With its Used Car CyberStore, Autobytel Inc. claims to help used-car shoppers find quality cars and information through up-to-the-minute inventory and dealer-back certified vehicles.

According to the company, Autobytel's Used Car CyberStore features a large inventory of cars and truckis, more than 80 percent of which are backed by inspection certification and a 90-day or 3,000-mile warranty/72-hour exchange or

money-back guarantee.

Consumers can also view many of the actual certified vehicles as they appear on dealers' lots. Vehicle history reports and "lemon checks" can be done directly from the Autobytel sites, and consumers can also access past and present manufacturer recall notifications,

Autobytel said.

"I had never purchased a used car in my life," said Derinda Sanders, a recent Autobytel Used Car CyberStore customer. "Autobytel eliminated all my fears and I was empowered with all the information I needed to make a truly safe decision. I saved so much money on the actual purchase—that I could afford to fly 600 miles and pick up my dream car. It really took the guesswork out of used car shopping on the web."

Autobytel claims CyberStore's vehicle search tools include 'search by price' and/or 'monthly payment' functions. An optional instant e-mail notification service can let consumers know when vehicles matching their search criteria become available.

"More and more consumers are turning to the Internet for used car shopping and used car sales are becoming more and more important to dealers as the used car market expands," said Autobytel Inc. President and CEO Jeffrey Schwartz. "The question becomes, how can the Internet best serve this exploding pool of consumers? Our goal with the CyberStore is to create one of the safest, most efficient environments for used car shopping, which is why we have certified cars and safeguards like warranties and lemon checks."

Top 10 CyberStore Vehicles

Industry experts indicate that the used vehicle market is growing at an explosive pace to nearly 50 million units in the next seven years. In addition, online car shopping is on the rise and analysts say that the number of online used car shoppers grew 27% from 2000 to 2001. Current favorite vehicles among this growing base of used car shoppers at Autobytel are the Honda Accord at number one and the Ford Explorer at number two. Autobytel.com's Top Ten Most Popular Used Vehicle list is:

1. Honda Accord

2. Ford Explorer

3. Jeep Grand Cherokee

4. Ford Expedition

5. Toyota Camry

6. Honda Civic

7. Ford F150

8. Volkswagen Jetta

9. Ford Mustang

10. Chevrolet Tahoe

Responding to the growing consumer demand for pre-owned vehicles, Autobytel recently expanded the inventory of its Used Car CyberStore by 20% and extended the program to car buyers on all four of the company's websites: Autobytel.com, Carsmart.com, Autoweb.com and Autosite.com. According to the company, since October 2001, the number of used car shoppers on the CyberStore has jumped nearly 50%.

"By making the CyberStore available across all of our sites, consumers can access more of the high-quality certified used vehicles they desire," adds Schwartz. "By the same token, our dealers now have the opportunity to reach millions of potential used car shoppers with a single listing."

About Autobytel Inc.

Autobytel Inc., an Internet automotive marketing services company, helps retailers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through marketing and CRM (customer relationship management) programs. Autobytel Inc. owns and operates the websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com and Autosite.com, as well as AIC (Automotive Information Center), a provider of automotive marketing data and technology. With approximately 8,900 dealer relationships and 30 international automotive manufacturer customers, Autobytel Inc. claims to reach millions of unique visitors as they are making their vehicle buying decisions.

0 Comments