Dealers now able to sell from a comprehensive online parts and accessories catalog

SEATTLE (February 3, 2003) - The Cobalt Group, the leading provider of e-business software and services to the automotive retail market, today announced the launch of Parts Counter Express 2.0, a major upgrade to the popular e-business product that helps hundreds of dealership parts departments market and sell their collision and mechanical parts and accessories online. Parts Counter Express 2.0 provides parts managers with a dealership-branded parts catalog and inventory management tool for their Web sites, enabling them to sell their OEM parts directly to wholesale and retail customers. The new application is powered by an extensive catalog of more than 5 million mechanical and collision parts that provides detailed parts information and links to dealer inventory.

"For customers, Parts Counter Express 2.0 makes it easier than ever to check parts inventory status and order parts without having to call the dealership," said Kevin Distelhorst, Vice President of Parts Works for The Cobalt Group. "The bottom line for dealers is that Parts Counter Express 2.0 saves them time and money by enabling them to offer their full range of mechanical and collision parts inventory on their own dealer sites, easily create featured offers, and add parts to their catalog."

Parts Counter Express 2.0 consists of three integrated modules that work together to create more powerful online parts applications for dealership Web sites:

• Parts Store: This new feature makes it possible for parts managers to create an online store in the parts section of their dealer Web sites.
• Online Parts Catalog: With the addition of collision parts from Mitchell International in Parts Counter Express 2.0, the online catalog now meets the needs of all of a dealer's wholesale parts buyers. Buyers may research parts by year, make and model, search the dealer's parts inventory and order parts directly from the dealer's Web site.
• Catalog Manager: Using Catalog Manager, parts managers can create and add parts and accessories to their online catalog and to the specials section of their Parts Store.

Wholesale parts buyers, including dealers, collision shops, independent repair shops, do-it-yourselfers, and insurance companies can find the parts they need in the online catalog, check inventory status, and submit the order directly to the dealership through Parts Counter Express' user-friendly search interface. Parts Counter Express is a key component of the integrated Parts Works suite of parts marketing and inventory management tools and services created to help dealers and repair shops build a more efficient and profitable parts business. Dealerships can subscribe to Parts Works and order Parts Counter Express 2.0 by contacting a Cobalt sales consultant by phone at (800) 909-8244.