The Cobalt Group, a provider of e-business products and services to the automotive industry, announced Feb. 14 the successful launch of Pick-or-Pass at the National

Automobile Dealers Association's (NADA) 84th Annual Convention and Exhibition on February 3-6 in Las Vegas.

More than 100 automotive dealers and dealer groups signed up for Pick-or-Pass the day it was announced, including Balise Motor Sales of West Springfield, Mass., and Bob Rohrman

Automotive Group, of Lafayette, Ind. Bob Rohrman Automotive Group is the 12th largest dealer group in the U.S. with 27 dealerships and Balise Motor Sales owns 14 dealerships.

"Pick-or-Pass represents a new standard in lead distribution services that will allow dealers to control their lead costs and increase

customer satisfaction with Internet car shopping," said John Holt, president and CEO of The Cobalt Group. "We are excited about the immediate dealer interest in Pick-or-Pass and we expect to grow the dealer network rapidly over the next six months. Pick-or-Pass revolutionizes the way Internet leads are distributed to and purchased by dealers, and it supports our long-stated goal of helping dealers and consumers work directly together, without the need for third-party intermediaries."

Dealers at the NADA convention such as John Dubosh, vice president of marketing for Balise Motor Sales, were impressed with the new lead

service. "The Cobalt Group continues to prove its dealer-focused business strategy is right on the money with products like Pick-or-Pass, which will help our 14 dealerships increase ROI through higher quality leads and impressive cost savings," Dubosh said.

Cobalt operates Pick-or-Pass in partnership with Respond, a provider of request-driven lead generation solutions that match businesses with buyers. Respond provides the online request technology for Pick-or-Pass while Cobalt manages the network of participating dealers. Edmunds.com, a consumer resource for unbiased

automotive information, is the first partner to provide leads to dealers through Pick-or-Pass.

With Pick-or-Pass, dealers view the lead information and "pick" which leads they want to purchase, and "pass" on the unwanted leads, paying for only those leads they want to pursue. Pick-or-Pass offers a low-cost

alternative to online buying services that require expensive fixed subscription fees and provide no control over the type or quantity of leads dealers receive. Dealers access Pick-or-Pass and purchase leads through Cobalt's newly enhanced MotorPlace.com dealer portal. The service will be activated on March 1, 2001.

About The Cobalt Group

The Cobalt Group(TM), 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(R) 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 (NADA).

Cobalt operates MotorPlace.com(TM)

(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 Internet

leads through Pick-or-Pass, and access industry information, news, events, and stock quotes.

Cobalt also operates DealerNet(R)(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, visit

www.cobaltgroup.com or call 1 (800) 909-8244.