Manhattan Projects Launches Dealer Auction Website for New Cars
19 June 2000
Innovative Automotive Technology Provider Offers Auto Dealers Fast, Inexpensive Way to Sell Aged Inventory, Increase ProfitsTORRANCE, Calif. - Manhattan Projects LLC today announced the launch of NewCarDepot.com, an innovative new car auction site designed to help dealers sell new cars that have been on their lots 60 days or over. NewCarDepot.com gives dealers a fast, inexpensive and automated way to sell their aged inventory and offers consumers the chance to bid on thousands of new cars online. NewCarDepot.com also helps online shoppers save money. NewCarDepot's auction format and extensive inventory allow consumers to bid on thousands of new cars at hundreds of dealerships throughout the nation. Consumers also get access to better-priced cars, as automotive retailers are motivated to sell cars that have been sitting on the lot. "As an auto dealer myself, the need to create a win-win situation for both dealers and consumers was clear," said Mike Sage, President and CEO of Manhattan Projects. "NewCarDepot.com gives shoppers the chance to get a great deal on a new car, while dealers can profitably sell their aged inventory with little effort or expense." Consumers can search NewCarDepot.com by auto manufacturer, make, model and state, then bid on the desired vehicle. If the dealer's minimum price is met, the auction is awarded to the highest bidder, and the dealer and consumer complete the transaction. NewCarDepot.com is completely automated. It works by synchronizing the inventory management systems of its hundreds of automotive retailers with NewCarDepot's powerful database. Using the company's patented extraction technology, NewCarDepot.com servers dial into the Dealer Management System of each retailer to find and upload their aged inventory. NewCarDepot then assigns pricing based on pre-determined criteria provided by the dealer, matches up manufacturer's stock photos with autos, and posts the cars on NewCarDepot.com's central auction server. Dealers pay NewCarDepot.com approximately $200 per completed transaction. There are no sign up, monthly, referral or other fees, and dealers also save money on commission incentives and loss leader advertising. By using NewCarDepot solely as a service provider, dealers can also create auction sections on their own sites without investing heavily in Web site development. About Manhattan Projects Founded in 1999 and led by auto industry professionals, Manhattan Projects, LLC is a software development company creating innovative technology solutions for the automotive retail industry. Manhattan Projects' customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, which include ServiceMan(TM), the revolutionary handheld wireless tool that accesses dealer DMS and DCS systems to build repair orders right on the service drive, and RepairTalk(TM), an interactive voice-response server for managing customer calls and repair orders, are currently in use at leading North American auto dealerships.