J.D. Power and Associates has released a study finding that Autobytel.com continues to provide the greatest number of Internet leads or sales to dealers. In addition, the company continues to enjoy the largest percentage of its dealers’ new-vehicle sales over other online buying services. In its fourth year, the J.D. Power and Associates 2001 Dealer Satisfaction with Online Buying Services Study examined fee-based independent e-commerce businesses, like Autobytel.com, free manufacturer Web sites, and large dealer group sites in a side-by-side comparison to gauge dealer’s attitudes toward the various online car buying options. Autobytel.com exceeded the industry average in four out of five categories measured by J.D. Power and Associates, and was the leader in the number of online new vehicle leads per dealer. “After years of encouraging both manufacturer and dealer involvement in Internet marketing, this study shows we’re making significant headway,” said Andrew Donchak, Autobytel.com’s chief marketing officer. “Shopping and/or buying a car online is becoming less the exception and more the rule. All parties -- manufacturer, dealer, and multi-brand sites -- were well represented in the study, proving that we’re coming closer to unification and to understanding how to make automotive e-commerce work in an integrated fashion.” An example of this integration is the current General Motors locate-to-order test taking place in Washington, DC. In this test, General Motors and all of its 22 DC-area Chevrolet dealers have teamed with Autobytel.com to take online car buying to the next level by creating a 75-acre virtual car lot with more than 5,000 Chevy vehicles in stock, featuring e-prices and the option to choose a preferred dealer. The study also gave insight into the prices paid by online consumers. According to J.D. Power and Associates, online car buyers pay hundreds of dollars less than their traditional counterparts. For the first time, the J.D. Power and Associates 2001 Dealer Satisfaction Study was based on e-mail responses from 1,172 Internet managers and sales persons responsible for Internet sales. In previous years, the study was conducted via telephone calls to individual automotive retailers.