IRVINE, Calif., Jul 30, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL), a leading automotive marketing services company, today announced the addition of Autobytel LeadCall to its catalog of innovative dealer marketing services that help dealers sell more cars. Launching in August, Autobytel LeadCall is a live call program customized to set in-dealership 'VIP' appointments and to score each customer's "readiness to buy." The new program, which is the latest effort in Autobytel's continuing commitment to deliver innovation and real-world value to its dealer base, can increase closing ratios by efficiently moving Internet customers offline and into the dealership for appointments. Designed to reduce dealership labor costs, while providing a quality customer experience for online car buyers, Autobytel LeadCall offers dealers a better way of managing and following up on online leads, the number of which have increased dramatically since 2001.

According to NADA, average monthly dealer web inquiries skyrocketed from 96 in 2001 to 320 in 2006, an increase of 300 percent.(1) Studies show that dealers who are able to rise to the challenge of handling an increasing amount of leads often have an easier time of converting these leads to sales. R.L. Polk & Co. recently found that 68 percent of new-car buyers who received a response to an online request purchased a car from the responding dealer.(2)

"In these challenging times, Autobytel is pleased to be able to offer dealers a customized and cost-effective live call solution to the problem of having too many leads, and not enough personnel," said Mark Garms, Autobytel's senior vice president, Dealer Operations and Strategy. "By removing one of the most time-consuming and frustrating aspects of the sales process - getting the customer into the dealership - Autobytel LeadCall can free up sales staff to spend less time scheduling appointments and more time converting sales."

Because customers can be difficult to reach, Autobytel's LeadCall program supplements the dealership's initial follow-up process with eight live call attempts over a three-day period. The trained Autobytel LeadCall specialists only interact with customers on a "live" basis - no messages are ever left - and focus on setting in-dealership VIP appointments. After an appointment is confirmed, fax and email updates are sent to the dealership detailing each customer's specific needs, scoring the lead in terms of "buy readiness" and providing an action plan summary that states what the customer is hoping to accomplish. Whether it's scheduling a test drive or getting an appraisal for a trade-in, the sales staff will be prepared for each customer and able to customize his or her service. In addition, dealers will receive monthly summary reports and be able to measure increases in contact rates to help determine their return on investment.

Autobytel LeadCall's pilot program ran from May through July 2008 and was met with glowing reviews by dealers:

"The best thing about this program is that I didn't have to do anything except provide Autobytel LeadCall with my dealership business hours," said Patrick Coyle, corporate internet director, Andy Mohr Group. "Autobytel LeadCall is a turn-key personalized contact solution that has helped me build better customer relationships and sell more cars."

"The Autobytel LeadCall Specialist turned my Internet leads into appointments so I could spend my time turning appointments into sales," said Eric Davis, e-commerce director, Butler Toyota.

About Autobytel Inc.

Since launching the first car-buying website in 1995, Autobytel Inc.'s (Nasdaq:ABTL) mission has been to empower automotive consumers with the tools and information they need to make smart, well-informed vehicle purchasing and ownership decisions. The company has helped millions of car shoppers and generated billions of dollars in car sales for dealers. Today, the company's innovative, consumer-driven flagship site, MyRide.com, expands the company's mission across the automotive purchase and ownership life cycle. As the first vertical search experience for the automotive marketplace, MyRide.com is designed to help Internet-savvy consumers FIND, SEE, BUY and LEARN anything automotive and BELONG to a diverse community of people who have similar automotive interests.

By providing a convenient and comprehensive automotive consumer experience across the purchase and ownership lifecycle, Autobytel provides new value and touch-points for automotive marketers. Through MyRide.com and Autobytel's marketing network, the company connects dealerships with a steady, diverse stream of motivated, serious shoppers, while providing both dealers and manufacturers with precision-targeted brand and product marketing opportunities. The company's advanced web-based advertising and marketing programs also help dealers and manufacturers build relationships with customers, as well as help them to efficiently manage and convert online business.

(1) NADA '2006 Dealership Internet Survey' as cited in Internet Retailer May 2007

(2) R. L. Polk & Co. Study press release March 2008

SOURCE: Autobytel Inc.

Autobytel Inc. Melanie Webber, 949-862-3023 melaniew@autobytel.com or Ruder Finn Joe Foster, 310-882-4014
   fosterj@ruderfinn.com 

Copyright Business Wire 2008 **********************************************************************
   As of Saturday, 07-26-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend� Alert, an automated pattern recognition system, indicated a
   DOWNTREND on 01-17-2008 for ABTL @ $2.65. For more information on SmarTrend, contact your market data provider or go to www.mysmartrend.com
   SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc. Copyright � 2004-2008 Comtex News Network, Inc. All rights
   reserved.