Autobytel.com expanded its new car offerings Friday with the acquisition of A.I.N. Corp., owner of CarSmart.com.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
CarSmart.com, which also offers new and pre-owned cars online, has marketing agreements with mighty portals including, America Online Inc. (AOL), AltaVista and GO Network (GONT).
CarSmart services more than 240 credit unions, spanning over 10 million clients
and generates about 43,000 purchase requests per month.
“The combined strength of the Autobytel.com and CarSmart.com brands creates
an industry powerhouse in terms of market penetration, web reach and
automotive services,” said Mark Lorimer, Autobytel.com’s president and chief executive officer. “Our sites will be the platforms for driving innovation in
this industry, and creating business models to serve various segments of
the market.”
CarSmart.com designs and markets automotive databases and offers clients
information about all aspects of vehicles, including lifecycle, test drive reviews, auto advisors, vehicle configurators and a consumer’s buying guide.
The two sites will remain independent, although they will share content.