Attributes its 629 Percent Revenue Growth to Employee Dedication and Advanced Technology Platform

BURLINGTON, VT - October 20, 2009 - Dealer.com, the global leader of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced that it ranked number 214 on Technology Fast 500^TM, Deloitte LLP's ranking of 500 of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. Rankings are based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth during the five year period from 2004-2008. Dealer.com grew 629 percent during this period. Dealer.com's CEO, Mark Bonfigli, credits employee dedication and the company's advanced technology platform with the 629 percent revenue growth over the past five years. He said, "We are honored to again rank in this prestigious competition.  We continue to grow because everyone at Dealer.com focuses on helping our automotive customers succeed, even through challenging times.  Our dedicated and talented work force drives our business and ensures our clients' success.  Further, our comprehensive online marketing platform keeps our clients two to four years ahead of the competition." "Technology Fast 500^TM recognizes innovative companies that have broken down barriers to success and defied the odds with their remarkable five-year revenue growth," said Phil Asmundson, Vice Chairman and U.S. Technology, Media and Telecommunications leader, Deloitte LLP. "We congratulate Dealer.com on this accomplishment." "With its impressive five-year growth, Dealer.com has earned its position among the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America," said Mark Jensen, Managing Partner, Technology and Venture Capital Services, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "Deloitte is proud to honor Dealer.com for its achievement." Dealer.com previously ranked 236 as a Technology Fast 500^TM award winner for 2008. Overall, Technology Fast 500^TM award winners for 2009 had growth rates ranging from 212 to 146,050 percent over five years, with an average growth rate of 2,486 percent. Technology Fast 500^TM Selection and Qualifying Criteria Technology Fast 500^TM provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. This ranking is compiled from nominations submitted directly to the Technology Fast 500^TM website, and public company database research conducted by Deloitte. Technology Fast 500^TM award winners for 2009 are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth during the five year period from 2004 to 2008. In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500^TM recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company's operating revenues. Using other companies' technology or intellectual property in a unique way does not satisfy this requirement. Consulting companies, professional service firms, etc. are not eligible unless they have proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of their operating revenues. Technology Fast 500^TM award eligibility requirements also include base-year operating revenues of at least $50,000 USD or CD, and current-year operating revenues of at least $5 million USD or CD. These revenues must have more than doubled between 2004 and 2008. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of five years, and be headquartered within North America. About Dealer.com (www.dealer.com) Dealer.com is the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, providing award winning e-marketing solutions to OEMs, auto dealers and media companies.  More of the nation's top 125 auto groups use Dealer.com for their online marketing than any other provider. Recent national and international accolades include: The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, top ranking in The Net Promoter® Score Survey of customer satisfaction, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 and the Web Marketing Association's Automobile Standard of Excellence. In addition, Dealer.com was the 2008 top rated web provider on leading online rating websites, as well as the Gold Award winner from the Dealers' choice awards for best dealer website solutions. About Deloitte "As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries."

Redwood City, CA, October 14, 2009 – Dealix, a division of Cobalt and the leading provider of quality sales leads from independent auto sites, announced today that its customers – the nation’s auto dealers – have quickly adopted its new Quality Pledge and Hassle Free Lead Return Program. The program was announced on September 2nd and, in the first six weeks of availability, over 700 dealers signed up for the service, which is provided at no charge. A survey of participating dealers reported high satisfaction with the program mechanics as well as confidence that the Quality Pledge will improve their business results. “Program adoption has exceeded our expectations,” said Egon Smola, Dealix vice president of product and business operations. “Our customers are using Hassle Free Lead Return to focus on sales during the month versus credits at month’s end. The real-time feedback we are getting is allowing us to adjust and improve lead supply faster than ever before.” With the Dealix Quality Pledge, Dealix defines a valid lead as one that meets the following criteria: * Represents an active, in-market consumer. * Contains a working telephone number for the person who submitted the lead. * Originates from an adult who is 18 years of age or older. * Is not a duplicate of a lead provided by Dealix in the past 30 days. * Is not a duplicate of a lead previously delivered by a source other than Dealix within the 30 days prior to the receipt of the Dealix lead. Hassle Free Lead Return allows dealers to identify any leads they believe fail one or more of the Dealix Quality Pledge criteria and return those leads to Dealix. Personnel from the Dealix Quality Team will review each lead return and confirm eligibility within three business days. The dealer will be informed in the event the returned lead is confirmed to meet the Quality Pledge criteria. For example, if the Team is able to contact a consumer whom the dealer could not, the dealer is immediately notified that the consumer is contactable and represents a sales opportunity. When a lead return is validated, the charge is taken off the dealer’s bill and the lead is replaced, when possible, with a new lead. As a result, dealers who make use of the program are able to work with more sellable leads during the month. High Level of Dealer Satisfaction In order to measure customers’ satisfaction with Hassle Free Lead Return, Dealix surveyed all dealers who have used it. Dealers’ responses indicated high satisfaction with program’s execution and ease of use. · 82% of respondents found the process of returning leads to be very easy or easy. · 87% were satisfied with the speed of lead verification. · 88% said they would continue to use the program. In addition, the participating dealers expressed confidence that the Dealix Quality Pledge and Hassle Free Lead Return will save time, increase lead volume, and boost sales. · 88% said Hassle Free Lead Return will free up resources at their dealerships because they won’t have to spend time processing credits at the end of the month. · 79% believe they will sell more cars with the program because it will enable them to maximize the quantity of high quality leads they receive throughout the month. “Our dealership was one of the first adopters of the program,” said David Meeks, Internet sales manager for New Smyrna Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Jeep of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. “Dealix has been very proactive in their processes and follow up to ensure lead quality, and they have certainly made it easier for dealers to focus on contacting and selling leads.” For details on the study, send an email to webinars@dealix.com. To learn more about the Dealix Quality Pledge, please call (877) 791-2074. About Dealix Dealix, a division of Cobalt, is the world’s leading provider of quality leads for new and used cars for dealerships, dealer groups, and automotive manufacturers. Dealix is the only Internet marketing company that backs its new and used car leads with the Dealix Quality PledgeTM: a distinct set of criteria that defines a quality lead and an invitation to use Hassle Free Lead ReturnTM if a lead lacks any one of those criteria. The company can offer this Pledge because it has the broadest reach and the highest quality lead supply network in the industry, including Yahoo! Autos, Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds.com, AOL Autos, MSN Autos, and others. Dealix powers the dealer selector and price quote platforms on Yahoo! Autos, AOL Autos, MSN Autos, and NADA Guides; represents Edmunds’ Premier Dealer Program; and places dealers’ used inventory in the Kelley Blue Book Trusted MarketplaceSM. Dealix connects dealers with the millions of car shoppers who prefer independent Internet sites when shopping for new cars and used cars online. Dealix’s all new Leads Platform quickly matches thousands of serious new and used vehicle buyers to the most appropriate dealers daily, delivering a quality car buying experience for consumers and providing dealers with one of the most efficient methods available today for marketing and selling cars.

Orlando, Florida, October 13, 2009- ActivEngage, the automotive industry's premier provider of proactive live chat with business intelligence for dealer websites, today announced the release of a new eBook, Facebook for Auto Dealers.  The next in the ActivEngage series of dealership best practices eBooks, the latest release helps dealers understand the business applications of social media and determine whether using Facebook is right for their dealership.  When a dealership is ready to get started, Facebook for Auto Dealers provides complete information to begin immediately.  The eBook is designed to cut through the noise of social media hype and buzz, with a laser focus on Facebook to help dealers connect with more consumers than ever before. With more than 300 million active users, Facebook is one of the largest and fastest growing social networking sites.  As such, it is arguably the best social media platform for dealers to connect with consumers online.  The eBook includes a high-level discussion of social media as well as detailed steps to help dealers get started on Facebook.  It also includes practical "Dos and Don'ts" with very specific examples to help dealers approach Facebook with the right attitude and avoid common pitfalls.  Insights from industry and social media pioneers Jared Hamilton of DrivingSales and Jeff Kershner of DealerRefresh are also included in the new eBook. Facebook for Auto Dealers helps establish clear expectations for the amount of time and effort, and the skill set required for social media success.  After reading the eBook, dealers will have a useful engagement strategy to communicate with consumers on Facebook, ultimately leading to more sales. "Because there are so many social media platforms, this new area can seem overwhelming," commented Todd Smith, ActivEngage founder.  "We selected Facebook to help dealers narrow their focus and get started quickly and easily.  The whole point is to connect with more consumers online.  We concentrate on Facebook because it is one of the largest social networks and its fastest growing demographic is users 35 years of age and older.  Also, a dealership can easily get started on Facebook with just 20 minutes a day." Download a free copy of Facebook for Auto Dealers today at: www.activengage.com. About ActivEngage: (www.ActivEngage.com) ActivEngage's proprietary business intelligence helps automotive dealers meet the needs of shoppers by providing dealerships easy to use, powerful website tools.  Advanced live chat services let dealers identify, initiate interaction and communicate with website visitors in real-time.  The essential person-to-person Meet & Greet that dealers require at the physical showroom is now possible on the dealership website through ActivEngage.  This proactive website engagement decreases abandonment rates and increases website lead generation with the thousands of visitors the average dealership receives each month.  ActivEngage provides the edge that dealerships need to engage more customers who browse for information because it starts building a personal relationship with shoppers from the moment they hit the dealership website.  ActivEngage offers three tiers of service to ensure that all website visitors' experiences are enjoyable and uncomplicated, thereby increasing the value of dealership websites through better lead generation.

Automotive Industry Leaders Revealed for Quantity and Quality of Results Produced

BURLINGTON, VT - October 6, 2009 - Dealer.com, the global leader of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced the results of the Sorgenfrei, LLC, comprehensive study, "Optimizing Paid Search Advertising- Used Vehicle Market in the U.S."  The findings suggest that while some companies may be adept at providing a high quantity of ads, most have much room for improvement in terms of the quality of ads.  The national study examined ads that displayed in search results for the top 10 used vehicles in 10 major markets to determine the leaders in effective paid search, in terms of both quantity and quality of results produced.  The results included a total of 87 companies that produced 992 ads with varying degrees of relationship to the searches.  The research was commissioned by Dealer.com. A recent Netpop Global Automotive Study found that the majority of online vehicle searches are for used cars.  Data also suggest that over 90% of consumers view paid search results.  Therefore, properly executed paid search advertising can be an extremely effective method to reach these shoppers and provide more used vehicle sales opportunities.  However, the recent Sorgenfrei study found that the majority of paid search results do not match consumer searches. The study measured quantity by the sheer number of ads that appeared in paid search results.  Quality was measured by paid search results that included "deep links."  For example, if a consumer used the search term "2007 Dodge Ram Cleveland," a deep link would land the shopper directly on a page with information about that exact available inventory in Cleveland.  Deep links are important because they offer a more efficient shopping experience, minimizing the amount of time and clicks it takes for consumers to find exactly what they are looking for. If a consumer saw an ad for a sporting good item on sale and then upon arriving at the store had to hunt around to find it, it would not be as effective or as efficient as if they were able to walk into the store and find the sale item immediately.  This inefficiency was found to be the case with paid search for used cars.  While there is a high adoption rate of paid search by the automotive industry, 87% of the study's 992 ads displayed did not produce the results the user sought, with only 13% deep-linked directly to the search items entered. This would seem to indicate that companies building the websites and the people responsible for SEM and paid placement are not working together efficiently. Peter Sorgenfrei, founder of Sorgenfrei, LLC, commented, "Clearly some companies are doing a better job at paid search than others.  Overall, however, the study indicates that the industry could do a much better job of matching paid search ads and deep links with the search terms that consumers use.  When a shopper searches for a specific make and model, linking them to a generic home page and making them spend more time looking for the vehicle wastes consumers' time and advertisers' money." In terms of the quantity of the 992 ads that resulted, OEMs were responsible for 15% of the total.  Rounding out the top five for quantity were Dealer.com with 11%, The Cobalt Group with 9%, CarMax 6% and AutoTrader 5% of the total.  The OEMs that led in quantity of ads that appeared in search results were as follows: Toyota with 27% of total ads, Ford with 26%, Chrysler 16%, Honda 15% and GM 9%.  Further, Toyota, Honda and Ford were the only OEMs that included any deep links in the paid search results, in all cases linked directly to Certified Pre Owned vehicles.  For deep-linked quality ads, Dealer.com produced the highest volume with 38% of the total results.  OEMs and eBizAutos followed with 22% and 8% of quality results respectively. "The study results underscore the need for a unified operating system for website SEO and paid search, coordinated at all automotive retail tiers, with all agencies involved," commented Dean Evans, Dealer.com CMO.  "Although it wasn't available in the past, the technology now exists for a fully-integrated platform to efficiently coordinate online search results and deliver the content automotive consumers seek.  Innumerable millions of dollars are currently being spent to deliver paid search content that is at best peripherally related to shoppers' online searches.  This huge inefficiency wastes both marketing dollars and sales opportunities." Read the complete study results at: Optimizing Paid Search‐ Used Vehicle Market in the U.S. About Dealer.com (www.dealer.com) Dealer.com is the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, providing award winning e-marketing solutions to OEMs, auto dealers and media companies.  More of the nation's top 125 auto groups use Dealer.com for their online marketing than any other provider. Recent national and international accolades include: The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, top ranking in The Net Promoter® Score Survey of customer satisfaction, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 and the Web Marketing Association's Automobile Standard of Excellence. In addition, Dealer.com was the 2008 top rated web provider on leading online rating websites, as well as the Gold Award winner from the Dealers' choice awards for best dealer website solutions. About Sorgenfrei (www.SorgenfreiLLC.com) Sorgenfrei, LLC is a consulting, competitive intelligence, and market research firm based in New York. The firm's principals come from the automotive, financial services and consumer goods industries with experience in corporate strategy, marketing, market research, finance, and investment banking. Our focus on client responsiveness and precise data analysis has helped us generate a client list consisting of some of the world's most influential companies, such as Toyota, Mazda, Sony and American Express.

AutoUSA (www.autousa.com), the industry's leading provider of the highest quality, Internet-generated consumer leads to auto dealers nationwide, today announced a 500% increase in email and phone leads for dealers since April 2009 from its pay-per-lead Inventory Listing Network, powered by Vast.com. The company also reported that the number of dealers listing their inventory through the service has been steadily increasing at a rate of 20% per month. Fort Lauderdale, FL  October 5, 2009 -- AutoUSA (www.autousa.com), the industry's leading provider of the highest quality, Internet-generated consumer leads to auto dealers nationwide, today announced a 500% increase in email and phone leads for dealers since April 2009 from its pay-per-lead Inventory Listing Network, powered by Vast.com. The company also reported that the number of dealers listing their inventory through the service has been steadily increasing at a rate of 20% per month. "AutoUSA is experiencing great success and phenomenal growth with its pay-per-lead Inventory Listing Network," said Mike Shawd, director of sales at AutoUSA. "Vast.com is doing an incredible job exposing dealership inventory to in-market buyers." AutoUSA's Inventory Listing Network currently provides exposure to 15 million unique in-market car shoppers monthly, and is expected to grow to an estimated 20 million buyers by year-end, for a dealer's used and new inventory listings. Inventory is posted at top automotive sites such as Kelley Blue Book's The Trusted MarketplaceSM, AOL Autos, CarPerks.com, Overstock.com, AutoMedia.com, CarDomain.com and AutoUSA's used car website, AutoUSAused.com.  The service also includes a pay-for-performance pricing plan in which dealers only pay for the valid leads they receive each month. When inventory becomes depleted, dealers only pay for leads on available inventory listings. "Instead of paying per lead for used car leads, most dealers pay a monthly subscription fee to list their vehicles on a website. When the inventory shrinks, like what has happened on the other side of the Cash for Clunkers program, the dealer ends up with fewer leads, but still has to pay the subscription fee," said Phil DuPree, president of AutoUSA. "Our pay-for-performance service eliminates this entire problem." Dealers who sign up for AutoUSA Inventory Network can have their inventory appearing online within a week, with a phone number shown on each listing, allowing consumers to contact the dealer while viewing the listing. There are no long-term contract commitments, and dealers can opt out of the program at any time with a 30-day notice. AutoUSA also employs a stringent scrubbing process for incoming leads from the Vehicle Listing Network that eliminates duplicates and filters out leads with missing or incorrect contact information, such as phone and email addresses. "We've been using AutoUSA's Vehicle Listing Network for the past year and the quality of leads is superior to all the other lead providers," says Suzanne Brief, e-commerce director for Dallas Dodge Chrysler Jeep. "I'm in the process of severing relationships with most of my 3rd party providers, and AutoUSA will be one of the few we keep." Vast.com is a search and advertising platform optimized to match every shopper to specific, available cars for sale and to a responsive dealer. The Vast network currently reaches 15 million unique in-market car shoppers monthly, and is expected to grow to an estimated 20 million buyers by year-end, with 4.5 million used and new vehicle inventory listings. For more information on AutoUSA's Inventory Listing Network, call 877-204-2112.  To view AutoUSA's new Vehicle Listing Network online video, go to:  no-car-left-behind.com/autousa.

Orlando, Florida, September 29, 2009- ActivEngage, the automotive industry's premier provider of proactive live chat with business intelligence for dealer websites, today announced the launch of a custom Facebook application to increase online engagement and reach for auto dealerships. As the world's largest and fastest growing online social networking site, Facebook offers auto dealerships significant opportunities to connect with more consumers online. Dealers can now use ActivEngage live chat on Facebook to communicate in real-time, even if they are not logged in to their dealership account. The application also allows dealers to share content and videos with consumers on Facebook via live chat, and even post information on consumers' profile walls. The new Facebook application is ActivEngage's latest tools to help dealers better leverage technology and connect with more consumers where they spend time online. According to Facebook, the site now has more than 300 million active users and more than 120 million users log on to Facebook on a daily basis. In addition, more than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is users who are 35 years of age and older. The new ActivEngage application provides significant advancements to merely having a dealership Facebook page; dealers can now connect with consumers via ActivEngage live chat, even if they are not logged in to the dealership Facebook account. The new application offers dealers a single location to manage chat interactions with consumers, no matter where the communication takes place online: the dealership website, microsites, Facebook, email, newsletters and more. In addition, dealers can now use ActivEngage's "shop with me" technology on Facebook to share videos and other dealership and vehicle information, creating a virtual sales experience via live chat. Further, with consumers' permission, dealers can even post content directly on users' profile pages from the new chat application. This means that vehicle and dealership content can now be consumed by "friends of friends" on Facebook, creating a viral platform for dealership content. Users can also add comments on dealership profile postings, providing even more exposure by encouraging their network members to comment on postings, even if they are not in the dealership's Facebook network. The new application can expand dealership reach to hundreds, or even thousands, more Facebook users through sharing content on friends' and fans' profiles. "We constantly monitor automotive consumer behavior and trends to make sure that our dealers can engage with shoppers, no matter where they are online," commented Ted Rubin, ActivEngage co-founder. "And consumers of all ages now spend more and more time on Facebook, in greatly increasing numbers. We developed this easy to use application to help dealers reach more consumers through this vital channel." ActivEngage will be demonstrating the new FaceBook application at the upcoming DrivingSales Executive Summit in Las Vegas, October 13-14, 2009. About ActivEngage: (www.ActivEngage.com) ActivEngage's proprietary business intelligence helps automotive dealers meet the needs of shoppers by providing dealerships easy to use, powerful website tools. Advanced live chat services let dealers identify, initiate interaction and communicate with website visitors in real-time. The essential person-to-person Meet & Greet that dealers require at the physical showroom is now possible on the dealership website through ActivEngage. This proactive website engagement decreases abandonment rates and increases website lead generation with the thousands of visitors the average dealership receives each month. ActivEngage provides the edge that dealerships need to engage more customers who browse for information because it starts building a personal relationship with shoppers from the moment they hit the dealership website. ActivEngage offers three tiers of service to ensure that all website visitors' experiences are enjoyable and uncomplicated, thereby increasing the value of dealership websites through better lead generation.

ATLANTA, GA – October 1, 2009 – Steve Stauning, former director of ecommerce for the Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE: ABG), has launched an innovative boutique firm offering ecommerce solutions and consulting both in and out of the automotive industry. Reflecting the flexibility in their offering, the new company is called pladoogle, LLC.

Stauning, who has more than ten years experience in the automotive ecommerce space, launched the firm to fill one of the major voids he observed during his nearly three years running the ecommerce efforts for Asbury. “Technology has been both a bonus and a bane for car dealers,” he noted, “Even with all the bells and whistles available today, most salespeople still retail under eight units per month; and no one seems capable of solving the turnover problem.”

pladoogle, according to Stauning, was created to help dealers hone their primary focus on those few pieces of the ecommerce puzzle that truly drive value and deliver results. “Most dealers are wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on unproven and irrelevant technology – all for the sake of being on the cutting edge,” Stauning added. Many dealers, according to Stauning, could reduce their ecommerce marketing budgets by fifty percent and actually sell more cars as a result.

The pladoogle founder is a well-known automotive ecommerce pioneer: Prior to his stint at Asbury, he served as the director of web solutions for the Reynolds and Reynolds Company, and as the general manager for dealer web services at Dominion Enterprise’s Dealer Specialties.

Stauning claims that over the last several years the pladoogle team has been able to identify and isolate the most effective technology solutions and Internet selling methods available to automotive dealers. In the process, they also eliminated the unnecessary, irrelevant and wasteful products dealers were buying. “More often than not, there was an inverse relationship between product cost and actual effectiveness,” added Stauning.

pladoogle, according to the company, either offers these cost-effective solutions directly to dealers or instructs their dealer-customers where to acquire them, depending on the solution. For more information, visit http://pladoogle.com.

About pladoogle, LLC

pladoogle, LLC, headquartered in Buford, Georgia (a northeast suburb of Atlanta), is a new breed of ecommerce solutions firm with a sole aim of optimizing of our clients’ online business. Through goal-focused products and services, we help our clients maximize new technology, create and formalize processes, and deliver turnkey innovations that drive traffic, boost conversions and increase online revenue. pladoogle provides both universal and client-tailored solutions that can drive proven results for any online business.

Contact:

Stephen Stauning

info@pladoogle.com

pladoogle, LLC 3301 Anna Ruby Lane, Suite 201

Buford, GA 30519

(404) 890-6782

New Campaigns and Earlier, More Frequent Contacts Crafted to Increase Open Rates; Real-time "Dealer Alerts" Designed to Assure Rapid, Effective Consumer Engagement

Irvine, CA --- September 30, 2009 --- Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL), a leader in providing online consumer leads and marketing services to the auto industry, today announced the re-launch of its highly successful Email Manager program.  The new and upgraded Email Manager is specifically designed to help auto dealers easily, consistently and cost-effectively interact with today's car-buyer across a lengthening purchase cycle -- one that has doubled since 2001, according to a recent report from CNW Research. "Communicating with today's less-decisive car-buyer first, faster and longer is critical to closing a sale.  This is why Email Manager's enhancements are specifically customized to help our dealers communicate and stay-in-touch with prospective car-buyers from the moment they "raise their hand" online and throughout today's lengthier purchase cycle," said Mark Garms, Chief Operating Officer of Autobytel Inc. The new Email Manager includes completely redesigned and automated email campaigns developed - and proven - to increase consumer open rates and responsiveness and to directly reach the inbox of the target consumer. In addition, earlier and more frequent communications over a full 90-Day period, starting at Day 5, have been incorporated into the product. "At a time when efficiency in dealership resources has never been more important - and car-buyers have never needed more attention - Email Manager's automated features and real-time alerts enable dealerships to manage and close today's more labor-intensive, longer term customers without straining existing staff resources," said Garms. One of several highly effective "lead treatments" included with Autobytel's new car lead program for dealers, Email Manager is the only product in the industry to feature real-time "Dealer Alerts" sent as soon as a consumer clicks on any of the links in the email.  This important feature increases sales effectiveness and efficiency by enabling dealers to communicate with a potential car buyer precisely at the point when that consumer is engaged with a campaign email - and armed with knowledge of the consumer's specific vehicle interest and place in the buying cycle. Dealership Success with Email Manager Dealers across the country are already benefiting from Email Manager which sends out nearly 200,000 branded, customized emails a month for Autobytel Member Dealers and has an open rate over 50% higher than traditional email campaigns. According to Robert Kadi, e-Business Manager of Clinton Acura in Clinton, New Jersey, Email Manager has contributed to increased closing ratios and marketing effectiveness:  "Autobytel's Email Manager is an invaluable part of our internal follow up process, especially with the increasing number of customers who are taking longer to decide. Staying in regular touch with these prospects over the long-term - without using up our valuable dealership resources - is a huge benefit," said Kadi.  "This, in combination with EMM's real-time alerts - which let us know exactly where the customer is in the buying cycle - helps improve overall sales efficiency and greatly increases our likelihood of closing." How Email Manager Works

• Email Manager campaigns are automatically deployed  on a strategic 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 day cycle, timed from the date the customer first submits a Purchase Request
• Each email is dealership-branded and customized by vehicle type and by the consumer's position in the buying cycle.
• Each email covers issues relevant to the car buyers (vehicle information, trade-ins, lease vs. buy, safety features, etc.).
• Dealers are instantly alerted by email when a customer clicks on the email campaign
• Dealers are provided with detailed reports on consumer activity.

About Autobytel Autobytel Inc. (NASDAQ: ABTL), a leading automotive marketing services company, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched autobytel.com in 1995. Since then, the company 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. Today, through its flagship website Autobytel.com^®, its network of automotive sites including Autoweb.com^®, AutoSite.com^®, Car.com^sm, CarSmart.com^®, CarTV.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. Autobytel's New and Used Car Programs connect dealers, dealer groups and OEMs with a steady flow of serious, in-market car shoppers from Autobytel's family of websites and other premium Internet brands, as well as providing a suite of value-added tools proven to help close those leads, including Rapid Response^sm, Custom Messaging^sm, Email Manager^sm, and LeadCall^sm. The Company's Internet advertising programs include the automotive sections of third party co-branded websites operated by Autobytel, and the Autobytel AutoReach^sm advertising network. Media Relations Contact: Crystal Hartwell 949.437.4755 crystalh@autobytel.com Melanie Webber mWEBB Communications, 949.307.1723 melanie@mwebbcom.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C., September 28, 2009 -- Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: SAH), the nation's third-largest automotive retailer, today announced the launch of a customized mobile initiative that expands website reach for all 154 Sonic dealerships. Anticipating consumer needs, the group's websites now automatically format dealership website content for the specific mobile devices shoppers use to view dealership information. Automotive shoppers on-the-go now have expanded access to auto dealership information, including inventory and high definition vehicle videos, specially optimized for their particular hand-held devices. Working in partnership with Dealer.com, the global leader of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, the unique new mobile website initiative launched on September 1.

Historically, consumers have had limited access to dealership website information on hand-helds because sites were not optimized for the Internet browsing formats of the devices. In the recent past, Sonic Automotive dealership websites have included a mobile format by merely "shrinking" the website for smaller viewing screens or by providing a format that was specific to a single hand-held device such as the iPhone. While this was an improvement, it still limited the consumer experience because each hand-held device has its own particular viewing specifications and full mobile website access, regardless of hand-held type, was not available. Now, with Sonic's recent mobile initiative, dealership website content is optimized to provide consumers quick access to site content that is relevant to mobile users including: new and used inventory, parts and service departments, directions and dealership contact information.

"Effective marketing demands that your message appear where your consumers are. And increasingly, automotive shoppers are online, using mobile devices," commented Rachel Richards, Sonic Automotive Vice President, Retail Strategy. "Sonic sought a method to deliver expanded dealership website content to consumers, regardless of the device used to view it. We were able to develop this new consumer-focused offering quickly and easily because of the operating system and data infrastructure we have created with Dealer.com over the past 18 months. Our partnership helps us keep our leadership position in the market today and strengthens our development in the future."

The innovative, comprehensive online operating system created by Dealer.com and Sonic has enabled the advanced mobile application development, including integration of performance metrics into existing online reporting tools. This technology partnership helps position Sonic's dealerships to stay at the forefront of the consumer experience, anticipating user needs and delivering website content where, when and how consumers seek it.

"It is outstanding to work with auto retailers that understand that they are not just buying a website," commented Dean Evans, Dealer.com CMO. "Online retail marketing success requires a full-service operating system that can address all automotive consumer needs as they change with technological advancements. And this is exactly what we have created with Sonic. As mobile device use becomes ubiquitous, all dealership information must be quickly and easily accessible, no matter the particular hand-held device used. Dealerships that can effectively deliver this content have a huge competitive advantage that will only grow over time."

About Sonic Automotive Sonic Automotive, Inc., a Fortune 300 company based in Charlotte, N.C., is the nation's third-largest automotive retailer, operating 154 franchises. Sonic can be reached on the web at www.sonicautomotive.com.

AIADA and Venture Lighting Present Free Webinar on Oct. 6

Alexandria, VA (Sept. 24) – Dealers know that the presentation of merchandise on their lots and in their showrooms is key to ensuring a positive image for customers and the community. Lighting plays a crucial – and often expensive – role in enhancing the look of dealership facilities, typically making up 40 to 50 percent of a dealer’s electric consumption. AIADA has teamed up with its Affinity Partner, Venture Lighting, for a webinar to equip dealers with tools and information to increase their stores’ energy efficiency, while improving overall appearance. Join AIADA and Venture Lighting on Oct. 6 for this free webinar titled Flip the Switch – Dealership Lighting Solutions that Save Money to learn more about how dealers can maximize energy efficiency and lighting needs.

WHAT: Free webinar to help dealers learn more about low-cost energy efficient lighting solutions that positively affect their facility’s appearance. Topics to be covered include how to upgrade your lighting system and save money on your electric bill; understanding metal halide lighting; key qualities to consider when choosing a lighting system; maximizing savings through utility rebate programs; and the benefits of new technologies.

WHO: This informative session is ideal for dealer principals, general managers, and fixed operations managers. Registration is open to the first 150 individuals who register. Participants do not need to be a member of AIADA in order to register.

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009

11:30 a.m. EDT / 8:30 a.m. PDT

To register, visit: https://aiadaevents.webex.com/aiadaevents/onstage/g.php?d=662656807&t=a About AIADA Established in 1970, AIADA is and continues to be the only association whose sole purpose is to represent America’s 11,000 international nameplate automobile franchises that sell and service the following brands in the United States: Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Scion, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local communities they serve, providing more than 500,000 American jobs. Visit AIADA online at www.aiada.org.