REDMOND, Wash., May 3, 1999 — The MSN
™
CarPoint
™
online automotive service ( http://www.carpoint.MSN.com/ ) started off 1999 as the most-visited online car-buying Web site* for three consecutive months ending March 31, according to Media Metrix, the leader in Internet audience measurement.
CarPoint averaged 40 percent greater reach than the other major car-buying services rated in the Media Metrix Monthly Audience Ratings Reports for January through March 1999. The reports indicate the percentage of the total Internet population that visited each site during each month, as follows:
CarPoint also experienced a 13 percent increase in customer leads to its member dealers during this period, moving from 110,000 to 125,000 per month. To accommodate this increase, CarPoint expanded its dealer base by 25 percent, from 2,000 dealers to 2,500.
“Consumers recognize CarPoint as the easiest and most enjoyable way to research, purchase and maintain a new or used vehicle,”
said Lindsay Sparks, general manager for CarPoint.
“This is tremendous news for CarPoint dealers, as well. For three consecutive months, consumers overwhelmingly made their choice, and that collective choice provides our dealers qualified customers who are ready to buy a vehicle.”
About Media Metrix
Media Metrix measures audience usage of World Wide Web, proprietary online services, computer software and hardware, and other new interactive technologies.
About MSN CarPoint
MSN CarPoint is a comprehensive automotive Web site offering users complete car-buying and car-care information. Launched on the Internet in July 1996, CarPoint gives users fast, convenient access to detailed specifications and pricing information, reviews and advice from leading automotive writers, interactive decision management tools, a new- and used-car buying service, and personalized maintenance and recall information.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MFST”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
