SAAB IS CRUISING THE FAST LANE OF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY Netsurfers find wealth of Saab information at http://www.saabusa.com NORCROSS, Ga. - Saab enthusiasts expect nothing less from Saab than an Internet website that is innovative and fun. Like a Saab automobile, Saab's homepage, "The Side Road" at http://www.saabusa.com, is several steps beyond the expected. A typical automotive website gives a car shopper specifications of a particular model, photographs and a few paragraphs of information about the car. All too often, it's like browsing a sales brochure. But, as any Saab enthusiast will confirm, Saab is anything but typical. With colorful, eye-catching artwork, a host of special features and even the Saab owners' magazine online, The Side Road" is both informative and entertaining. Saab joined the cyberspace community on Dec. 4, 1995 with its visually appealing homepage. Thousands of visitors browse through the site each month, checking out Saab's model lineup, up-to-the-minute news, pricing and available national lease program details. Of course, vehicle specifications and standard equipment lists are present, but browsers can take a detour to actually customize their own Saab 900 or 9000 on screen, choosing the model, wheels and exterior color. In total, 218 variations can be created. For a look at the seats, upholstery and dashboard, the site gives a 360-degree view around the cabin. Car shoppers can check the price and let the site calculate monthly payments. And, it takes only a few keystrokes to find the nearest Saab dealers, many with their own Saab websites. The Saab Accessories Catalog online features a selection of Saab apparel and accessories, video clips feature stunt driving by the Saab Performance Team, and a special European Delivery section gives all the details picking up a new Saab in Europe. Feature articles in Saab Soundings Online include stories on Saab's PRO Rally team, New Driver Car Control Clinic, the Saab Car Museum and Saab's heritage of crash testing. A wealth of other information is available as well, such as details on performance, safety, Saab owners conventions, history and the Saab Specialist Program for test drives from home or office. A full-time electronic communication specialist, Walter Rich, is part of Saab's Corporate Communications team to ensure the website is up to date and ever-improving. "It's important that we keep our site innovative and dynamic," Rich emphasized. We're competing for attention in a fast-moving medium. Our challenge is to present information in a way that's fun, interesting and stimulating, while conveying Saab's unique brand character." The income and lifestyle demographics of current and prospective Saab customers fit the Internet household profile very closely. In fact, J.D. Power's latest APEAL study pointed out that Saab owners were the most prolific users of the Internet of any automobile owner group. According to an online usage survey by Nielsen, on average, Internet users are upscale, professional and educated. Fifty percent of Internet users consider themselves to be in professional or managerial occupations. Sixty-four percent have at least college degrees. Saab customer demographics show 86 percent have a college degree, 64 percent are professional/managerial, and their average income is at least $100,000. Many Saab dealerships are taking advantage of the Internet to "web-vertise" and communicate with current and potential customers. B&B Saab, located near California's Silicon Valley, has an extremely active dealership homepage and has made several sales directly through the web. "There will always be a need to touch, smell and feel the product, but one of the largest parts of the Saab prospect's path to a purchase is information gathering," said Dietmar Burkhardt, Jr., sales manager for B&B Saab. As the Internet attracts more and more consumers every day, I'm sure that it will provide an even more important means of communication with our prospects, and will bring them closer to the purchase of a Saab." Saab Cars USA, Inc. envisions strong synergies with Saab dealerships using the web. All dealers are listed in the dealer locator database, and those with their own Internet websites have the opportunity to deliver detailed dealer specified information about themselves. Saab Cars USA also links consumers, through its dealer locator, to dealer-generated homepages.
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