The Cobalt Group, a provider of e-business software and services to the automotive retail market, announced it has been selected by the Western Washington Toyota Dealers Association (WWTDA) as the endorsed provider of e-business products and services for its 19 member Toyota dealers in western Washington state.

According to the company, members of the WWTDA will now be able to utilize Cobalt's Nitra technology, customer service, and in-house consulting from Cobalt experts to train and advise on best practices. Cobalt also offers WWTDA members a broad range of support, including its field-based dealer advocates and Cobalt's proactive eCare team.

"Our Internet business is essential to our success, and we expect it will play an ever-increasing role in our dealerships in the years ahead," said Brad Miller, owner of Toyota of Seattle. "Cobalt understands our need for proactive service as well as product offerings to help each member dealership become more profitable."

According to the company, the e-business solution created for WWTDA includes products built on Cobalt's Nitra platform, offering technology, flexibility and power for WWTDA dealers. Nitra, endorsed by the National Automobile Dealers Association, offers site management, publishing, storage, and administration capabilities in the industry.

"Cobalt's Nitra provides the Western Washington Toyota Dealers Association the tools they need to succeed in today's competitive automotive market. Cobalt's Dealer Advocate service combined with eCare, Cobalt's technical support team, brings them a world-class level of customer care," said Terry Smail, executive vice president and chief customer officer of the Cobalt Group.

Cobalt Nitra is the first J2EE-based enterprise software platform developed specifically for the automotive retailing industry. It enables manufacturers and dealers to manage and maintain their online retailing programs from anywhere at anytime and gives them increased flexibility in branding their dealerships online through convenient access to manufacturer-provided images and text, according to the company.

About The Cobalt Group

The Cobalt Group works exclusively in the automotive retail market to help manufacturers and dealers develop integrated e-business programs by leveraging its technology, broad range of services and deep domain knowledge. Cobalt offers a broad range of products and services developed specifically for the automotive marketplace including enterprise software for manufacturers and dealers; customer relationship management (CRM) software applications; online automotive commerce applications; OEM parts locating and marketing service; and dealership e-business best practices training, consulting, and process compliance analysis.

With headquarters in Seattle, Wash., Cobalt has offices in several major U.S cities, and a field sales and services force in 30 states, including all major U.S. metropolitan sales areas (MSAs).

For more information, please visit www.cobaltgroup.com or call 800-909-8244.