FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Santa Monica, CA – July 25, 2002 – Edmunds.com, a leading source for unbiased automotive information online, announced today that its vehicle comparison tool, branded as “Compare Autos Edmunds,” has reached a significant milestone. The tool, integrated into Toyota.com, has facilitated half a million vehicle comparisons by users since its launch in April 2002, demonstrating the strong demand for reliable car comparison resources among online car shoppers.
Toyota Motor Sales recognized early on the importance of providing car buyers with credible third-party information. According to Steve Sturm, Vice President of Marketing for Toyota, “We understand that consumers highly value the unbiased information available on reputable third-party websites like Edmunds.com. By featuring Edmunds.com’s comparison data directly on Toyota.com, we ensure our customers can conduct thorough research with the same confidence and trust they would when visiting Edmunds.com.” This strategic partnership highlights Toyota’s commitment to transparency and customer empowerment in the car buying process.
The “compare autos edmunds” tool is designed for ease of use and accessibility. Starting from the Toyota homepage, users are just one click away from initiating a detailed vehicle comparison. After selecting a Toyota model and clicking “Compare,” users can choose up to four vehicles, including other Toyota models and competing brands, for side-by-side analysis. The tool intelligently suggests up to eight frequently cross-shopped models, streamlining the comparison process and catering to typical consumer shopping behaviors.
Once vehicles are selected, the “compare autos edmunds” tool presents a comprehensive comparison across various critical aspects. Users initially see basic cost and warranty information, crucial factors in any car purchase decision. The tool then delves deeper, presenting a series of clear and concise charts that compare vehicle ratings, features, performance metrics, and detailed specifications. To further aid decision-making, the comparison charts visually highlight instances where the initially selected Toyota vehicle holds a distinct advantage over its competitors, marked with a prominent Toyota logo. This feature allows users to quickly identify key strengths of Toyota vehicles in direct comparisons.
Jeremy Anwyl, President of Edmunds.com, emphasized the significance of Toyota’s integration of the “compare autos edmunds” tool, stating, “By offering the Edmunds comparison tool on their website, Toyota clearly demonstrates an understanding of the power of online information in today’s car market. Furthermore, it reflects a strong vote of confidence in the quality and competitiveness of Toyota vehicles.”
The robust functionality of the “compare autos edmunds” tool is powered by Edmunds.com’s proprietary automotive database. Widely recognized within the industry, this database is known for its accuracy, comprehensiveness, and flexibility, ensuring users receive the most reliable and up-to-date information for their vehicle comparisons.
About Edmunds
Edmunds.com, headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, has been a pioneer and remains a leading online resource for free, third-party automotive information, tools, and services. Edmunds.com empowers and educates car shoppers throughout the entire process of buying, selling, and owning a vehicle. The company’s renowned True Market Value® products provide consumers with insights into the actual transaction prices of vehicles. Edmunds’ PowershopperSM platform further enhances the shopping experience by offering a user-friendly environment to research and explore both online and offline purchase options. Beyond comparison tools, Edmunds.com offers a wide array of resources including in-depth car reviews, information on current incentives and rebates, consumer advice articles, safety ratings, auto show coverage, and the active Town Hall automotive community forum. Many of these resources are underpinned by Edmunds Data Services, which provides an extensive automotive data set not only to the Edmunds.com website but also licenses its data, content, and tools to various third-party partners. Edmunds.com has consistently received accolades, including being named the “best car research” site by Forbes ASAP and recognized by consumers as the “most useful Web site” according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2001 New Autoshopper.com StudySM*. The Wall Street Journal also ranked Edmunds.com number one in its Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites, and Yahoo! Internet Life and Money magazine have both recognized Edmunds.com as one of their “50 Most Incredibly Useful Sites” and “50 Most Useful Financial Web sites” respectively.
*J.D. Power and Associates is not affiliated with Edmunds and does not endorse Edmunds.com or any other Web sites.
