I just heard from a very reliable source that AutoTrader bought vAuto.

Great move for AutoTrader.com!

When I first met Dale Pollak, the founder of vAuto.com, I could tell he was a mission-driven man with a great vision to change the way the world buys and sells used cars – and he has done just that – with a revolutionary method of helping dealers maximize profits and grow their used vehicle operations through increasing the velocity of their sales. Dale convinced some of the nation’s largest dealer groups to change how they price and market their used vehicles, and we all know it is not easy to change how used car managers think, but there is no better man for the job than Dale Pollak.

As a result of Dales leadership, vAuto became the 10^th fastest growing software company on the Inc 500 list and he received the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award for emerging companies.

As a customer of Autotrader, I believe they made a great decision, especially if prices go down for dealers who use both companies:)

So if our very reliable source is correct, I ask all our dealerElite.net dealers to raise their mouse to toast Dale Pollak, a fellow entrepreneur, an automotive pioneer, and a gentleman.

Congratulations Dale!

About vAuto

Headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, IL, vAuto also maintains a research and development center in Austin, TX. vAuto’s innovative “Live Market View” technology allows dealers to manage their used-vehicle inventories based on actual supply-and-demand for their specific market. Today, more than 3,000 dealerships across the country use vAuto’s pricing, appraisal, stocking and merchandising systems. Dale Pollak, vAuto’s Founder and Chairman, is the author of two books featuring best practices and strategies for the used car department, Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line and Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels & Profitability. Additional information about vAuto is available at www.vauto.com.

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading automotive marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers. AutoTrader.com attracts more than 15 million unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to view vehicles for sale, research and compare vehicles, review pricing and specials, and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips, auto maintenance tips and coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends. Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improve the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.