Clickstream Data Reveals Top Five Increases in Vehicle Make Searches on kbb.com

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, the trusted resource for new and used vehicle information, today announces the five brands that saw the biggest increases in vehicle make searches during February 2006: Buick, Suzuki, Cadillac, Mazda and Kia. Based on Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research clickstream data analysis, these makes experienced the greatest percentage increase in visits to their models' new-car pricing reports on kbb.com in February compared to January.

"Examining consumer behavior on kbb.com through clickstream data analysis reveals likely activities in which consumers are about to engage in the marketplace," said Rick Wainschel, vice president of marketing research and brand communications for Kelley Blue Book. "The fact that 85 percent of kbb.com's audience is in-market to buy a new vehicle makes this a particularly important and relevant indicator of current shopping activities and possible future buying intentions."

                  Make             Search Increase on Kbb.com for
                                           February 2006
                  Buick                      + 27.4 %
                  Suzuki                     + 21.1 %
                  Cadillac                   + 20.8 %
                  Mazda                      + 17.9 %
                  Kia                        + 17.0 %

(Percent indicates increase in average daily traffic from January to February 2006).

"Much of the increased visitation to the pages of these makes on kbb.com can be attributed to recent marketing campaigns, new-model launches and vehicle redesigns," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst for Kelley Blue Book/kbb.com. "Consumers' interest is piqued by the increased buzz surrounding these makes, and their curiosity drives them to kbb.com to learn more."

Buick's pages saw the largest percentage increase in visits of all the makes during February, driven by a large increase in searches for its new sedan, the Lucerne. Suzuki also saw a significant increase led by searches for its recently redesigned Grand Vitara SUV, and Kia's redesigned Sedona minivan contributed heavily to its increased traffic in February.

Recent auto show announcements are likely contributing to increases for both Cadillac and Mazda's pages on kbb.com. Cadillac's newly redesigned Escalade, revealed at the North American International Auto Show, along with Mazda's Los Angeles Auto Show debut of its all-new production SUV, the CX-7, are driving traffic to the pages of these respective makes.

Clickstream data analysis also revealed the top five makes with the largest increase in traffic in terms of absolute numbers in February when compared to January: Toyota, BMW, Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge/Nissan (both Dodge and Nissan tied for fifth place), respectively.

With more than 10 million unique visitors each month, Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com is the most-visited automotive information site on the Web. For this study, Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research analyzed the number of visits to the pages of different vehicle makes, including the percentage increase in average daily visits to new-car pricing reports on kbb.com, month-over-month from January to February 2006.

Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research analyzes kbb.com's clickstream data based on segment, make, model, competitive set, vehicle specifications/features, geographical locations (e.g. DMA) and more. For more information about kbb.com clickstream data analysis, please contact Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research at 949-268-2756.

About Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com)

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com is America's most used and trusted vehicle pricing, values and information resource. The top-rated Web site provides the most up-to-date pricing and values for thousands of new and used vehicles, including the Blue Book® New Car Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. Since 1926, car buyers and sellers have relied upon Kelley Blue Book for authoritative and unbiased information to make well-informed automotive decisions. The company also reports vehicle prices and values via products and services, including the famous Blue Book® Official Guide and software products. Kbb.com also has been named the No. 1 automotive information site by Nielsen//NetRatings and J.D. Power and Associates seven years in a row. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com; one in every three American car buyers complete their research on kbb.com.

SOURCE: Kelley Blue Book

CONTACT: Robyn Eckard, +1-949-268-3049, reckard@kbb.com, or Joanna
McNally, +1-949-268-3079, jmcnally@kbb.com, both of Kelley Blue Book

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