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Autoweb.com Is #1 Among Online Car-Buying Sites

2 March 2000

Autoweb.com Is #1 Among Online Car-Buying Sites for Third Straight Month According to Nielsen//NetRatings

   New Advertising Campaign Drove Increased Traffic and Record Transactions

    SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 2 
-- Autoweb.com, Inc. , the leading consumer automotive Internet
service, today announced strong growth in site traffic for the month of
January, marking the third straight month Autoweb.com secured the top spot as
the most visited online car-buying service.
    Although January is traditionally a slow month for car sales, Autoweb.com
had a record of over 1.3 million unique visitors for the month, according to
Nielsen//NetRatings.  Purchase requests for cars also reached a record high.
Buoyed by a successful television advertising campaign during Superbowl week,
Autoweb.com continues to draw an increasing number of consumers to its site
for browsing, buying, maintaining and selling new or pre-owned vehicles.
    Autoweb.com highlights for the month of January include:

    -- A record 1,338,437 unique visitors* according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
    -- An unprecedented increase in purchase requests for new and used
       vehicles -- 16.4 percent above the previous record and up 125 percent
       over January 1999.

    Autoweb.com's traffic and transactions peaked during the final week of
January, driven in part by efficiently deploying its television advertising
during Superbowl week.  "Our strategy was to target our advertising spending
into high quality programming leading up to and following the actual Superbowl
game," said Jim Wolfe, vice president of marketing, Autoweb.com.  "This
allowed us to reach our target without having to spend the high premiums
required for Superbowl advertising."
    Autoweb.com ran television spots during selected programs on national
cable networks such as ESPN, TNT, Comedy Central and Lifetime.  This
contributed to an increase of nearly 70 percent in Web traffic for the week,
as well as a record number of purchase requests for new and used cars over the
Superbowl weekend.  The $14.5 million advertising campaign, created by Lowe,
Lintas & Partners, debuted in November on network and national cable
television and is slated to run through the middle of the year.
    "We are very pleased with our continued strong performance in traffic and
purchase requests as well as other automotive-related revenues," said Wolfe.
"I am particularly gratified that our advertising strategy drove the highest
traffic among any online car-buying service during Superbowl week.  Traffic
and transactions remained very strong in February, indicating that our offline
and online marketing campaigns are keeping Autoweb.com the leader in this
competitive category."
    With the most extensive automotive-related content on the web, Autoweb.com
helps consumers to research and find the right car.  The site links well
informed consumers with top-quality automotive retailers who deliver a faster,
easier buying experience.

    About Autoweb.com, Inc.
    Autoweb.com is the leading consumer automotive Internet service, guiding
consumers through every stage of vehicle ownership.  From research and buying,
to enjoying, maintaining and selling, Autoweb.com delivers what consumers
want.  Starting with comprehensive, unbiased automotive research, Autoweb.com
also provides many options to buy new and used vehicles through its auction
and dealer referral commerce channels.  Autoweb.com works with more than
5,000 Member Dealers and other commerce partners to provide the best
experience at every stage of vehicle ownership.  For more information, please
visit http://www.autoweb.com.
    NOTE:  * Traffic total includes visitors to Autoweb.com and its division
Autosite.com.