Cars.com on July 18 announced that it has seen a surge in consumer traffic on the "Customer Incentives" section of its site in response to the recent announcements of new zero percent financing offers and rebates by automobile manufacturers, including Ford Motor Co. and General Motors.

What Cars.com calls "the Internet's most comprehensive national guide to consumer and dealer incentives and consumer financing" is now easier to find, according to the company. Cars.com said it continually aggregates these nationwide offers and has compiled them in an easily searchable resource with the most up-to-date incentive information. Cars.com first enhanced this section back in the fall of 2001 when zero percent financing offers and rebates emerged to help breathe new life into the automotive industry.

Visitors can access the guide at cars.com by clicking the "Rebates" text link on the left-hand side of the cars.com home page or by going to www.cars.com/incentives.html.

Consumers can search for incentives by vehicle make and get advice on the best deals available in the marketplace. The guide also lets visitors compare the benefits of cash-back offers with low-interest financing.

There is a Top 10 Deals page that features the hottest offers such as the $7,000 rebate currently being offered on the 2002 Lincoln Continental or the $3,000 cash-back deal on the 2002 Chevrolet Tracker.

"Manufacturers are once again offering consumers tremendous cost savings and special incentives to maintain the momentum of new car sales that began in the fall," said Mitch Golub, general manager of cars.com. "Cars.com continues to make it convenient for car shoppers to identify and take advantage of the various incentives and rebate offers by compiling all of the information they need in one central, easy-to-navigate guide with an interactive financing calculator, advice on negotiating, and relevant automotive industry news."

On the cars.com site, page views for the rebate section alone have doubled in the past month, according to the company. Visitors looking for automotive news and financial advice have more than doubled during the same period.

About cars.com

Cars.com is an online resource for buying, selling and owning a vehicle.

Cars.com says it pulls vehicle listings from thousands of dealer inventories and classified ads nationwide to offer consumers the best selection of new and used cars.

Cars.com says it combines powerful used-car search and new-car configuration with pricing information, photo galleries, buying guides, side-by-side comparison tools, original editorial content, and reviews to help more than three million consumers research cars and connect with local sellers each month. Cars.com also says it maintains a relationship with consumers throughout the vehicle ownership experience, providing expert maintenance advice from public radio's Click and Clack, recall information, service reminders, industry news and resale assistance.

Launched in June 1998, cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, (www.classifiedadventures.com), which is owned by seven leading media companies.

For more information, visit www.cars.com.