MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – May 9, 2007 – Kosmix today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL) to provide advanced web search technologies for Autobytel’s next generation consumer automotive website, MyRide.com. MyRide.com, set to launch in June 2007, is the world’s first fully-integrated automotive vertical search experience and is poised to become the definitive destination for millions of consumers to locate all the information they need throughout the automotive purchase and ownership lifecycle.
MyRide.com will leverage Kosmix’s sophisticated web categorization technology to provide consumers with Automotive SmartSearchsm which aggregates automotive content from across the Internet and integrates it with comprehensive content relevant to consumers’ needs. The site is the first in the industry to integrate and present consumers with numerous search-based content features such as community-based blogs, road crash test reports, green car profiles, future car snapshots, and user car summaries in a set of smart, relevant and intuitive results.
“MyRide.com is the next generation of the Automotive Internet, designed to make it incredibly easy for consumers to quickly get to the most relevant automotive information they need from across the entire web,” said Jim Riesenbach, president and CEO of Autobytel. “Kosmix’s best-in-web technology will help us help consumers break through the ‘walled garden’ of the current auto site model, providing seamlessly integrated content and search results that guide consumers throughout the automotive lifecycle, whether they are in the market for a new car or truck or just searching for the latest in car accessories.”
“Categorization of the vast content on the web is the next wave of the Internet, making every user interaction more meaningful and customized,” said Anand Rajaraman, co-founder of Kosmix. “Our powerful categorization engine, combined with Autobytel’s extensive industry reach and content portfolio, will give millions of consumers a way to explore and discover automotive content more efficiently and effectively than ever before.”
Until now, online consumers have been forced to manually comb through many links and sites using standard search techniques. Kosmix’s technology automatically aggregates and returns the best and most relevant content on the web based on a user’s query and intelligently presents it in an easy to understand format.
Key content areas Kosmix technology will enhance on MyRide.com include:
Kosmix is developing the world’s largest Web content categorization engine, taking today’s Web interactions to the next level by making them more meaningful and intuitive for users. The engine is built upon breakthrough technologies in automatic algorithm generation and large scale systems distribution. Kosmix has its own portal at www.kosmix.com and its technology powers content on several vertical portals in the areas of health, automotive and travel. For more information, visit www.kosmix.com.
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 products, including its Web ControlŪ customer management system, Retention Performance Marketing (RPMŪ) 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.
Kosmix Media Contact
Tina Nanez
(650) 938-2300
media@kosmix.com