KELLEY BLUE BOOK® TEAMS WITH AUTONATION™ TO INTRODUCE ONLINE ?VIRTUAL WALKAROUND?

IRVINE, Calif. ? April 17, 2000 - Kelley Blue Book™, the nation?s leader in vehicle valuation and the most visited automotive web site in the U.S., (kbb.com) and AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE: AN), America?s largest automotive retailer, on and off the web, are proud to announce their most recent collaboration: ?Virtual Walkaround? ? a simple, yet comprehensive ?self-appraisal? questionnaire that consumers use on-line to determine the condition and value of their cars. 

Instead of guessing whether their vehicles are in ?excellent? versus ?good? or ?fair? condition, consumers can use the Virtual Walkaround to ?click? their way through 27 multiple choice questions about their particular vehicle?s interior and exteriors features -- tires, paint, upholstery, etc. Then, through real-time selection scoring, Kelley Blue Book provides an instant valuation of the vehicle.

?Condition is a big factor in the value of a consumer-owned car,? states Charlie Vogelheim, Kelley Blue Book?s editor. ?Sometimes, people view their cars as being in better condition than they really are. Our Virtual Walkaround allows them to perform a quick appraisal of the complete vehicle ? interior, exterior and mechanical. In some cases, just one area, such as a damaged frame, can make a significant difference in a vehicle?s Blue Book value.?

Kelley Blue Book worked with both consumers and dealers to develop the Virtual Walkaround. AutoNation^?, the nation?s largest operator of retail dealerships, played a key role by providing some questions and weighting for the Virtual Walkaround based on showroom experience. AutoNation included the Virtual Walkaround feature on its retail Web site, AutoNationDirect.com, which has offered Kelley Blue Book appraisals since the site?s launch last summer.

Added Mike McFall, AutoNation?s vice president for e-commerce marketing, ?Our customers who buy from us through the Internet expect to also find trade-in values on-line. The Virtual Walkaround now makes these on-line appraisals more meaningful and more valuable ? and the on-line buying experience easier for shoppers.?

Kelley Blue Book introduced the Virtual Walkaround also to further close the gap between the seller and buyer of a car, on its perceived value.

?We believe that a well-informed car shopper makes for a speedier car-buying transaction,? says Stephen Henson, director of marketing and business development for Blue Book. ?We?re putting car sellers and buyers, literally, on the ?same page? looking at the same criteria.?

The Blue Book has become an industry leader by providing the most in-depth assessment of a vehicle?s value, taking into account not just year, model and equipment, but important factors such as mileage, geography and condition. Now, the pricing report on a trade-in can be printed and the detailed results of the virtual walkaround reviewed with the prospective buyer.

About Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com
Since1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company’s top-rated Web site,www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide. Kbb.com is rated the No. 1 automotive information Web site among both new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com.  Kbb.comis a leading provider ofnew car prices,car reviewsandnewsused car blue book values,auto classifiedsandcar dealer locations. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com.