In a recent survey of online car shoppers, 75 percent of the respondents said that the availability of new and used vehicles in stock is the most important information on a dealer's Web site.

Through an alliance announced March 5 between The Cobalt Group, a provider of e-business products and services to the automotive industry, and Dubuque Data Services (DDS), more dealers will have the ability to provide accurate, detailed and timely vehicle inventory listings to online car shoppers.

With 350 dealers nationwide, DDS provides integrated information management solutions to the automotive, medium/heavy truck, and equipment retailing marketplaces.

"Cobalt leads the industry by collecting vehicle, parts and other data from over 13,000 dealers' dealer management systems," said John Holt, presidente and CEO of The Cobalt Group. "Through this alliance and our IntegraLink division, we will leverage our deep data collection and automotive e-business expertise to help Dubuque Data Services dealers promote their inventory on the Internet."

"By partnering with Cobalt, we now offer our dealers automated and seamless vehicle inventory data transfers to their Web sites," said Glen Callahan, president of Dubuque Data Services. "Now our dealer clients can take full advantage of Cobalt's NADA-endorsed e-business product offerings to enhance dealership customer satisfaction and increase car sales."

Through an automated data collection process, Cobalt's IntegraLink division can now collect detailed new and used vehicle inventory data from a dealer's DDS dealer management system and automatically post it on the dealer's Cobalt-built Web site. Each vehicle listing includes make, model, year, color, options and price. Dealers can use Cobalt's AutoShow inventory management tool to add detailed descriptions and photos to the listings on their Web sites.

About The Cobalt Group

The Cobalt Group™, headquartered in Seattle Wash., is a provider of e-business products and services designed to help automotive dealers and manufacturers effectively 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 8,500 Web services clients, and approximately 9,300 PartsVoice® (www.partsvoice.com) clients.

Cobalt's e-business products and services are endorsed by 15 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, 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 a 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, please visit www.cobaltgroup.com or call 1 (800) 909-8244.

About Dubuque Data Services

Dubuque Data Services (DDS) is located in Dubuque, Iowa. Founded in 1972, DDS provides integrated information management solutions to the automotive retailing marketplace.

The DDS Dealership Management system has the integrated capabilities for dealerships including accounting, parts inventory control, point-of-sale invoicing, repair order billing, new/used vehicle management, executive management reporting, custom report writing, and communications to major manufacturers.

The DDS Dealership Management System is designed to provide increased profitability, by providing dealerships with the tools necessary to more efficiently manage everyday operations.

Dubuque Data Services can be accessed through the Internet at www.ddslive.com.