ABTLE Autobytel Inc. (MM)

Autobytel's AIC Chosen by Microsoft to Power New Hispanic Auto Channel for MSN Latino AIC Tools Provide MSN Latino Car Shoppers With State of the Art Vehicle Search, Comparison and Viewing Capabilities in Their Preferred Language IRVINE, Calif., April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autobytel Inc.'s (NASDAQ:ABTLE) vehicle data division, Automotive Information Center (AIC), has been chosen by MSN Latino, the Spanish-language Internet portal for the U.S. Hispanic population within Microsoft's MSN global network, to power the site's automotive channel targeting U.S. Hispanic car buyers. The co-branded channel, accessible at http://www.latino.msn.com/, features AIC's suite of Spanish-language vehicle data and research tools, providing MSN Latino consumers with state-of-the-art automotive vehicle search, cross-comparison and viewing capabilities in their preferred language. "Our coupling with Autobytel's AIC recognizes its focus on information delivery through excellent content and research tools that we consider essential in serving our Spanish-language customers," said Stephen Cvengros, general manager of MSN Latino. "Our users have requested the capabilities AIC offers to help them make well-informed decisions using our sites online. AIC has set the standard in the automotive area for this important audience, and we are pleased to be working with them." "Autobytel has made it a priority to provide U.S. Hispanic shoppers with the Spanish-language tools and information they need to make smart, informed car-buying decisions, and to help auto marketers better serve the booming U.S. Hispanic auto market," said Autobytel President and CEO Jeffrey Schwartz. "We're proud to team up with MSN Latino, one of the largest Hispanic portals on the Web, to further that mission." The MSN Latino/AIC relationship gives MSN Latino visitors an easy-to-use, information-rich car-shopping experience as they progress from customized, feature-driven vehicle searches, to configuring a "buyable" vehicle (based on current manufacturer options and packages), to automatically comparing that specific vehicle versus competing models on a single screen. Backed by AIC's authoritative new vehicle information database, the MSN Latino research solution now offers more than 500 data points, including multiple digital photos, of every new car and light truck sold in the U.S. With an annual purchasing power approaching $700 billion, U.S. Hispanics are expected to spend $40 billion on vehicles and parts by 2010 and represent 20 percent of the total used car market. U.S. Hispanics, moreover, are exceptionally active and savvy automotive Internet users, despite a general lack of Spanish-language automotive content. Online Hispanic households that purchased a new car in the past three years were four times more likely to buy a new car via the Internet than the general online population. Nonetheless, forty-nine percent of offline Hispanic consumers cite the lack of Spanish content as their reason for not using the Internet.(1) About MSN Latino MSN Latino, a leading portal for the Spanish-speaking U.S. Hispanic population within the global MSN Network, offers high caliber tools and content sites to a strategically important demographic. From Hotmail and Messenger to content sites such as Autos, Careers, Sports, News, and Women, MSN Latino offers engaging content and services and serves as an important part of the global MSN strategy. About Autobytel Inc. Autobytel Inc. (NASDAQ:ABTLE), a leading Internet automotive marketing services company, helps retailers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through marketing, advertising, data and CRM (customer relationship management) products and programs. The Company owns and operates the automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Car.com, Carsmart.com, AICAutoSite.com, Autoahorros.com and AutoSite.com, as well as AIC (Automotive Information Center), a trusted industry source of automotive marketing data and technology for over 20 years. Autobytel is also a leader in dealership lead management and CRM solutions and owns and operates AVV, Inc., a top provider of dealership CRM and sales management products, and Retention Performance Marketing, Inc. (RPM(R)), which powers dealerships with cutting-edge customer loyalty and retention marketing programs. As the Internet's largest new car buying service, Autobytel generates over a billion dollars a month in car sales for dealers through its services and was the most visited new car buying and research destination in 2004, reaching millions of car shoppers as they made their vehicle buying decisions. Autobytel Inc. is the only company to achieve top rankings for both its lead management and lead generation services among the nation's top-100 Internet dealers. About Autoahorros.com Autobytel's Hispanic automotive channel, Autoahorros.com, empowers U.S. Hispanic car buyers with a Spanish-language version of the Autobytel online shopping and buying experience and is powered by the company's state-of-the- art content, data and tools. According to comScore Media Metrix, Autobytel is one of the most visited automotive destinations on the web among U.S. Hispanics. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. (1) 2004 AOL/Roper ASW U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy DATASOURCE: Autobytel Inc. CONTACT: Media Relations, Melanie Webber of Autobytel Inc., +1-949-862-3023, ; or Rose Maciejewski, ext. 127, , or Farhanaz Kermalli, ext. 107, , both of Ruder Finn, +1-310-479-9929, for Autobytel Inc.

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