New Automotive Web Site Aims to Serve African Americans

DETROIT, Oct. 28, 2004 -- AboutThatCar.com, a new automotive Web site, aims to facilitate the automotive purchasing and ownership experience of African Americans.

"Through our alliance with Edmunds.com, we provide the most current information about new- and used-cars, pricing, tips about buying, leasing or insuring a vehicle, and there is also information on automotive financing," said Frank Washington, managing partner and editor of http://aboutthatcar.com/ .

Need a dealer? AboutThatCar.com provides a link to the National Association of Automobile Dealers' dealer locater. How about a part? Visitors can use the Web site's link to the Special Equipment Manufacturers Association's accessories and parts listing. If it's not there, it's not made.

"We've also put together a team of automotive journalists that review current as well as hot new vehicles coming to market," said Washington.

AboutThatCar.com also features articles about safety, diversity, trends, how to look for and what to look for when purchasing or leasing or insuring a vehicle. And Edmunds.com also provides vehicle reviews and stories of consumer interest.

"Edmunds.com's mission is to empower automotive consumers. To reach far and wide, we syndicate our content to many reputable, similarly focused partners including the automotive Web sites of The New York Times, AOL and now AboutThatCar.com," said Jeannine Fallon, Edmunds.com's director of public relations.

"What we're doing with AboutThatCar.com is telling African-American car buyers and enthusiasts that we're talking to you," added Washington. But anyone interested in automobiles is welcomed on AboutThatCar.com.

If the written word is passe in some quarters, click on http://autonetwork.com/ and watch reviews and presentations in streaming video. Interested in industry events? AboutThatCar.com has a live feed from PR Newswire featuring up to the minute announcements about automotive personnel, pricing, products, programs, etc.

Washington's weekly commentary, titled AboutThatCar.com, appears in more than two-dozen African-American newspapers. It is also posted on the Web sites of half a dozen African-American newspapers, as well as on BlackPressUSA.com.

Washington's journalistic career spans 30 years. He has worked in Detroit since 1988 and has covered the automotive industry as an editor, national correspondent, reporter, and syndicated columnist for various publications including African Americans On Wheels, Automotive News, Automotive News Marketer, Auto Exec, Ad Age, Newsweek, www.BlackAmericaWeb.com, Ward's Automotive World, Wards Automotive Reports, and Ward's Dealer Business.