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New iMotors.com On Fast Track To Becoming #1 Destination For Online Car Buyers
And Sellers
Revamped automobile buying service makes comeback with renewed focus on customer
service, dealer relationships, and record high traffic
(Walnut Creek, CA) May 22, 2002 –
Less than a year after running out of gas, iMotors.com is back in the race and
on the fast track to becoming the leading automotive buying service. Acquired in
summer of 2001 by Next Phase Media after a three-month hiatus, iMotors has
replaced its former business model and overhead with a new focus on maintaining
a simple, efficient marketplace for people to buy and sell new and used cars.
With online automobile industry Payam Zamani, at the wheel, the new iMotors
service is bringing together a record number of car buyers and sellers.
“The iMotors brand was originally built to the tune of over 100 million dollars.
It’s very well established and the awareness is tremendous. It was, however, a
sophisticated system and the overhead to run it prevented it from becoming a
sustainable business,” says Zamani, CEO of iMotors’ parent company Next Phase
Media, Inc. “Our approach to the service is simple. We’ve taken iMotors back to
the basics of profitability and are maintaining a singular focus by helping
qualified buyers and sellers get what they want - simply and efficiently. By
focusing on customer service and expanding dealer relationships through lead
generation, we believe that iMotors will be the leading service in the online
automotive space.”
The iMotors service offers automobile consumers the benefit of its relationships
with automobile dealerships and manufacturers. Through the service consumers can
research, price and even configure their next new car, as well as compare
vehicles side-by-side. To help simplify the car buying process even further,
iMotors offers a free buying service through a national network of automotive
franchises committed to offering hassle-free competitive prices on new vehicles.
The prospective buyer simply fills out an online form with his/her desired make,
model and feature set, and within 24 hours s/he is contacted with a firm price
quote that matches the selection. The consumer can then simply arrange to buy or
lease the car if it matches his or her expectation. The buying service does not
obligate the consumer to purchase the car. For those in the market for a used
vehicle, iMotors features a nationwide interactive database of used cars through
dealers or individual owners. In addition, iMotors directs consumers to other
automobile sites if the car they are interested in is not within the iMotors’
inventory.
To provide consumers a complete range of basic automotive needs in just one
stop, iMotors also offers warranty, insurance and finance services through
partnerships with other service providers. The new formula is working. Since its
purchase by Next Phase Media, traffic to the iMotors.com service has increased
exponentially. When the service relaunched last October, it drew about 300,000
unique visitors -- mainly due to brand awareness. Now, six months later, traffic
data for April, 2002 indicates that iMotors is on track to attract more than
three million unique visitors over the 30-day period. With about 5 percent of
these visitors estimated to be in the market to buy a car within a month, that
translates to about 150,000 car buyers, In the market to spend more than $3
billion in just one month.
To find a contractor, iCastle visitors simply click on the professional service
they’re interested in and provide some basic information about the project. The
information is sent immediately to a member contractor, who will contact the
property owner within 24 hours for additional project information or to arrange
a time to meet for an estimate.
“There is tremendous potential in this industry and this company,” claims
Zamani, who speaks from experience. As co-founder and former CEO of Autoweb.com,
he grew monthly revenues to $2.4 million, and was the first to successfully
bring a company to profitability in the online auto buying category. “If we
maintain our focus on our customers – both the car buyers and sellers – we can
continue to build iMotors into the fastest, easiest and most efficient avenue
available to buying or selling vehicles.”
Zamani says parent company Next Phase Media plans to enhance the iMotors service
with other top automobile related sites, such as CarClub.com (formerly JD Powers
CarClub), which iMotors recently acquired and will relaunch later this spring.
iMotors is a division of Next Phase Media, Inc., the premiere online referral
source for qualified business services, leads and professionals. Founded in
2001, Next Phase Media develops and maintains a network of interactive online
marketplaces connecting buyers and sellers in an efficient manner. The
privately-held company is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
Media Contacts:
Tonya Hayes
Reply!
925.947.2166 x 283
media@reply.com
Cedric Vanhaver
Neale-May & Partners
650.328.5555 x 125
cvanhaver@nealemay.com
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