CAPTION Autobytel's 5th Annual Consumer Choice(TM) Awards Reveal Most Requested Vehicles on Autobytel Sites in 2006.* Saturn Generates Largest Increase in Purchase Requests Among All Vehicle Brands * Honda Civic The Honda Civic is a compact car manufactured by Honda. It was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback version that September. With the transverse engine placement of its 1169 cc engine and front-wheel drive, like the British Mini, the Beats out Camry and Accord as Most Requested Vehicle Overall; Toyota Tacoma The Toyota Tacoma is a compact pickup truck manufactured by the Toyota Motor Company since 1995. It is essentially the Toyota Hilux modified and rebadged for North America. The second-generation Tacoma was Motor Trend Magazine's Truck of the Year for 2005. Is Most Requested Truck * Cars to Watch in '07: Jeep Wrangler The Wrangler (also known as the YJ, TJ, and JK, as explained below) is an off-road vehicle produced by American automaker Chrysler under its Jeep marque. Unlimited, Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Honda since 1996. , Toyota Yaris Toyota Yaris may refer to export versions of:
LAS VEGAS Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. -- Please replace the caption with the accompanying corrected caption. The release reads: AUTOBYTEL'S 5TH ANNUAL CONSUMER CHOICE[TM] AWARDS REVEAL MOST REQUESTED VEHICLES ON AUTOBYTEL SITES IN 2006 * Saturn Generates Largest Increase in Purchase Requests Among All Vehicle Brands * Honda Civic Beats out Camry and Accord as Most Requested Vehicle Overall; Toyota Tacoma Is Most Requested Truck * Cars to Watch in '07: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Honda CR-V, Toyota Yaris and Chevrolet Tahoe Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL ABTL Association Belge des Technologues de Laboratoire ) today announced the winners of its fifth annual Consumer Choice Awards at the 2007 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention in Las Vegas. The awards recognize the automakers who built the cars and trucks that were most often requested by Autobytel's millions of online auto shoppers during 2006,1 offering a unique look into the vehicle selection decisions that were made by online buyers. "Every year, more and more car buyers are shopping online and more and more buying decisions are being influenced online," said Autobytel President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Jim Riesenbach. "Our awards provide insight into that dynamic by recognizing the automakers behind the vehicles that are being selected by today's online buyers. Congratulations to all of our Consumer Choice winners for leading the way on the most powerful, influential automotive marketing medium in the world - the Internet." The Big Stories in '06 A quick look at the Most Requested vehicles overall for 2006 (below) shows that online shoppers were keenly aware of fuel efficiency during most of the year - with the Civic, Accord, Camry, Mini Cooper and Toyota Prius The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001. all finishing in the top ten. Every year, certain vehicles capture buyers' imaginations, and this year on Autobytel's sites, those vehicles included the Honda Civic and Toyota RAV4 - both of which soared past the competition with wildly popular redesigns. Another significant story for the year was the fact that requests for Saturn brand vehicles rose 29 percent vs. 2005 - more than any other brand on Autobytel's network of sites. GM's ability to generate such strong brand interest online - where buyers tend to be younger, with less brand loyalty - should come as heartening heart·en tr.v. heart·ened, heart·en·ing, heart·ens To give strength, courage, or hope to; encourage. See Synonyms at encourage. Adj. 1. news to the company as it continues to remake the Saturn lineup of vehicles. 2006 Autobytel Consumer Choice Awards Winners #1 Overall Most Requested New Vehicle - Honda Civic #1 Overall Increase Vehicle Requests (vehicle brand) - Saturn Most Requested New Truck - Toyota Tacoma Most Requested New Passenger Car - Honda Civic Most Requested New SUV - Toyota RAV4 Most Requested New Luxury Car - Acura MDX The Acura MDX (Honda MDX in Japan and Australia) is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Acura since the 2001 model year. The MDX is the first crossover SUV to have third-row seating. It is built by Honda of Canada Manufacturing Ltd. Most Requested New Minivan - Honda Odyssey The Honda Odyssey is a minivan / large MPV produced by the Japanese automaker Honda since 1995. Since model year 1999, the name was used on two related but distinct vehicles, with the larger Odyssey sold in North America market, while the smaller Odyssey sold in Japan and other Top 10 Most Requested Vehicles for 2006 Honda Civic Toyota Camry Honda Accord Honda Odyssey Toyota RAV4 Mini Cooper Toyota Sienna Toyota Corolla Toyota Prius Toyota Highlander The Big Trends Hybrids Stall - Hybrids faded during Q4, but big SUVs didn't fare much better. Online shopper preference was clearly pointed in the direction of "crossover" utility vehicles. Even the mighty Prius suffered a 12 percent decline. Move Over RAV4, Here Comes the CR-V CR-V Comfortable Runabout Vehicle (Honda) CR-V Compact Recreational Vehicle - The RAV4 may have been the most requested SUV for all of 2006, but the redesigned CR-V overtook the RAV4 as the Most Requested SUV in the fourth quarter - with CR-V Requests rising sharply and RAV4 Requests dipping 29 percent. Look for the CR-V to continue its success into 2007, and to be a strong challenger for Most Requested SUV in 2007. Lifestyle in Style - A final, quirky Q4 trend was the emergence of "fun" or lifestyle vehicles. In addition to the Mini Cooper's stronger than usual showing, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Chevrolet Avalanche The Chevrolet Avalanche is Chevrolet's sport utility truck. It is a four-door, six-seat pickup truck with a somewhat SUV-like flavor, known as a "sport utility truck". Avalanche is based on the full-size long-wheelbase General Motors SUVs (such as the Chevrolet Suburban), and and Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 were also strong performers, indicating that shoppers are perhaps becoming a little more likely to opt for aspirational vehicles instead of more practical and efficient "get to work and home" cars. Cars to Watch in 2007 O Here's a look at cars and trucks that finished strong on Autobytel sites last year, and are hitting 2007 in full gear: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Jeep hit the right combination of space, utility and fun with the new 2007 Wrangler wran·gler n. 1. One who wrangles or quarrels. 2. A cowboy or cowgirl, especially one who tends saddle horses. Noun 1. Unlimited. Not only was it a strong performer during Q4, it easily supplanted the 2006 model - despite heavy rebates on the '06 - and looks to be a solid mainstream performer with online shoppers. During Q4, for example, the Wrangler Unlimited ran neck-and-neck with that perpetual online darling, the Toyota Prius. Saturn - Okay, it's a brand, not a carObut it's a brand that's sharply on the rise as we head into 2007. Saturn's 29 percent overall growth in Purchase Requests vs. 2005 was largely driven by exciting new vehicles such as the Aura, Sky and Outlook crossover. Up next: the Saturn Astra. 2007 Toyota Yaris - The Yaris is shaping up as a huge hit for Toyota, finishing Q4 ranked among the top ten Most Requested vehicles overall on Autobytel's sites, right next to long-time dominators like the Civic, Camry and Accord, and almost beating out the venerable Corolla corolla: see petal. . 2007 Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon - The fourth quarter marked a strong comeback for these big SUVs in a CUV-dominated category. If combined, these sister SUVs would have been among the top five most requested SUVs in Q4. Throw in the success of the new Chevrolet Avalanche, and it's fair to say that GM's new vehicles are a hit. Learn More For a detailed summary of Consumer Choice Awards winners and trends, a year-to-year analysis of Purchase Requests, and photos of the winning vehicles, please contact Stephanie Rice at 310-882-4008, rices@ruderfinn.com. About Autobytel Inc. Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL) is one of the largest online automotive marketplaces, empowering consumers to make smart vehicle choices using objective automotive data and insightful interactive editorial content. The result is a convenient car-buying process backed by a nationwide network of dealers who are committed to providing a positive consumer experience. Every day consumers choose Autobytel-owned and operated websites--Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, CarSmart.com, Car.com, and CarTV.com - to facilitate their car-shopping decisions. Autobytel's ability to attract millions of highly qualified, in-market car buyers and connect them with retailers has made it a leader in facilitating the entire customer car-buying lifecycle. The Company's innovative marketing, advertising and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) An integrated information system that is used to plan, schedule and control the presales and postsales activities in an organization. products, including its Web Control[R] customer management system, Retention Performance Marketing (RPM[R]) service reminder program, and Special Finance Leads, are designed to enable dealers to offer a premium consumer experience. Since pioneering pro-consumer online automotive content and purchasing in 1995, Autobytel has helped more than twenty-seven million car buyers, generating billions of dollars in car sales for dealers. 1 Based on Purchase Request data gathered quarterly throughout the year. Autobytel shoppers submit Purchase Requests with the expressed intent to buy the selected vehicle through an Autobytel member dealer. |
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