AutoTrader.com, the number one automotive classifieds site on the planet, announced today its ongoing commitment to nationwide brand marketing and advertising with its planned Tour de France television spots and a broadcast sponsorship of NASCAR on NBC and TNT. Throughout the second half of the NASCAR season, 19 races from July 14 to November 17, AutoTrader.com will air its popular 'whoosh' and 'buddies' commercials in rotating spots. AutoTrader.com has also secured the coveted sponsorship of the post-race entitlements -- which will be branded the "AutoTrader.com Post Race Show."

AutoTrader.com confirmed all 19 races will feature "AutoTrader.com Move of the Race" segments, during which the race's announcer picks particularly bold racing maneuvers to highlight. Additionally, on-air sponsorship billboards will be shown throughout the races, ensuring brand exposure to millions of viewers in the key online car-buying demographic. All placements will run on NBC and TNT. Tour de France spots will run on CBS on Sundays in July, including the widely-watched final stage on July 28.

"In the first half of the NASCAR season on FOX, we successfully used televised NASCAR sponsorship as a highly-targeted way to reach an important demographic segment," said Clark Wood, vice president of marketing, AutoTrader.com. "We continue to reach our target demographic through a variety of ongoing sports sponsorships, building nationwide awareness and keeping AutoTrader.com top of mind."

Autotrader.com's ongoing sponsorship approach to repeatedly reach its target audience through a variety of sources reinforces AutoTrader.com's brand as a household name synonymous with smart used car shopping. AutoTrader.com has consistently employed broadcast advertising during widely viewed sporting events such as NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA Basketball and NASCAR. As a result of AutoTrader.com's tremendous brand recognition, the company has set and broken traffic records to its site, reaching more than 7 million unique monthly visitors, conducting more than 30 million vehicle searches per month from a database of 2.1 million vehicles.

This season's ads will use the tag line "The Ultimate Automotive Classifieds Site" and emphasize the fact that AutoTrader.com offers the largest selection of used vehicles and decision tools. AutoTrader.com recently underscored its commitment to making the car buying process easier by expanding its certified used-car offerings to include a certified only search function and certified link from the homepage. AutoTrader.com's certified vehicle searches have skyrocketed from 77,000 searches in April 2001 to 301,000 searches in March 2002 -- an increase of 291 percent.

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and a comprehensive consumer information website. Serving as matchmaker, AutoTrader.com unites buyer and seller online -- dramatically improving the way people research, locate and advertise cars. Through its strategic alliances with Manheim Auctions, Trader Publishing Company, ADP, Inc., America Online and eBay, AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location a comprehensive database of more than 2 million vehicle listings from 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private owners, which provide the largest selection of vehicles attracting more than 7 million unique visitors every month.

AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Manheim Auctions, Inc., the world's largest operator of wholesale auto auctions since 1945. Manheim Auctions, a wholly owned subsidiary of media conglomerate Cox Enterprises, Inc., is AutoTrader.com's principal stockholder and a key investor along with Landmark Communications, ADP, Inc., eBay, Inc, and the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. For more information, visit http://www.autotrader.com/ or call 1-800-353-9350.

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SOURCE: AutoTrader.com

CONTACT: Louise Barr of AutoTrader.com, +1-404-843-5943, or
louise.barr@autotrader.com

Web site: http://www.autotrader.com/