CHICAGO, June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com (http://www.cars.com/) has launched a mobile version of its popular automotive website that can be accessed from any web-enabled mobile device. Cars.com is the first automotive site to offer vehicle listings alongside research tools and buying advice in a mobile application, giving savvy car shoppers on-the-go access to the information they need to make smart buying decisions.

"Eighty percent of today's car shoppers turn to the web to do research at some point in the buying process," said Sharon Knitter, director of product management at Cars.com. "With wireless web access on the rise, Cars.com sees an opportunity to bring those shoppers practical applications they can use while out shopping for a car. We have found that purchasing a car is still a shopping process where people need to visit a dealer to see and test-drive the vehicle. With Cars.com mobile, shoppers can now take the information found on Cars.com with them, giving them more confidence when they sit down to make their final purchase."

Whether out shopping on a dealer's lot and in need of additional information to make a purchase or trying to make the most of a daily commute by reading reviews and automotive news, Cars.com mobile brings shoppers the best of Cars.com. Visitors will be able to search Cars.com's inventory of two million new and used vehicles and get more details on the cars that interest them, including photos. Other features allow shoppers to access Kelley Blue Book's Used Car Values, calculate vehicle payments and read expert reviews and the latest automotive news via Cars.com's blog, KickingTires. Mobile shoppers will also be able to quickly find a local dealer through the site's dealer locator, which will also offer maps and directions to the dealership and click-to-call functionality.

In a recent Cars.com survey, 30 percent of consumers indicated they would access the site from a dealership lot.(1) As mobile internet access grows at a rate of one million subscribers a month, Cars.com expects that number to rise quickly.(2)

Cars.com mobile is accessible through any mobile web browser by entering the URL http://www.cars.com/. Streamlined for the mobile environment, Cars.com mobile provides shoppers access to the most widely used information and tools on Cars.com in a format optimized for their personal device.

Cars.com is powered by Crisp Wireless, a leading content management services company that builds, hosts and maintains mobile websites for major media and entertainment companies. Crisp Wireless' core product, the mLogic(TM) platform, enables companies to efficiently deploy mobile websites that offer rich media features including audio and video; commerce solutions to sell ringtones, wallpapers and subscriptions; text messaging; and integrated data feeds for content management.

About Cars.com

Cars.com (http://www.cars.com/) is the most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a new or used car. The site lists more than 2 million vehicles from 13,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and private parties to offer the 9 million unique visitors who log on to the site each month the best selection of new and used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to support their shopping experience. Cars.com combines powerful inventory search tools and new-car configuration with pricing information, photo galleries, buying guides, side-by-side comparison tools, original editorial content and reviews to help millions of car shoppers connect with sellers each month.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, (http://classifiedventures.com/), which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo , Gannett Co., Inc. , The McClatchy Company , Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company .

If you do not have mobile access and wish to view the Cars.com mobile site from your PC, visit the mobile emulator at: http://emulator.mtld.mobi/emulator.php?emulator=&webaddress=cars.com&emu... nokiaN70.

Attention Broadcast Producers: Additional b-roll and sound bites from the video package included in the press kit are available for use in any broadcast story. To access additional b-roll, contact Steve Nolan at (312) 601-5163.

1. Survey was conducted online for Cars.com by Impulse Research Inc.

2. M:Metrics, Inc., Survey of U.S. Mobile Subscribers, 2006

CONTACT: Steve Nolan, Public Relations Manager, of Cars.com,
+1-312-601-5163, or +1-630-310-2468 (mobile), snolan@cars.com

Web site: http://www.cars.com/
http://classifiedventures.com/