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CarsDirect.com, CarOrder.com, DriveOff.com, General Motors and MSN CarPoint Join Edmunds.com's New Powershopper Service

17 August 2000

CarsDirect.com, CarOrder.com, DriveOff.com, General Motors and MSN CarPoint Join Edmunds.com's New Powershopper Service

                Site Offers Unbiased Guidance on Auto Research
                    Including Online Car Purchase Options;
     Streamlines the Car-Buying Process by Bringing Consumer Information
        And Transaction Resources Together in One Convenient Location

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 17 Edmunds.com
(http://www.edmunds.com), the Web's leading consumer resource for unbiased
automotive information, has introduced Edmunds.com Powershopper, an objective
resource that helps consumers understand and make online vehicle purchases.
Participating companies include CarsDirect.com, CarOrder.com, DriveOff.com,
General Motors and MSN CarPoint, with others expected to finalize their
involvement soon.
    Approximately half of today's new car buyers do research for their vehicle
on the Internet, and that number is climbing, according to a recent survey by
the Gartner Group Inc.  Edmunds.com believes that these consumers are also in
need of a convenient on-line method to research purchase options, and created
the Edmunds.com Powershopper tool to fill this need.  Other web sites have
already followed Edmunds.com's lead, offering their own version of this idea.
    "The Edmunds.com Powershopper service is a continuation of our reliable,
consumer-friendly automotive content," said Peter Steinlauf, President,
Edmunds.com.  "Consumers already use Edmunds.com's extensive pricing
information and reviews to learn about an automobile; now they can use
Edmunds.com Powershopper to research and evaluate online services and make a
purchase through the service they select."
    Consistent with Edmunds.com's long-standing policies of impartiality and
objectivity, Edmunds.com will rank the online services according to the
quality of their interaction with actual users, once a sufficient sample size
has participated in the available survey.  Additionally, shoppers can learn
more about their peers' experiences at Edmunds Town Hall, a forum that posts
unedited consumer comments on automotive products, services and news.
    Participating Edmunds.com Powershopper companies were selected based on
several qualifications, including their ability to provide a service of value
to consumers, their current or expected ability to service a broad geographic
area, and their technical infrastructure.

    About Edmunds.com
    Headquartered in Santa Monica, Edmunds.com is the Internet's pioneer and
leader in providing free, unbiased automotive information.  Edmunds.com
empowers, educates and engages visitors by respecting them and providing them
with straightforward, truthful information on key aspects of buying, selling
and owning a vehicle.  Users are provided automobile pricing data, extensive
automobile reviews, consumer information, safety updates, incentive and rebate
news, expert analysis of developments in the automotive world and the Town
Hall, an interactive community of more than 500,000 participants.  Edmunds.com
has been honored as the number one automotive web site and number two web site
overall in the Dialscore loyalty survey, as well as one of Yahoo! Internet
Life's 50 Most Incredibly Useful Sites, Money's 50 Most Useful Financial
Websites and among Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites for
Entrepreneurs.