GM, Autobytel to Test Internet System

General Motors Corp. and Irvine-based Autobytel.com Inc. said the auto maker’s Chevrolet dealers in the Washington, D.C., area will test an Internet system that lets customers search for a vehicle and price throughout the region. The 90-day test of the largest auto maker’s new system will include 22 dealers when it starts May 1. The dealers will pay $25 to Autobytel.com for each person referred to them from the test Web site, GM said. The Washington area was chosen because it has one of the highest levels of Internet penetration and online vehicle shoppers in the U.S., the auto maker said. It didn’t provide figures. Chevrolet, the largest General Motors brand, was picked for the test with Autobytel.com because of its high sales volume. GM has said the test will help it develop a strategy for offering vehicles on independent Web sites such as Autobytel.com that sell all makes and models. GM shares fell $1.67 to close at $53.52 on the NYSE, while Autobytel declined 8 cents to $1.92 on Nasdaq.