(TRUE) December site traffic jumps 50 percent as car-buying process evolves

Mobile users now account for nearly half of all unique visitors to TrueCar.com

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 30, 2014 — TrueCar, Inc., the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform, saw a year-over-year spike in unique visitor volume in December as more consumers accessed the site via mobile devices.  In fact, mobile users led the way with over 90 percent growth.

Unique visitors to TrueCar.com totaled 3.7 million in December versus 2.4 million a year ago. This increase coincides with reinvigorated consumer confidence that helped push TrueCar.com’s unique visitor count to a one-day record high of nearly 200,000 on Dec. 27.

“The future of car buying is mobile,” said Scott Painter, TrueCar CEO and founder.  “At TrueCar we are seeing a radical adoption of this technology among modern buyers.”

The jump in visitors to TrueCar’s site via smartphone, tablet and desktop computers comes as December auto sales, aided by holiday and year-end promotions, are on pace to hit nearly 1.5 million units, the best in a decade. TrueCar expects automakers to close out 2014 with a combined 16.5 million units, a sales level not seen since 2007.

Downloads of TrueCar’s smartphone app surpassed 1.3 million downloads at the end of November. The mobile app’s Price Check feature, introduced earlier this year for iOS devices, was made available for Android phones in November, enabling users to get real time pricing while on TrueCar Certified Dealer lots simply by scanning VIN stickers.

Looking ahead to 2015, TrueCar is focused on further enhancing the mobile experience for customers and improving the sales process for TrueCar Certified Dealers.

“There’s a tipping point when consumers understand they can use their mobile devices to buy a car, and TrueCar hit that in December,” said Neeraj Gunsagar, the company’s chief revenue officer.  “When it comes to big ticket purchases, people in general have felt more secure in front of their desktop. Today mobile is undergoing a similar evolution, but at a much faster pace.”

About TrueCar
TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE) is the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform. TrueCar enables a negotiation-free car buying experience by giving buyers transparent insight into what others actually paid (price confidence), upfront pricing information (price discovery), and access to a network of trusted TrueCar Certified Dealers who provide guaranteed savings certificates and seamlessly complete the car purchase. The reality is that buying a car is painful and buyers fear they are going to overpay or be surprised with hidden fees. TrueCar’s transparent upfront pricing information makes the car buying process simple so there are no surprises and buyers never overpay. TrueCar’s mission is to make car buying simple, fair and fun. Its national network of more than 9,000 TrueCar Certified Dealers, including both new car franchise dealers and non-franchise dealers, is committed to providing negotiation-free savings off MSRP and upfront pricing information for all car-buyers, including members of some of the country’s largest membership and service organizations such as AARP, American Express, AAA, and USAA. Note: Not all program features are available in all states. Go to www.truecar.com for program details. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., with offices in Santa Barbara, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., and Austin, Texas.