MIAMI–(HISPANIC PR WIRE – BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 26, 2003–Terra.com, the U.S. Hispanic Internet portal of the Terra Lycos global network, and Autobytel Inc., a leading Internet automotive marketing services company, today announced the launch of a co-branded channel targeting Hispanic car buyers. Autobytel’s popular car buying site Autoweb.com will provide new and used car fulfillment for Terra.com customers, offering them access to Autoweb’s network of thousands of Internet dealers nationwide.
Accessible by clicking “auto” at http://www.terra.com, the new channel offers leading automotive information and interactive tools for researching and buying new and used cars, as well as strategic advertising options for marketers looking to tap into the coveted Hispanic segment. As such, it represents one of the most comprehensive auto marketing channels available to Hispanic Net shoppers.
“Autobytel is a great fit for us,” said Terra.com CEO Manuel Bellod. “They’re one of the biggest and best. They’ve also been a pioneering force in developing Spanish-language auto research tools and information — they’ve really taken the industry lead in reaching out to Hispanic car buyers.”
“One of our ongoing goals has been to provide Hispanic shoppers with the tools and information they need to make smart, informed car-buying decisions, and to help the auto industry connect with the Hispanic segment,” said Autobytel Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Donchak. “Teaming up with Terra.com is an ideal way to achieve this goal.”
The channel features Autobytel’s leading research tools (available in English and Spanish), providing Terra.com visitors with a seamless, informative car-shopping experience as they progress from customized, feature-driven searches, to configuring a “real” vehicle (based on actual manufacturer options and packages), to automatically comparing that specific vehicle vs. multiple competing models on a single screen. Backed by authoritative new vehicle information provided by Autobytel’s data division, AIC, the Terra.com research solution offers over 500 data points on every new car or truck sold in the U.S. Autoweb is also providing expert automotive reviews, financing and shopping advice, and safety information.
The new channel offers marketers highly targeted advertising tools, including content integration, data collection and database development, direct e-mail campaigns, and other Internet advertising options. The highly sought after U.S. Hispanic consumer segment — with a current buying power of $500 billion (projected to grow to one trillion dollars by 2007) — skews young, making it a prime consumer of auto and auto-related purchases. Hispanics, moreover, are poised to shop for vehicles online, with 70% of the U.S. Hispanic Internet users polled in a recent survey(a) indicating that they planned to use the web during the car purchasing process — and 84% indicating that they would be even more likely to do their automotive shopping and research online if they could do so in Spanish.
About Terra Lycos
Terra Lycos is a global Internet group with a presence in 42 countries in 19 languages, reaching 118 million unique users per month around the world. The group, which is the result of Terra Networks S.A.’s acquisition of Lycos, Inc. in October 2000, operates some of the most popular Web sites in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America, and is the largest access provider in Spain and Latin America.
The Terra Lycos network of sites includes Terra in 17 countries, Lycos in 25 countries, Angelfire.com, Atrea.com, Azeler.es, Direcciona.es, Educaterra.com, Emplaza.com, Gamesville.com, HotBot.com, Ifigenia.com, Invertia.com, Lycos Zone, Maptel.com, Matchmaker.com, Quote.com, RagingBull.com, Rumbo.com, Tripod.com, Uno-e.com and Wired News (Wired.com), and others.
With headquarters in Barcelona and operating centers in Madrid, Boston and elsewhere, Terra Lycos is traded on the Madrid stock exchange (TRR) and the NASDAQ electronic market (TRLY). For more information, please visit our corporate Web site at http://www.terralycos.com.
(C) 2003 Lycos, Inc. Lycos(R) is a registered trademark of Carnegie Mellon University. All other product or service marks mentioned herein are those of Terra Networks, S.A., Lycos, Inc. or their respective owners. All rights reserved.
About Autobytel Inc.
Autobytel Inc. (NASDAQ: ABTL), a leading Internet automotive marketing services company, helps retailers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through marketing, advertising and CRM (customer relationship management) tools and programs. The company owns and operates the automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com and popular automotive research center, AutoSite.com, as well as AIC (Automotive Information Center), a leading provider of automotive marketing data and technology. Autobytel Inc. is the Internet’s largest new-car buying service and, in 2002, generated over a billion dollars a month in car sales for dealers through its services. Autobytel Inc. is also among the largest syndicated car-buying content networks, reaching millions of unique visitors as they are making their vehicle buying decisions. Autobytel Inc. content and technology has potential exposure to over 94 percent of the active Digital Media Universe(b).
(a) Roslow Group study. Results based on telephone interviews conducted August 3-7, 2001 with a randomly selected sample of adults 18 years and older with Spanish-surnames who defined themselves as “Hispanic” according to the Census definition, and who speak Spanish at home as much or more than English.
(b) Nielsen/NetRatings Q4 2002 Digital Media Universe Report (Autobytel Inc. is the unduplicated audience of the Autobytel, Autoweb.com, CarSmart and Autosite.com Brands. Autobytel Inc. provides content to the Yahoo!, AOL and MSN portals and various automotive manufacturers’ sites. The unduplicated audience of these Brands has an active reach of over 94 percent of the Digital Media Universe.)
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CONTACT:
Autobytel Inc.
Melanie Webber, 949/862-3023
melaniew@autobytel.com
http://www.autobytel.com
or
Terra Lycos
Ana Sanchez, 305/714-8564
Fax: 305/714-8725
ana.sanchez@corp.terralycos.com
or
RBI Communications
Joe Foster, 323/960-1360, ext. 13
joe@rbicom.com
or
Betsy Isroelit, 323/960-1360, ext. 17
betsy@rbicom.com
