NADA Endorsement Drives The Cobalt Group's NADA Convention Success

2 February 2000

NADA Endorsement Drives The Cobalt Group's NADA Convention Success; Cobalt Adds More Than 100 New Dealers in Four Days; Generates 1,400 Dealer Web Site Leads

    SEATTLE--Feb. 2, 2000--The Cobalt Group , a leading provider of Internet solutions and business-to-business services for the automotive industry, today announced that it added 103 franchised dealerships to its rapidly growing network during the just-ended annual National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) Convention and Exposition in Orlando, Fla.
    "More than 1,400 dealers expressed interest in our Internet-based services," said Joe Petrucci, vice president of field sales for The Cobalt Group. "We flew over 85 Cobalt sales and marketing personnel to the Convention and we were hard pressed to handle all the dealer inquiries. Our field based sales staff is now focused on following-up on these leads."
    Cobalt creates compelling value for dealers by offering products that address all five dealership profit centers. At the Convention, Cobalt launched two new NADA-endorsed Web site packages, allowing dealers to select a solution that best matched their needs. The NADA Web Essentials Package -- as the name implies -- provides the fundamental Web development and business management tools a dealer needs to establish dynamic e-commerce operations. Key features include Web site development and hosting, e-mail forms, automated new and used vehicle inventory listing capabilities, traffic reporting and links to OEM and NADA resources. The NADA Web Premier Package builds on the Essentials package with advanced features such as Cobalt's AdWizard Plus, Lead Manager, Service Solution 2-1-1 and the PartsVoice Parts Locator system.
    Interest was not limited to auto dealers and sales managers. "Over 300 companies approached us about potential partnerships," said David Potts, vice president of business development and product management for The Cobalt Group. "As a result of meetings at the Convention, we expect to initiate a number of new relationships to drive traffic to dealers' Web sites or help dealers enhance the profitability of their e-business efforts. We also met with a number of potential partners regarding participation in MotorPlace.com, our business-to-business portal for the automotive industry."
    Cobalt held two press conferences at the Convention. On Saturday, Jan. 22, NADA and Cobalt held a joint press conference to brief the media about the details of NADA's recent endorsement of Cobalt's Web site packages and plans for the NADA consumer Internet portal that will launch in April. At a press conference on Sunday, Jan. 23, Cobalt unveiled its strategic plan to help dealers thrive in the new Internet economy, both by participating in MotorPlace.com and by building their own brand through a customer-oriented presence on the Internet.
    "This year's NADA Convention was a turning point for dealers," said John Holt, president and CEO of The Cobalt Group. "Dealers know they must have an Internet strategy, and they've learned it all starts with an investment in their own Web site. With our focus on helping dealers build their own online brand, Cobalt is the Internet company that's on the dealer's side. America's 22,000-plus new car dealers will be selling and servicing cars for many years to come, and we plan on helping them thrive in a new Internet-based economy."

    ABOUT THE COBALT GROUP

    The Cobalt Group(TM) , based in Seattle, is a leading provider of Internet-based products and services for the automotive industry. Through Internet-based application development and hosting, data management, and online car referral services, Cobalt helps dealers, dealer groups and automobile manufacturers harness the power of the Internet to realize new efficiencies, win new prospects and better serve their customers.
    With approximately 5,200 dealer Web site clients, over 10,000 dealers using its parts locating system, and relationships with 16 automotive manufacturers and more than 50 of the 100 largest dealer groups in the United States, Cobalt is one of the leading technology companies serving the automotive industry. Cobalt operates MotorPlace.com(TM) (www.motorplace.com), a business-to-business vertical portal for the automotive industry; DealerNet(R) (www.dealernet.com), one of the best-known automotive destination sites on the Web; and PartsVoice(R) (www.partsvoice.com), a leading OEM auto parts locating and data management service.
    Cobalt offers Web site services that are endorsed by the National Automobile Dealers Association.
    For more information, please visit The Cobalt Group at www.cobaltgroup.com