Hendrick Automotive Group, one of the nation's largest privately held automotive dealer groups, has named The Cobalt Group its sole endorsed provider of e-business services for Hendrick corporate (www.hendrickauto.com) and its 60 dealers nationwide.

Cobalt, a provider of e-business products and services to the automotive industry, will provide a suite of e-business management tools customized specifically for Hendrick as part of the two-year agreement.

Cobalt developed and hosts Hendrick Automotive Group's corporate site and more than 60 of its dealer sites. As a result of this endorsement, Cobalt will extend the services it provides Hendrick to include a broad range of e-business tools to provide the dealer group with more power and flexibility for its online business.

"Cobalt has enjoyed a successful long-term partnership with Hendrick Automotive Group over the years, and we are looking forward to boosting their Internet capabilities to new levels," said Terry Smail, executive vice president of sales and account services for The Cobalt Group. "Our continuing work together will enhance the online experience for Hendrick customers and drive more sales to Hendrick dealers."

Cobalt's offerings include consumer-oriented features including searchable new and used vehicle inventory listings, a payment calculator, and quick quote and finance forms. Hendrick dealers can provide customer relationship management using Cobalt's myCarTools product and online service reminders. Dealers can also use Cobalt's Lead Manager, an Internet-based customer relationship management software application designed to help dealers manage and respond to all of their customer inquiries.

"Cobalt has been instrumental in our e-business success and has handled the multi-layered issues of supporting a large dealer group with great service and innovative tools," said Matthew Belk, e-business manager for Hendrick Automotive Group. "Hendrick is known for not accepting every technology that comes down the pipe, but choosing the right technology and executing with excellence. We believe Cobalt is the right partner for our continued online success."

About Hendrick Automotive Group

Hendrick Automotive Group, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., sells more than 100,000 new and used vehicles per year from 22 automakers, including General Motors, Honda and Toyota.

Hendrick operates 48 dealerships consisting of more than 60 franchises in ten states coast-to-coast: California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The company also offers a complete range of services, including financing, leasing, parts, service and body repair.

About The Cobalt Group

The Cobalt Group™, headquartered in Seattle, is a provider of e-business products and services designed to help automotive dealers and manufacturers manage their businesses online.

Cobalt's suite of e-business solutions includes Web services, Web site hosting, e-commerce applications, Internet-based customer relationship management applications, data management, and best practices training and consulting.

Nearly half of the nation's auto dealers use Cobalt's technology, including 8,950 Web services clients, and approximately 9,000 PartsVoice® (www.partsvoice.com) clients. Cobalt's e-business products and services are endorsed by 14 automotive manufacturers and more than 50 of the 100 largest dealer groups in the United States. Cobalt is the only e-business provider endorsed by the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Cobalt operates MotorPlace.com™ (www.MotorPlace.com), an online business management and industry information resource for auto dealers. At MotorPlace.com, dealers utilize Cobalt tools to manage their Web sites, buy wholesale used vehicles through MotorPlace Auto Exchange, locate and market OEM parts through PartsVoice, purchase leads through Pick-or-Pass, and access industry information, news, events, and stock quotes.

Cobalt also operates DealerNet® (www.dealernet.com), one of the most widely visited consumer automotive information portals on the Web. IntegraLink Corporation, a Cobalt company, is the auto industry's premier provider of automotive data collection and reporting services.

Cobalt has offices in Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Detroit, Mich.; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.cobaltgroup.com or call (800) 909-8244.