Cars.com Creates a New Automotive Marketplace With the Launch of E-Store
17 August 1999
Cars.com Creates a New Automotive Marketplace With the Launch of E-Store
CHICAGO, Aug. 17 -- Cars.com today announced the launch of
E-Store, a new automotive marketplace on the cars.com Web site that connects
consumers to automotive-related products, discounts and information.
The cars.com E-Store enables visitors to explore and connect with various
companies providing services such as financing, insurance, Carfax reports, and
automotive-related books. Accompanying each section of the cars.com E-Store
are related links to the award winning editorial content from cars.com. For
example, the insurance link connects consumers to other related information
such as choosing the right coverage or how to file a claim.
"The addition of the E-Store to the cars.com Web site is a major driving
force in simplifying car shopping on the Internet," said Mitch Golub, general
manager of cars.com. "Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, consumers
can investigate the right services and products that fit their automotive
needs. It's simple and it's fast."
Cars.com will continue to expand its E-Store to bring a host of car-
related products and services to the online automotive consumer over the next
few months.
The following automotive related links are now available at the cars.com
E-Store:
Insurance: InsWeb is a premier sponsor in the insurance section. A link
connects consumers with free rate quotes from InsWeb, as well as
additional insurance partners that have yet to be launched. The feature
will help consumers compare rates with leading auto insurers to help find
the best available rate.
Finance: The finance section provides consumers with information from
multiple lenders' loan programs, various national and local loan rates,
financing options and a payment calculator for consumers to determine
affordability. This section links to Creditland, which is a premier
sponsor of the finance section.
Carfax Reports: Consumers deciding on a used vehicle purchase can
research the vehicle's history through Carfax. The vehicle history search
reveals if a vehicle was a taxi or rental vehicle, if a car was in a major
flood or if the car was listed as a lemon -- a car with repeated major
problems, repurchased by the manufacturer and reported to the state.
Books: Cars.com has partnered with the major online bookseller,
Amazon.com , to provide automotive related book titles, such as CAR TALK's
(R) A Haircut in Horsetown, online directly to consumers. The section
also will include numerous book reviews from cars.com automotive industry
experts.
Parts and Accessories: Cars.com will soon be launching a parts and
accessories section to its E-store. Consumers will be able to order parts
and accessories for their vehicles by clicking on the links of premier
sponsors.
About cars.com
Cars.com simplifies local car shopping on the Internet. As the only
automotive Web site to provide daily updates of dealer inventories, cars.com
allows consumers to search vehicle listings by zip code, vehicle make, model
and year and easily submit a purchase request to a car dealer by email, fax or
telephone. 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 .
CONTACT: Nevenka Todorovic of cars.com, 312-575-2700, or e-mail,
ntodorovic@cars.com ; or Leilani Monsalud of PR 21 for cars.com, 312-396-9736,
or e-mail, leilani_monsalud@pr21.com .