AutoTrader.com, the number one automotive classifieds site on the planet, announced today certified features giving shoppers the ability to compare manufacturers' certified programs and target their vehicle search. AutoTrader.com has an exclusive database of 100,000 certified vehicles and is the only website that offers consumers a certified only search function. AutoTrader.com's certified enhancements are a direct response to consumer demand. The site has seen a 291 percent increase in certified vehicle searches, jumping from 77,000 searches in April 2001 to more than 301,000 searches in March 2002.

Certified used vehicles are increasingly popular because consumers like the peace of mind, outstanding value and quality of certified cars. Car buyers rate warranty coverage, manufacturer-backed inspection process and like-new appearance as the top reasons for selecting a certified car, according to CNW Marketing Research. Additional benefits include low-mileage, affordable pricing, financing options and lower maintenance costs. CNW reported the number of pre-owned vehicles certified by manufacturers has doubled from 452,829 units in 1997 to 816,604 units in 2001. Those numbers are expected to double again by the year 2005 to nearly 2 million certified units, as automakers step up their certified programs to alleviate the glut of off-lease vehicles resulting from 0.0 percent financing and heavy incentives on new vehicles.

Because of growing demand, AutoTrader.com made certified vehicles easier to find. "The biggest possible selection and the ability to search certified only are important to the pre-owned car shopper," said Chip Perry, president and chief executive officer, AutoTrader.com. "Our site helps consumers find the 'needle in the haystack' by pooling certified inventories from AutoTrader.com's 17 certified partners which include Acura, Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GM (Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and GMC), Honda, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercury, Plymouth and Toyota. We were the first to enter the field in early 2001, and we remain the leader with by far the largest inventory of certified vehicles available on the Internet."

From AutoTrader.com's homepage, consumers can directly find or research vehicles by make and model, price or mileage. In addition, consumers can compare the benefits offered by all major manufacturer certified programs, and they can link directly to a certified partner's website. AutoTrader.com certified search results include detailed vehicle descriptions and color photos of the vehicles.

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: Christine Kowalczyk of AutoTrader.com, +1-404-843-5941, or
christine.kowalczyk@autotrader.com

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