The American NRIs-owned Autoindia.com, one of the top portals in automobiles, is opening ''offline centres'' in five major cities in India this month as part of its target of having such centres in 100 major towns and cities during 2007 for meeting the needs of auto buyers and sellers.

Autoindia.com Sr Channel Development Manager Sony S Kumar told media persons here the offline centres were being opened in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram this month.

He said the portal saw consumer traffic numbers dramatically increasing in September this year, hitting an all-time high of more than 2.8 million visitors, up nearly 36 per cent over the previous month traffic record.

In addition, the company saw consecutive month-over-month traffic growth since July this year. The inventory on Autoindia.com increased to 200 per cent, reaching over 15,000 vehicle listings in November.

''Our target is to have Autoindia offline centres in 25 towns and cities before March 2007. It will go up to 100 by the end of this year,'' Mr Kumar, a veteran in the automobile industry, said.

A major achievement of the three-year-old portal was its sales of more than 1,678 vehicles in a month, in October this year that is a sale of a vehicle every 29 minutes compared to April vehicle sales at every 45 minutes. ''The portal has been instrumental in connecting thousands of buyers and sellers every month, and generating vast customer interest and hundreds of new car and bike leads every day,''Mr Kumar said. The geographical spread of its users is drawn mainly from top-end cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad. The site has established largest tie ups with manufacturers and dealers across the country.

Serving as an online hub, the Autoindia.com will provide a free information exchange for auto enthusiasts to share opinions and information on vehicles, and for consumers conducting research in order to make informed purchase decisions.

''Whether you are a novice to the car or bike buying process, or you are an avid car fanatic, the Autoindia Forum and Ask Expert feature will be a great source of information on the latest models, how to get great deals, and in general, how to get more from your vehicle buying and owning experience,'' said Mr Kumar.

Autoinidia.com, with its state-of-the-art Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website.

AutoIndia.com Online Pvt Ltd. 22, NJ Chambers, Shivaji Nagar Bangalore- 560051 Ph: +91 80 41464621 / 41464625
Sanmach Business Centre, 329 Anna Salai, Chennai – 600006 Ph: +91 44 42036693
AutoIndia.com Online Pvt Ltd. G-35, Green Park Main New Delhi – 110017 Phone: +91 11 46021644 / 46021655
2nd floor, Valiyaparambil Bldg. Pullepady Road, Cochin - 682018 Ph: +91 484 6451275 / 6456625
Aiswarya, U.P 7/415, Kochulloor Medical College P.O Trivandrum – 695011 Phone: +91 471 3207132
T-BIC, Nila, Technopark Trivandrum, Kerala 695 581 Phone: +91 471 4060100, 3241275 Fax: +91 471 3042332

Cars and Bike Sellers can call in the above offices for listing their advertisements in AutoIndia.com.

- End -

About Autoindia.com Online Pvt. Ltd.

Autoindia.com, is the expert and leader in automotive Internet marketing services. AutoIndia.com connects thousands of serious vehicle buyers with automobile dealerships, large dealer groups, and automotive manufacturers every day. AutoIndia.com is one of the industry's leading new car pricing portals and the largest source of Internet sales leads processed through the AutoIndia Lead Platform, a suite of proprietary technology products and business services.