Autobytel.com, General Motors Select Washington D.C. Area Chevrolet Dealers to Test Locate-to-Order
Irvine, CA - March 21, 2001
Updated
Jul 7, 2004 20:33:58
Rating
107 ( -15 -14.01% )
Description: - Autobytel.com (Nasdaq: ABTL) and General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) today announced they have selected the Washington D.C. area and the Chevrolet brand to conduct a 90-day test of the locate-to-order business model announced by the two companies a month ago. The test program will combine the independent all makes, all models capability of Autobytel.com with a new GM locate-to-order vehicle inventory model. Chevrolet dealers in the Washington D.C. area, which includes Northern Virginia, Southern Maryland and the District of Columbia, will participate in the test. "General Motors is very forward thinking in its e-commerce initiatives and Autobytel.com is proud to be a part of their locate-to-order test program," said Mark Lorimer, Autobytel.com's president and CEO. "We look forward to the feedback from both dealers and consumers in the Washington D.C area." "By choosing Chevrolet, we have the opportunity to test a high-volume brand that has the industry's broadest array of products appealing to a wide customer base," said William J. Lovejoy, GM group vice president, North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Washington D.C. is an ideal location for this test because it has one of the highest levels of Internet penetration and Internet vehicle shoppers in the U.S.," said Mark Hogan, GM group vice president and president of eGM. "This is an area where a large number of consumers feel extremely comfortable with online vehicle shopping and buying, which will allow us to deeply analyze both dealer and consumer acceptance of the new locate-to-order model." The test is designed to help GM and its dealers learn how to create an effective online locate-to-order system that displays a market area view of available inventory and enables consumers to purchase selected vehicles at a dealer-set online e-price. Vehicle buyers will not only be able to find a Chevrolet car or truck they wish to purchase, but also select a preferred Chevrolet dealer to complete the sales transaction. "Testing this new locate-to-order model on the Autobytel.com site will help us determine the best way to sell Chevrolets to online vehicle buyers," said Gerry Ryan of Sport Chevrolet in Silver Springs, MD. "We look forward to making this test a success and, ultimately, selling more Chevrolet cars and trucks in the D.C. area." About General Motors General Motors (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide. In 2000, GM earned $5 billion on sales of $183.3 billion. It employs about 386,000 people globally. GM is investing aggressively in high technology and e-business within its global automotive operations and through such initiatives as e-GM, GM BuyPower, OnStar and its Hughes Electronics Corp. (NYSE: GMH) subsidiary. GM also operates one of the world's largest and most successful financial institutions, GMAC. More information on General Motors can be found at
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107 ( -15 -14.01% )