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AutoConnect
Integrates Best of Web Technologies To Create Massive User- and
Advertiser-Friendly Car Shopping Site
World’s most comprehensive
online pre-owned car shopping service uses integrated suite of
technologies to provide compelling online experience for users,
precision targeting for advertisers
Car shoppers and advertisers alike
are more likely to have a smooth ride with AutoConnect thanks to
the powerful blend of Web-based technologies assembled beneath
the hood of the world’s most comprehensive online pre-owned
car shopping service. By delivering hundreds of thousands of
vehicle listings and fast, accurate and relevant information,
AutoConnect empowers consumers to make informed purchase
decisions and gives auto dealers and advertisers the ideal
environment for reaching those consumers.
"We’ve marshaled the
leading technologies available to deliver an extremely compelling
experience to shoppers and a powerful and highly focused medium
to advertisers," said Chip Perry, president and CEO of
AutoConnect. "Hand-picked from the best of the best, the
solutions provided by our technology partners help streamline the
car shopping process and empower, but never overwhelm, the
consumer."
AutoConnect, located at
autoconnect.com, combines its own proprietary technologies and
content with solutions from the following partners to create a
Web site of unrivaled effectiveness for shoppers and advertisers
alike.
Organic, an award-winning San
Francisco Web developer, provides SmartKey technology to
AutoConnect. Organic’s proprietary middleware, which
utilizes server-side Java, enables AutoConnect shoppers to search
almost instantly through AutoConnect’s huge vehicle
inventory using multiple search parameters. It also enables
shoppers to jump from category to category - from insurance to
financing, for example - without drilling up and down through
multiple layers and screens.
Accrue Software, Inc. provides
overall site tracking and analysis services to AutoConnect.
Accrue Insight™, the Sunnyvale, Calif. company’s
flagship software product, enables AutoConnect to instantly track
and understand usage patterns at an unprecedented level of detail.
Captured data, including demographics and user habits, can be
combined with AutoConnect’s proprietary Java-based page-rendering
engine to create flexible and highly customized advertising
campaigns.
DoubleClick, Inc., the Internet
advertising solutions company, allows AutoConnect to deliver
marketing messages with precision. Using data gathered from
AutoConnect’s "context-sensitive help" database
and other system resources, DoubleClick Dart technology can, for
example, deliver advertising messages for minivans only to those
shoppers interested in that category of vehicle.
PersonaLogic, Inc., a San Diego,
Calif. company that creates AutoConnect’s Web-based "personal
decision guides," provides patent-pending Personalogic™
technology that automatically helps shoppers choose the vehicle
that is right for them. By completing a simple "Custom
Search" question-and-answer form, shoppers are guided to
cars or trucks that match their lifestyle and needs.
Further strengthening AutoConnect’s
presence on the Web, the company also announced today a
partnership with Cox Interactive Media (CIM), a subsidiary of
media giant Cox Enterprises and the nation’s largest
provider of local content on the Internet. With this agreement,
CIM will prominently feature AutoConnect on its 17 popular city
sites, as well as five other specialty sites, substantially
increasing AutoConnect’s visibility to Internet users. The
CIM deal follows similar agreements with some of the Web’s
most trafficked sites including Yahoo!, Lycos and WebCrawler.
About AutoConnect
AutoConnect is owned by Manheim Auctions, Inc., a subsidiary of
Cox Enterprises, and the Dealer Services Group of Automatic Data
Processing, Inc. (ADP) offering Internet shopping information and
services for pre-owned and new cars and trucks. Manheim and ADP
provide a variety of products and services to a combined total of
more than 90 percent of the U.S. automotive dealers, making
AutoConnect the Internet’s largest and most significant
consolidation of automobile dealer relationships and used car
listings.
About Manheim Auctions
Founded in 1945, Manheim Auctions, Inc. is the world’s
largest operator of wholesale automobile auctions with more than
70 locations in North America and the United Kingdom. In 1997,
Manheim handled more than six million vehicles worth over $28
billion. Manheim leads the electronic commerce industry in
wholesale vehicle sales with Manheim Online, available on the
Internet at http://www.manheim.com.
In support of the core auction
business, Manheim also provides vehicle reconditioning and
certification, automated vehicle pricing products, dealer floor
plan financing, dealer business software, and government auctions.
Manheim Auctions is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.
About ADP
ADP Dealer Services Group provides turnkey solutions to over 18,000
auto and truck dealers throughout the United States, Canada,
Europe, Asia and Latin America. ADP Dealer Services Group is the
third largest business unit of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE:AUD),
which with over $4 billion in annual revenue and more than 400,000
clients, is one of the largest independent computing service
firms in the world. More information on ADP and ADP Dealer
Services Group is available via the Internet at www.adp.com.
About Cox Interactive Media
CIM, a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., was launched in 1996
with the goal of building long-term brands and audiences on the
Internet. Targeting key markets where Cox Enterprises operates
newspapers, television stations, radio stations and cable
systems, CIM has quickly outpaced all other traditional media
companies and online providers, emerging as the nation’s
most extensive online network of city, regional and national
brands. Fueled by rapid growth, CIM has evolved from a two-person
shop in 1996 to a market leader employing more than 350 people,
with plans to expand to a staff of 450 by mid-1998. Headquartered
in Atlanta, CIMnet currently includes 17 city sites and four
specialty sites. For more information, contact CIM via the
Internet at www.cimedia.com.
About Cox Enterprises
A leading media company, Cox Enterprises is headquartered in
Atlanta. Properties include Cox Newspaper, Inc. (newspapers,
direct mail marketing, book publishing), Cox Broadcasting, Inc. (TV,
spot sales, television production, research, publicly-traded Cox
Radio, Inc.) and publicly traded Cox Communications, Inc. (cable
distribution, programming, broadband communications), Cox
Interactive Media, and Manheim Auctions. More information about
Cox is available at www.cox.com.
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