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LarryBruce · Dec 3, 2010

Jeff they did you a favor the Alpha program is a joke. If you look at everything ATC has brought to your deaelrship you will see that it is no more than cheap magazine tricks they have brought online.

Get rid of your alpha program and Autotrader entirely and compete with them for the customer, they don't have the footprint they want you to belive.

JCollins · Dec 3, 2010

As it stands I'm not able to bring any positive comments to the forum concerning AutoTrader. Yesterday my AT Rep paid me a visit to let me know that I had lost our Alpha

to a dealer outside of our PMA!! If you think you have first right of refusal, you don't. Ofcourse they played the "Read your Agreement" card. There is a disclaimer for dealers with a discounted rate waiving first rights of refusal. We have several agreements that were executed by AT that DO NOT have our initials acknowledging that we understand we have waived our rights of refusal. Even after AT was made aware that the agreements had not been acknowledged by us they stood firm. This is bad business. What are your thoughts?

Dec 3, 2010

Have to agree w/Larry..

If we met in person Gretchen & started talking about this topic, I doubt you'd talk like that.

All vendors are "collaboratively diligent" these days.

I'm hoping this all-star power company shows us stuff that makes us say "Holy crap I need that" rather than just "Oh, how much more is that gonna cost?"

LarryBruce · Dec 3, 2010

@Gretchen

While I applaud your willingness to jump in here Gretchen, doing so with such an obvious company line is almost insulting in some ways.

You want us to believe talk to us not at us with a company written piece.

Thanks for the effort though.

Dec 3, 2010

Although we’re becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com, HomeNet will remain an independent entity and operate as usual.

HomeNet and AutoTrader.com have been partners for several years, and in the last year have been working diligently on a collaborative solution to enable all dealers to upload more of their inventory data faster and more easily to AutoTrader. By sharing our technology, we make ATC more valuable to active consumers, thus exposing your inventory to more eager buyers.

HomeNet now benefits from having AutoTrader.com’s considerable resources at our disposal as we continue to grow and create more innovative products that help you sell more cars and save time.

We greatly value your loyalty, and we want to assure you that you can expect the same top notch products and customer service you've experienced from us in the past.

The bottom line is we look forward to ensuring this relationship is a resounding success for all concerned… you, most of all!

Gretchen Kennedy

Director of Marketing

HomeNet Automotive, LLC

Dec 2, 2010

I hope with the Trader behind them their employees who have gone above and beyond to exceed my expectations time after time dont get shafted if it wasn't for their stellar effort I would have fired them years ago.

I wish the entire team over there good luck in this transition.

And is anyone taking bets on who gets acquired next? Boy they sure are creating a monopoly huh ??

Dec 2, 2010

If I where one of the emplyoee (especially) sales reps of one of the companiies just purchased I would be looking for a new gig within the next year. The honeymoon will last about a year and then the consolidation will begin. When ADP purchased BZ Results back in 2006 it took about a year before the honeymoon ended and then the ax was pulled and the whacking began

mo_radji · Dec 2, 2010

This acquisition is different from KBB and vAuto in the sense that ATC managers will be running Homenet directly.

Given the deep integration that currently exists between HomeNet and ATC, I think the management move highlights the big plans that ATC has for homenet.

what do you all think?

dwhitemd · Dec 2, 2010

I would predict that, from a dealer's perspective, there will be very little in the way of noticable changes in innovation. Where the most obvious change will come from will probably be in the interaction with the reps. The reps for AutoTrader, vAuto, KBB, and now HomeNet will begin to cross-promote the other products, particularly with special offers to combine product offerings. And there will no doubt be a consolidation of effort and manpower so that the logical next step would be for one rep to be able to sell (and get paid on) all products. A likely scenario: AutoTrader offers HomeNet in a "bundled" package at a slightly reduced price - and says "We accept inventory feeds from HomeNet every hour (or in real time) all others are once a day, 5 days a week". You can decide if you think that this is a positive or a negative from the dealer's perspective.

@Larry · Dec 2, 2010

@Larry,

I can appreciate how your experiences w/the corp. red tape skews your optimism...

I'm also hoping to see more of the value-added features that a site like AutoTrader should have - without adding any additional costs.

Dec 2, 2010

It has been over a year since AutoTrader had a inventory management and export tool, so it makes sense that they would buy one instead of reinventing the wheel, but like so many of the discussions regarding AT I have to ask "How much?"

AT is and has been the most expensive line on Internet marketing budgets for a long time. Most dealers are in the "you just have to have them" boat.

If AT decides to incorporate some of these new technologies into their existing product and give dealers a real sense of value and enhanced results then great, But if these new acquisitions mean another $1,500 a month ad on (Trade in Market Place) Then it would have to be something that actually worked and produced a worthy ROI. If not then they may simply be diluting a product that’s value has been in question for quite some time.

Dec 1, 2010

google Oxymoron.

you'll find "AutoTrader.com and innovative product releases"

get ready for your rate increase calls.

Dec 1, 2010

Competition is key in this arena. Just as the Dealer Specialties type of work has gone internal with several dealers, it will only benefit them to move inventory hosting there as well. HomeNet is a good company but there is no reason many dealers couldn't replicate the idea - as long as the vendors (ATC, Cars, etc.) getting the finalized inventory can establish and accept a standard industry wide import protocol.

Are there suggestions for an industry standard inventory export/import process anywhere yet?

LarryBruce · Dec 1, 2010

@Eric

Agreed, there is the potential for great product and learning with the data that is collected from the sites ATC has acquired.

Having been thru corp. bureaucracy in the past and the competing agendas of acquisitions, I am not putting much hope that ATC will bring anything more than higher pricing with little value.

For the dealers I hope I am wrong.

Eric Miltsch · Dec 1, 2010

@Larry,

The innovation we're seeking couldn't come from ATC alone - it'll happen as a result of their collective resources.

I'm not making blind predictions, but I am going off the conversations & feedback from those involved w/product dev.

The captains driving these ships are taking these leaps to prevent that historical malaise from continuing...

Sure, the entire exercise is one big bet. But they won't reach that goal without significant innovation & change.

LarryBruce · Dec 1, 2010

Ok a question for the people commenting on this post. What was the last thing ATC built that was innovative?

If you're waiting to see the next wave of innovative products come out of this conglomoration, don't hold your breath.

The goal for ATC now, find ways to get to $3billion in revenues with a healty bottomline then IPO. Anyone want to guess where that will come from?

I could be wrong but not likely, I have history on my side.

Eric Miltsch · Dec 1, 2010

@alex - I'm with you on the product innovation side of things. These acquisitions aren't happening just so three segment leaders can simply place their names side-by-side under one roof...contrary to popular opinion & belief, there are some sharp minds behind the scenes & they have been watching & listening very closely.

The data capabilities & research resources between vAuto, KBB & HomeNet run deep.

Combine all three and the opportunities for innovative solutions for dealers & consumers are incredible.

Next year's conference season could start one of the biggest waves of new products & services. (Great stuff that could also help the industry prepare for an anticipated full recovery in the next couple of years.)

I'm looking forward to see the changes...

dwhitemd · Dec 1, 2010

They had been talking about this for a long time. Not sure how this will all play out for the dealers involved, but the posts and comments about concerns of additional costs to dealers certainly seemed warranted. Oh, one more thing... was there a typo regarding HomeNet? "provides AutoTrader.com with a best-in-class inventory management solution" - who says "best-in-class"?

Dec 1, 2010

That's funny Rob

The word on the street is that all these purchases are being done for an IPO. Cox is leveraging AutoTrader.com to make up for some of their other medias that aren't doing too well.

What this means to the auto industry is anyone's guess. I prefer to think with passionate people remaining at the helms, like Dale Pollak, innovation won't decrease too much. But only time, non-compete clauses, and management changes will tell. It also depends on what Cox's end goal is. You don't want to be too risky when shooting for an IPO.

It will be interesting to see if a major product offering/integration occurs. With the right innovative minds there can be some extremely powerful data integrations between all the Cox automotive properties (don't forget Manheim is in there too).

The future of relationships between automotive dealers and the AutoTrader.com products is either going to be dark/stagnant or bright. It is really too early to tell, and it could be years before we know.

@Kevin · Dec 1, 2010

@Kevin They found a few billion stuffed down behind the back seats of their reps cars while digging out the seat belts.

Dec 1, 2010

Wow, AutoTrader must have a ton of money to buy all of these companies, wonder where it came from?

Dec 1, 2010

I agree with Chris. This can't be good on the cost side of things for dealers. Must be nice working for Autotrader though....

Cargurrl · Dec 1, 2010

Let the Autotrader bashing begin!

Dec 1, 2010

Imagine just one cable company to order your TV from? It's going to be VERY expensive, just like it WILL become for car dealers to have a web presence. If you are a budding programmer and are building your own platform that can complete with Auto trader to keep prices down and competitive, this is your time to shine. How much should a dealership really have to payout monthly between all the different vendors before it's really not a profitable venture any more?

bpulseadmin · Nov 30, 2010

KIA MOTORS AND EBAY MOTORS ROLLOUT FIRST NATIONWIDE DEALER ONLINE NEW CAR SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

IRVINE, Calif. November 22, 2010 – Kia Motors America (KMA) and eBay Motors have created a nationwide new vehicle online shopping experience, the first for a major OEM brand on eBay, with a unique online store front – www.kia.ebay.com – to market new Kia vehicles. Through the program, more than 345 Kia dealers have signed up to list their entire stock of new Kia vehicle inventory online. From the comfort of their own home environment, consumers can search and shop new Kia vehicle inventory across all participating dealers and make offers online through eBay’s “Best Offer” option.

“eBay Motors’ large, multi-dimensional marketplace aligns perfectly with Kia’s rapidly expanding brand and offers consumers a comprehensive and convenient shopping experience for our entire new vehicle lineup,” said Tom Loveless, vice president of sales, KMA. “The program already has proven to be popular with our dealers with nearly 50 percent of Kia dealerships signing on for the program in just two weeks’ time, and more and more signing on every day. Attracting vast online audiences to Kia through a pleasant online purchasing experience furthers Kia Motors’ sales and marketing strategies.”

According to J.D. Power and Associates, Inc., Internet auto shoppers are up 17 percent in 2010 year to date, and 79 percent of all auto shoppers source third-party websites such as eBay Motors before making a purchase[1]. The partnership between eBay Motors and KMA seeks to further take advantage of the online channel as a heavily sourced medium for auto shoppers.

“The Kia Motors partnership is a natural evolution of our new vehicle strategy, showcasing the versatility of eBay Motors as a marketplace for all things automotive, including new and used vehicles, parts, accessories and services,” said Nicolas Franchet, senior director of U.S. vehicles, eBay Motors. “Kia is one of the most innovative OEM brands in the market, and we’re happy to work with them to extend dealers’ new vehicle inventory to a national, online marketplace welcoming more than 14 million visitors each month.”

Design-Led Transformation and Product Line
Kia Motors is in the midst of a dramatic, design-led transformation, which has been delivering dynamically styled vehicles in several important segments at exactly the right time, contributing to the brand’s continued gains in U.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technology such as the soon-to-come UVO powered by Microsoft®[2] in-car hands-free entertainment system. The launches of the 2011 Sorento CUV, the first vehicle to be assembled* at Kia’s first U.S.-based manufacturing facilities in West Point, Georgia, the dynamic 2011 Sportage compact CUV, sophisticated 2011 Optima midsize sedan and versatile Forte 5-door hatchback further enhance the lineup.

Kia’s model year 2011 vehicle line includes the Sorento CUV, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, Rio sub-compact sedan, Rio5 sub-compact hatchback and Sedona minivan.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 725 dealers throughout the United States. For 2009, KMA recorded its 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share and recently achieved its best quarter of sales ever in 2010. Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles. Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline “The Power to Surprise.”

Kia Motors America is the “Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.” Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

About eBay Motors

eBay Motors [www.ebaymotors.com], a part of eBay Inc., is the Internet's largest marketplace for buying and selling all things automotive. The site offers everyday cars for everyday drivers, as well as collector cars, motorcycles, auto parts and accessories. eBay Motors is consistently ranked the No. 1 automotive site on the Web by comScore.

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