9736, or email, laura_margolis@pr21.com .
CARS.COM NEW CAR SHOPPING SERVICE
AFFILIATE WEB SITES
AFFILIATE URL
Lexington Herald-Leader http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/
Boston.com http://www.bostonglobe.com
The News Journal (Wilmington, DE) http://www.delawareonline.com
Fort Worth Star Telegram http://www.star-telegram.com
Ohio.com (Akron, OH) http://www.ohio.com
The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com
The Hartford Courant http://www.courant.com
Indianapolis Star-News http://www.starnews.com
Arizona Central (Phoenix) http://www.azcentral.com
The Miami Herald http://www.herald.com
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel http://www.sunsentinel.com
The Orlando Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel.com
Minneapolis Star-Tribune http://www.startribune.com
St. Paul Pioneer Press/Planet http://www.pioneerplanet.com
Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com
Contra Costa Times http://www.hotcoco.com
San Jose Mercury News http://www.mercurycenter.com
Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com
South Jersey/Courier-Post
(Cherry Hill) http://www.courierpostonline.com
Cincinnati Post and Enquirer http://www.enquirer.com
Kansas City Star http://www.kcstar.com
The Philadelphia Inquirer/
Daily News http://www.phillynews.com