Autobytel, the Company That Pioneered the Automotive Internet, Resets the Bar with the Launch of the All-New Autobytel.com

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL), the company dedicated to helping dealers and car-buyers connect online, launches the all-new Autobytel.com website today. The launch is the first phase of a multi-phase redesign, aimed at extending the reach of Autobytel.com to serve a broad consumer audience as Your Lifetime Automotive Advisor™. Developed with extensive consumer input, the redesign incorporates bold colors, updated graphics, nearly 1 million rich vehicle images, user-friendly navigation and new, innovative tools for consumers to personalize their online shopping and buying experience. The new Autobytel.com design enables consumers to easily research information on new and used vehicles, explore important options to consider when purchasing or leasing a car, select a dealership from Autobytel’s network of dealers, and share their thoughts and hear from others with regard to opinions on and experiences with, a particular vehicle and/or car dealer. Additionally, consumers can customize the site to save their research, favorite articles and photos as well as create a profile to manage vehicle(s) they currently own. Click to view an overview of site.

“Easy-to-use navigation, new graphics, and an ongoing commitment to provide more exclusive content are just part of our new website. We designed Autobytel.com to be Your Lifetime Automotive Advisor™, giving users the tools they need to research, shop, finance, insure and maintain vehicles as well as “how to’s”

“We at Autobytel know everything begins and ends with the consumer, especially when looking to attract and satisfy visitors whose expectations are appropriately high given both the passionate and practical dynamics involved in automotive consideration. The new Autobytel.com is designed to do just that by bringing excitement and fun back to the online car buying experience, while at the same time giving consumers expert advice on a number of issues surrounding the shopping and decision process,” said Autobytel Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey H. Coats. “Easy-to-use navigation, new graphics, and an ongoing commitment to provide more exclusive content are just part of our new website. We designed Autobytel.com to be Your Lifetime Automotive Advisor™, giving users the tools they need to research, shop, finance, insure and maintain vehicles as well as “how to’s” for selling or trading in an existing car or truck. We want our visitors to think of Autobytel.com as that trusted friend who can help you buy a car with confidence at a dealership and maintain that certainty when owning a new or used vehicle.” Coats continued, “Producing this enhanced consumer experience enables us to better connect interested buyers with the thousands of dealers in our network.” Click here to see CEO Jeff Coats discuss the new site.

Consumer Input

Autobytel performed extensive research and solicited feedback from consumers to develop the new site. Focus group and survey findings noted that consumers felt sites in Autobytel’s category were not “customizable” and too often assumed all visitors were alike and had the same needs. Specifically, consumers shared that they visit sites in the category for many different reasons and at varied stages in the purchase or trade in/sale process. An important takeaway was that consumers communicated their true passion for cars and while they admit the process can be intimidating, they expressed a real desire to have a “fun” experience when researching and shopping for a vehicle online. The new Autobytel.com addresses these consumer “wants” via the following:

Comprehensive Research Capabilities

Users will be able to extensively research both new and used cars on the newly designed Autobytel.com. With a simple click, visitors to the site will have immediate access to nearly 1 million new and used vehicle photos, information and specifications.

Exclusive Editorial Content

With a new editorial approach led by Autobytel.com’s Managing Editor, Michelle Naranjo, the site will incorporate an increasing amount of exclusive editorial content including detailed vehicle reviews, new car sneak peeks, and cutting-edge industry news all packaged for the consumer through dynamic graphics, text and photography.

True User Personalization

No matter what stage in the lifecycle of their vehicles they may be, consumers can easily find what they need on the new Autobytel.com website. From the What car is right for me? tool to configuring their ideal car or truck, to creating a profile for the current vehicles they own in Autobytel’s unique MyGarage^®, Autobytel.com provides a full scope of experiences. Specific to MyGarage^®, a free ownership area of the site, consumers can manage their current and future vehicles through a wide array of tools such as Diagnose your problem and talk to or find a mechanic. Members of MyGarage^® will also receive service reminders, warranty and recall alerts along with special offers from service providers.

“Consumers were very direct in telling us their desire to find what they want, when and where they want it,” Coats explained. “We pioneered the automotive internet when we launched Autobytel.com in 1995 and we have set out to re-engineer the online car buying experience again in 2011. The first phase of our new site is just one step in providing today’s automotive shopper with the kind of information, navigation and tools they told us they wanted and expect in a site like ours.” Coats added, “Your Lifetime Automotive Advisor™ is much more than a tagline—it is our unique commitment through Autobytel.com to serve our visitors with a full array of content and experiences to address each of their automotive needs.”

Visit www.Autobytel.com to view the new website and explore the new online car buying experience.

About Autobytel Inc. (www.autobytel.com)

Autobytel Inc., an online leader offering consumer purchase requests and marketing resources to car dealers and manufacturers and providing consumers with the information they need to purchase new and used cars, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched autobytel.com in 1995. Autobytel continues to offer innovative products and services to help consumers buy, and auto dealers and manufacturers sell, more used and new cars. Autobytel has helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online. Through its flagship website Autobytel.com^®, its network of automotive sites, including Autotropolis.com^®, Autoweb.com^®, AutoSite.com^®, Car.com^sm, CarSmart.com^®, CarTV.com^®, DealershipJobs.com^sm, MyGarage.com^® and MyRide.com^® and its respected online partners, Autobytel continues its dedication to innovating the industry's highest quality Internet programs to provide consumers with a comprehensive and positive automotive research and purchasing experience, and auto dealers, dealer groups and auto manufacturers with one of the industry's most productive and cost-effective customer referral and marketing programs.