Kbb.com Launches New- and Used-Car Classified Site: The Trusted Marketplace

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 16, /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book has launched The Trusted Marketplace(SM), a new online consumer car shopping experience that can be accessed through its top-rated Web site www.kbb.com or by directly visiting www.thetrustedmarketplace.com. For the first time, consumers now are able to complete their vehicle research, conduct new- and used-vehicle inventory searches and find their next car, all on one convenient and easy-to-use Web site. The Trusted Marketplace also brings a unique technology platform to the classified vehicle experience, returning best-match cars from consumers' search criteria, rather than vehicles dealers have paid to be presented at the top of vehicle search results.

Recent online automotive shopping studies find that 75 percent of new-vehicle buyers use the Internet during their shopping process and more than six in 10 used-car buyers purchase a vehicle that they find online. With more than 13 million vehicle shoppers visiting kbb.com each month, Kelley Blue Book is in a unique position to assist car buyers across the United States in finding the vehicle that best meets their needs. The Trusted Marketplace provides the right car in the right place at the right price.

With the introduction of The Trusted Marketplace, Kelley Blue Book extends its popular vehicle pricing and research information to include the next natural step in the process helping kbb.com's millions of monthly visitors find their next new or used car. Integrating the company's best-in-class online vehicle research with highly detailed dealer inventory listings makes kbb.com a one-stop resource from research to purchase. This integration allows consumers to confidently collect the trusted information they need, from finding the value of their current car, to researching new-car reviews, videos, vehicle ratings, pricing and side-by-side comparisons, to determining the make and model they would like to purchase, and ultimately finding a local dealer with that exact vehicle on their lot. Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, will integrate Blue Book® Suggested Retail Values into used-car classified listings to assist consumers in determining whether or not the car is a good deal.

The Trusted Marketplace provides consumers with an unparalleled experience in finding their next new or used car due to its unique search platform, which reveals 'best matches' - a list of cars that most closely correspond with a shopper's search criteria as well as applied intelligence gained from millions of customer queries and transactions. When searching for a vehicle online, shoppers can search confidently on The Trusted Marketplace and rely on Kelley Blue Book to return a complete set of newly listed vehicles that best match their criteria, with more vehicle details, photos and information available.

"Other automotive classified sites initially provide car shoppers with a list of vehicles for which dealers have paid top-dollar, rather than returning a list of cars in the order that best match their needs at the best price like on kbb.com," said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "The Trusted Marketplace is a one-stop shop providing assistance with everything from trade-in values to researching your next new car and buying it. What was once a tedious and time-consuming process now couldn't get any easier or convenient, with everything car buyers need from start to finish all in one place on kbb.com."

Kelley Blue Book is working closely with technology provider Vast.com Inc., a search technology company providing an unrivaled experience in vehicle research and shopping to consumers within The Trusted Marketplace on kbb.com.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Since 1926, 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. According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. - 2008 Spring Automotive Web Site Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive information Web site among new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com. Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, car reviews and news, used car blue book values, auto classifieds and car dealer locations. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com.

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book

SOURCE: Kelley Blue Book

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