February 23, 2004

By: Wayne Hunter
Website: http://www.1st-in-cars.com

Launch Of Redesigned Autos Channel With EDMUNDS.COM

NYTimes.com today announced the launch of an integrated, co-branded automotive channel at autos.nytimes.com. The site features comprehensive automotive reviews, news coverage and consumer advice from The New York Times and from Edmunds.com, Inc., the premier online consumer resource for automotive information.

The site, with 800,000 pages of pricing and model information provided by Edmunds.com, is redesigned with sections for new and used cars, buyers and sellers, car reviews and a dealer locator. A listings engine allows consumers to search used car listings in their area. Auto buyers can easily search New York Times classified listings by price, make, year and zip code.

The high-quality journalism of The New York Times is a great marriage with the depth of reviews, pricing and other information from Edmunds.com, said Leonard M. Apcar, editor in chief of NYTimes.com. Our new auto section breaks out of the promotional clutter on the Web to provide an authoritative and objective source of information about cars and trucks that readers hunger for.

Users can access thousands of new car reviews and detailed road tests from both The New York Times and Edmunds.com. In addition, autos.nytimes.com provides consumers with extensive car-buying tools and data including:

* Consumer reviews - integrated rate-and-review from owners on selected makes and models.

* J.D. Power ratings - survey results on dependability, mechanical quality, performance and style.

* Edmunds.com True Market Value pricing - a tool to gauge 'what others are paying' using a pricing database that calculates prices based on thousands of transactions back to 1990.

* Edmunds.com True Cost to Own - a tool that displays all of the costs of buying or owning a vehicle including depreciation, interest, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs.

Through this relationship with Edmunds, we have created an extraordinary automotive site that is attractive to consumers, dealers and marketers for related services who want to reach our affluent, professional audience, said Jeff Moriarty, director of classified operations for NYTimes.com.

Auto dealers, manufacturers and other advertisers will benefit from prime promotion and vehicle listing opportunities. Some of Edmunds.com's current partners, including AutoNation and General Motors, will also immediately benefit from the additional leads that are generated for their dealers.

New York Times Digital continually raises the bar for online news publishers, delivering top-quality journalism and advertising in innovative ways, stated Seth Berkowitz, vice president of business development for Edmunds.com. NYTimes.com's extensive, loyal classifieds audience is growing with each new offering, including this advanced automotive channel.

This relaunch is the second phase of a significant redesign of autos.nytimes.com that began last fall. Autos is the second classified section on NYTimes.com to feature a new design with streamlined navigation across the top of the page, enhanced search capabilities and new ad positions.

About The Author:

Wayne Hunter is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-cars.com.  Great car accessories and parts plus financing, insurance and leasing tips.