For the first time, auto dealers can showcase their used-car inventory on one of the Internet's most popular automotive sites, kbb.com. Kelley Blue Book announced May 16 the launch of Blue Book Classifieds, an all-new used car section of kbb.com.
The new section was developed in partnership with The Cobalt Group, a provider of e-business products and services to the automotive industry. Cobalt provides the technology for Blue Book Classifieds, as well as used vehicle listings from its nationwide network of dealer clients.
"More new and used car shoppers visit Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) than any place else on the Internet," said Stephen Henson, vice president of marketing and business development for Kelley Blue Book. "Blue Book Classifieds is the next step toward our goal of making vehicle transactions easier by bringing together consumers and dealers."
Each month, kbb.com attracts more than four million unique visitors and delivers more than 24 million pricing reports on new and used vehicles, according to Henson. Visitors to Blue Book Classifieds can search for a used vehicle by zip code and other search parameters to see a list of matching vehicles in their area, detailed vehicle listings, and side-by-side vehicle comparisons. The customer can submit a purchase or test drive request to the dealer.
"Combining Cobalt's technology and network of dealer customers with Kelley Blue Book's tremendous online presence has resulted in a terrific new resource for consumers to find used vehicles on the Internet," said David Potts, vice president of business development for The Cobalt Group. "In a cooling economy dealers increasingly turn to pre-owned vehicles to drive sales. Blue Book Classifieds offer dealers a cost-effective means to advertise their pre-owned vehicles to customers who are already looking to buy, and it cements kbb.com's position as a leading site for pre-owned vehicles."
The launch of the Blue Book Classifieds on kbb.com will kick off with a free trial of the new service through July 31, 2001 for Cobalt dealer customers with used inventory listings. After the free trial, Blue Book Classifieds will be available for a fixed monthly subscription fee of $295 per dealership for unlimited used vehicle listings on kbb.com.
Dealers that are not Cobalt customers can participate in Blue Book Classifieds by contacting Cobalt at (800) 909-8244 or by visiting www.motorplace.com.
About Kelley Blue Book
Marking its 75th anniversary this year, Kelley Blue Book continues to be relied upon by the industry and trusted by consumers as a standard in automotive pricing and value information. Kelley Blue Book has educated and empowered both consumers and retailers.
Today, kbb.com is one of the nation's most popular automotive Web sites, attracting more than 4 million unique visitors each month. It is also the most visited site by consumers who go on to buy both new and used cars, according to J.D. Power and Associates New and Used Autoshopper.com studies.
For more information visit www.kbb.com or contact Art Rothafel at 714-989-3100 ext. 2834.
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 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 (NADA).
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.dearlernet.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.
