Chrome Systems

Corporation, provider of automotive data, configuration and comparison

technology and commerce solutions, announced the release of

Chrome Inventory Search (CIS), a vehicle locator tool for auto

dealers, dealer groups, networks and media sites.

According to the company, the release represents the latest component in Chrome's suite of

software tools designed to make it easier and more profitable to

transact automotive commerce.

CIS can be implemented as a stand-alone, browser-based inventory

search tool. CIS can also be combined with an online vehicle

configurator to give consumers a "build-and-find" solution during the

online research phase of their purchase. Additionally, the tool can be

used inside the dealership to assist sales reps in searching their own

inventory. Dealer groups and media networks are able to select which

of their trading partners can view the inventory.

"More than two-thirds of shoppers -- 71 percent -- say it is also

very important for a dealership to have searchable inventory", said

Judy George, senior vice president of Friedman-Swift Associates, a

Cincinnati-based automotive market research firm.

Integrated with Chrome Carbook(R), Chrome's web-based vehicle

configuration and comparison tool, Chrome Inventory Search enables

consumers to first build a vehicle online and then find that same

vehicle -- or a close match to it -- on a single dealer's lot or in

the inventory of a dealer group or partner network. Shoppers can

search by year, make and model, or by distance from their home.

Results appear in a list that is weighted to ensure closest matches

appear at the top, according to Chrome.

"We're very excited about CIS, of course. Our clients have been

asking for a practical, meaningful vehicle locator for some time. CIS

means dealerships and vehicle buying sites and their customers can now

match virtual configurations to vehicles actually sitting on a lot

somewhere, a process that is more likely to result in a closed deal,"

said David Mingle, president of Chrome Systems.

"After buyers decide what they want, they need to know where they

can find it. With CIS, Chrome answers that question. This is a huge

step forward for dealers and media sites interested in shorter sales

cycles and greater customer satisfaction," added Mingle.

At the back end of the process is Chrome Inventory Everywhere(TM),

an inventory editing and posting tool that combines DMS inventory

records with Chrome's New Vehicle Data to give dealers the most

vehicle-specific information available, anywhere. Once the inventory

is posted online, Chrome Carbook users, utilizing the CIS search

option, can view and search on that inventory.

Chrome Inventory Search will be shown at the 2003 National

Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Exposition in San

Francisco, on February 1-4, and is available immediately.

About Chrome

With more than 13,500 clients, including half of all automotive

dealers in the U.S. and Canada, Chrome provides vehicle content,

software, technology and services to deliver complete enterprise

solutions to all segments of the retail automotive industry. These

segments include manufacturers, fleet companies, dealers, Internet

sites, and financial institutions.