Manheim Interactive says it helped DaimlerChrysler’s Chrysler Group Remarketing score with a special online “Nothin’ But ‘Net” sale.

According to the company, the sale, which ran from Dec. 20 until Jan. 2 – a period when Chrysler Group Remarketing is closed and no sales are held at traditional auctions – enabled more than 550 DaimlerChrysler dealers nationwide to replenish their inventories for the new year. The “Nothin’ But ‘Net” sale also gave Chrysler Group Remarketing the opportunity to remarket an additional 3,589 vehicles during the 12-day period.

“We sold more than 2,000 more vehicles during the online sale than we sold the prior year in live lane sales during the holidays, and we achieved an all-time record for monthly Internet sales,” said Keith Helfrich, director of Chrysler Group Remarketing. “That’s pretty amazing when you consider it was done in less than half a month and during the holidays.”

“An incredible effort went into making this a successful sale,” said Joe Luppino, vice president and chief operating officer of Manheim Interactive, “and it just goes to prove the value that online sales can add to the traditional auction process. At Manheim, we’re working hard to make sure we offer the best variety of remarketing services – at the auction level and online – to help our customers sell vehicles as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible.”

“’Nothin’ But ‘Net’ was successful because it reflected the kind of partnership that we’ve been building on – the partnership between the auctions and the dealers,” said Helfrich. “Anyone can post vehicles on the Internet, but we all have learned they don’t sell themselves. It takes auctions that have earned the trust and confidence of the dealers.”

“At Manheim, we focus on providing value,” said Jamie Porter, executive vice president of operations. “Our industry as a whole provides great value. Auctions bring buyers and sellers together. They represent the open market at its most basic level, and they drive the used vehicle marketplace.”

Last year, according to the company, 43 million used vehicles‚ worth more than $372 billion‚ were sold. Today, there are more than 218 million vehicles on the road, and all of them will be remarketed at some point‚ some of them several times.

“Auctions play a vital role in the remarketing process, as proven by the number of vehicles that drive through their lanes annually,” said Porter. “In 2002, the 294 wholesale auctions nationwide handled more than 16 million vehicles, selling more than 9.5 million at a value of just more than $80 billion."

“The open, live, competitive bidding atmosphere of auto auctions empowers buyers to determine product value and ensures sellers receive true market value for their products,” he said. “To get true market value for a vehicle, there is no better place to go than to an auction.”

About Manheim Auctions

Manheim Auctions offers services that impact every stage of a used vehicle’s life cycle. These include

transaction, reconditioning and certification services, managed remarketing, end-of-lease-term management services, vehicle transportation, dealer floor planning, retail inspection and government auction services. The company also assists auto manufacturers, fleet and lease companies, banks and other financial institutions in selling their used vehicle inventories.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., Manheim Auctions has more than 32,000 employees at its 124 auctions and related businesses. Manheim is a global remarketing organization with 85 auctions in North America and additional operations in France, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. In the year 2002, the company says it auctioned more than 9.5 million vehicles at its North American auctions.