In Online Auto Sales, Everybody Places First

We’re No. 1! And so are we! And so are we!

In the technology world, it’s all about being the king of the hill, and in the online auto sales world, everyone claims to be the leader of the pack.

Last week, Irvine-based Autobytel.com Inc. went so far as to issue a press release to stake its claim, saying it now sells more than $1.2 billion in cars every month and that Automotive News, a weekly trade publication, said it sells more than twice as many cars as its two closest competitors combined.

CarPoint, the auto referral Web site of Microsoft Corp., points out that Media Metrix Inc., an Internet audience measurement firm, has named it the most-visited car-buying site on the Internet for eight of the last nine months.

CarsDirect.com can point to the current survey by Gomez Advisors, a market research firm, that has the company on top of its scoreboard.

And AutoWeb.com claims to have “the most extensive network” of car dealers and commerce partners.

It reminds me of how McDonald’s Corp. has anointed numerous “largest” McDonald’s restaurants in the world, each ranking based on different criteria.