10-Q

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-Q

x		QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2003
or
o	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from __________ to __________.

Commission file number 22239

Autobytel Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware	33-0711569
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer identification number)
18872 MacArthur Boulevard Irvine, California	92612
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)
(949) 225-4500
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

          Check whether the registrant: (1) filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes   x No   o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes   x No   o

          As of April 30, 2003, there were 31,269,519 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding.

INDEX

		Page
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1.	Consolidated Financial Statements:
	Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2003 (unaudited) and December 31, 2002	3
	Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 (unaudited)	4
	Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 (unaudited)	5
	Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)	6
ITEM 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	11
ITEM 4.	Controls and Procedures	29
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1.	Legal Proceedings	29
ITEM 4.	Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders	31
ITEM 6.	Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K	31
Signatures		32
Certifications		32

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements

AUTOBYTEL INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Dollar amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

	March 31, 2003			December 31, 2002
	(unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	28,828		$	27,571
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts and customer credits of $4,487 and $4,214, respectively		6,953			6,757
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		2,402			3,495
Total current assets		38,183			37,823
Property and equipment, net		1,781			2,088
Capitalized software, net		1,835			2,105
Investment in unconsolidated subsidiary		4,798			4,745
Goodwill		8,367			8,367
Other assets		85			96
Total assets	$	55,049		$	55,224
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	3,904		$	3,529
Accrued expenses		3,541			5,018
Deferred revenues		3,528			3,575
Customer deposits		69			76
Accrued restructuring - current		187			223
Other current liabilities		144			126
Total current liabilities		11,373			12,547
Accrued restructuring—non-current		223			255
Total liabilities		11,596			12,802
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 11,445,187 shares authorized; none outstanding		—			—
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 31,267,612 and 31,195,681shares issued and outstanding, respectively		31			31
Additional paid-in capital		203,759			203,623
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(13	)		(40	)
Accumulated deficit		(160,324	)		(161,192	)
Total stockholders’ equity		43,453			42,422
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	55,049		$	55,224

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Dollar amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2003		2002
Revenues:
Program fees	$	13,118	$	15,412
Enterprise sales		3,355		1,984
Advertising		2,839		1,757
Other products and services		941		1,580
Total revenues		20,253		20,733
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing		12,858		12,260
Product and technology development		3,862		5,753
General and administrative		2,785		3,057
Autobytel.Europe restructuring and impairment charges		—		15,015
Total operating expenses		19,505		36,085
Income (loss) from operations		748		(15,352	)
Loss on recapitalization of Autobytel.Europe		—		(4,168	)
Interest income		69		391
Foreign currency exchange gain		—		1
Income (loss) in equity investees		53		(200	)
Income (loss) before minority interest and income taxes		870		(19,328	)
Minority interest		—		866
Income (loss) before income taxes		870		(18,462	)
Provision for income taxes		2		5
Net income (loss)	$	868	$	(18,467	)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic	$	0.03	$	(0.59	)
Diluted	$	0.03	$	(0.59	)
Shares used in computing net income (loss) per share:
Basic		31,234,243		31,069,171
Diluted		32,167,910		31,069,171
Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income (loss)	$	868	$	(18,467	)
Translation adjustment		27		—
Comprehensive income (loss)	$	895	$	(18,467	)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Dollar amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2003			2002
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)	$	868		$	(18,467	)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Non-cash charges:
Depreciation and amortization		608			901
Provision for bad debt		242			746
Loss on disposal of property and equipment		—			1
Amortization of deferred stock-based compensation		—			20
Autobytel.Europe restructuring and impairment		—			15,015
Loss on recapitalization of Autobytel.Europe		—			4,168
Income in equity investee		(53	)		—
Minority interest		—			(866	)
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		(438	)		(1,126	)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		1,093			1,108
Other assets		11			—
Accounts payable		375			(2,539	)
Accrued expenses		(1,441	)		(3,560	)
Accrued restructuring—current		(36	)		(31	)
Deferred revenues		(47	)		(74	)
Customer deposits		(7	)		(10	)
Other current liabilities		(18	)		58
Accrued restructuring and other liabilities—non current		(32	)		—
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		1,125			(4,656	)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Deconsolidation of Autobytel.Europe		—			(28,163	)
Decrease in restricted cash		28			—
Purchases of property and equipment		(31	)		(426	)
Capitalized software costs		—			(903	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(3	)		(29,492	)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net proceeds from sale of common stock		136			160
Net cash provided by financing activities		136			160
Effect of exchange rates on cash		27			(517	)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		1,285			(34,505	)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period		27,543			61,837
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	$	28,828		$	27,332
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid during the period for income taxes	$	2		$	5
Cash paid during the period for interest	$	—		$	—

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollar amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

1.    Organization and Operations of Autobytel

          Autobytel Inc. (Autobytel) is an automotive marketing services company that helps dealers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through efficient marketing, advertising and customer relationship management tools and programs primarily through the Internet. Autobytel owns and operates the car buying Web sites—Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com and CarSmart.com and an automotive research Web site, AutoSite.com. Autobytel is also a leading provider of automotive marketing data and technology through its Automotive Information Center (AIC) division.

          Autobytel provides tools and programs to automotive dealers and manufacturers to help them increase market share and reduce customer acquisition costs.

          Autobytel is a Delaware corporation incorporated on May 17, 1996. Autobytel was previously formed in Delaware in January 1995 as a limited liability company under the name Auto-By-Tel LLC. Its principal corporate offices are located in Irvine, California. Autobytel completed an initial public offering in March 1999 and its common stock is listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ABTL.

          Since its inception in January 1995, Autobytel has experienced annual operating losses and has an accumulated deficit of $160,324 as of March 31, 2003. Autobytel believes current cash and cash equivalents are sufficient to meet anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months. Failure to generate sufficient revenues, raise additional capital or reduce discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on Autobytel’s ability to achieve its intended business objectives.

2.    Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

     Unaudited Interim Financial Statements

          The accompanying interim consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2003, and for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, are unaudited. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited annual consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of Autobytel’s management, reflect all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature, necessary to fairly state Autobytel’s consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Autobytel’s results for an interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year.

          Although Autobytel believes that all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the interim periods presented are included and that the disclosures are adequate, these consolidated financial statements and related notes are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2002 included in Autobytel’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2003.

     Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

          The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires Autobytel to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

     Cash and Cash Equivalents

          For purposes of the consolidated balance sheets and the consolidated statements of cash flows, Autobytel considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2002, $28 was held by financial institutions as collateral for business credit cards.

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     Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) per share

          Net income (loss) per share has been calculated under SFAS No. 128, “Earnings per Share.” SFAS No. 128 requires companies to compute earnings per share under two different methods, basic and diluted. Basic net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period and potential common stock shares from the conversion of stock options which represent common stock equivalents. Common stock equivalents are excluded from the computation if their effect is antidilutive.

          For the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, there were 933,667 and 748,471 common stock equivalents, respectively.  Common stock equivalents were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share for the three months ended March 31, 2002 as they were antidilutive.

     Stock-Based Compensation

          As permitted under SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure,” which amended SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation”, Autobytel has elected to continue to account for its stock-based compensation in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” Under APB 25, compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period based on the excess of the fair market value over the exercise price on the grant date. 

          For disclosure purposes, stock compensation expense has been estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model on the date of grant and assumptions related to dividend yield, stock price volatility, weighted-average risk free interest rate and expected life of the stock options.  Had the provisions of SFAS No. 123 been applied to Autobytel’s stock option grants for its stock-based compensation plans, Autobytel’s net loss and net loss per share for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002 would approximate the pro forma amounts below:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2003			2002
Net income (loss), as reported	$	868		$	(18,467	)
Stock based compensation, net of tax		(1,237	)		(602	)
Net income (loss), pro forma	$	(369	)	$	(19,069	)
Net income (loss) per share, basic and diluted, as reported	$	0.03		$	(0.59	)
Net income (loss) per share, basic and diluted, pro forma	$	(0.01	)	$	(0.61	)

          The effects of applying SFAS No. 123 in this pro forma disclosure are not indicative of future amounts.

          In the three months ended March 31, 2003, Autobytel granted 1,139,000 stock options to employees and directors.  Stock compensation expense related to these options was $114 on a pro forma basis in the three months ended March 31, 2003.

          As of March 31, 2003, Autobytel had a total of 6,239,637 stock options outstanding, of which 4,425,736 stock options had exercise prices below the fair market value per share of Autobytel’s common stock on that date. 

     New Accounting Pronouncements

          In August 2001, the FASB issued SFAS No. 143, “Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations.” SFAS No. 143 addresses financial accounting and reporting obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets and the associated asset retirement costs. SFAS No. 143 is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002. Autobytel adopted SFAS No. 143 on January 1, 2003. The adoption did not have a material effect on Autobytel’s  financial position or results of operations.

          In June 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities.” SFAS No. 146 addresses financial accounting and reporting for costs associated with exit or disposal activities. SFAS No. 146 is effective for exit or disposal activities initiated after December 31, 2002. Autobytel adopted SFAS No. 146 on January 1, 2003. The adoption did not have a material effect on Autobytel’s financial position or results of operations.

          In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. (FIN) 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees and Indebtedness of Others.” FIN 45 elaborates on the disclosures to be made by the guarantor in its interim and annual financial statements about its obligations under certain guarantees that it has issued. It also requires that a guarantor recognize, at the inception of a guarantee, a liability for the fair

7

value of the obligation undertaken in issuing the guarantee. The initial recognition and measurement provisions of this interpretation are applicable on a prospective basis to guarantees issued or modified after December 31, 2002; while the provisions of the disclosure requirements are effective for financial statements of interim or annual reports ending after December 15, 2002. Autobytel adopted the disclosure requirements on December 31, 2002 and the recognition and measurement provisions on January 1, 2003.  The adoption of FIN 45 did not have a material effect on Autobytel’s financial position or results of operations. 

          In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure” which amends SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation.” SFAS No. 148 provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. SFAS No. 148 also requires prominent disclosure about the method of accounting and the effect of the method used on reported results in both annual and interim financial statements. SFAS No. 148 is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2002. Autobytel adopted SFAS No. 148 on January 1, 2003 and has elected to continue to account for its stock-based compensation in accordance with the provisions of APB No. 25.

          In January 2003, the FASB issued FIN 46, “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” an Interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51. FIN 46 requires certain variable interest entities to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. FIN 46 is effective for all new variable interest entities created or acquired after January 31, 2003. For variable interest entities created or acquired prior to February 1, 2003, the provisions of FIN 46 must be applied for the first interim or annual period beginning after June 15, 2003. Autobytel does not expect the adoption of FIN 46 to have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

3.    Autobytel.Europe LLC

          Autobytel.Europe’s results of operations were consolidated in Autobytel’s results of operations through March 28, 2002. On March 28, 2002, Autobytel.Europe completed a recapitalization which reduced Autobytel’s ownership of Autobytel.Europe from 76.5% to 49%. As a result of the reduction in Autobytel’s ownership interest, Autobytel no longer consolidates Autobytel.Europe in its financial statements but accounts for its remaining investment in Autobytel.Europe under the equity method. As of March 31, 2003, Autobytel had an investment in Autobytel.Europe with a balance of $4,798.

4.    Commitments and Contingencies

     Litigation

          On October 10, 2002, Morrison & Foerster LLP, a law firm that represented Autobytel, A.I.N., Inc. and Michael Gorun, former President of A.I.N., at various points in litigation which was settled in 2002, filed an action entitled Morison & Foerster LLP v. Autobytel.com Inc. et al. in the Santa Clara Superior Court against Autobytel, A.I.N. and Mr. Gorun asserting claims for damages for breach of contract for failure to pay legal fees and expenses plus interest accrued thereon in the aggregate amount of approximately $660. Autobytel and A.I.N. dispute these allegations and intend to vigorously defend against the action. In addition, Autobytel and A.I.N. believe that they have meritorious claims against Morrison & Forester LLP.

          No charges for loss contingencies associated with the above legal matter were recorded in the three months ended March 31, 2003 or 2002. As of March 31, 2003, Autobytel maintained an estimated reserve for loss contingencies which was recorded in December 2002.

          In August 2001, a purported class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Autobytel and certain of Autobytel’s current and former directors and officers (the “Autobytel Individual Defendants”) and underwriters involved in Autobytel’s initial public offering. The complaints against Autobytel have been consolidated with two other complaints that relate to its initial public offering but do not name it as a defendant,

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and a Consolidated Amended Complaint, which is now the operative complaint, was filed on April 19, 2002. This action purports to allege violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs allege that the underwriter defendants agreed to allocate stock in Autobytel’s initial public offering to certain investors in exchange for excessive and undisclosed commissions and agreements by those investors to make additional purchases of stock in the aftermarket at pre-determined prices. Plaintiffs allege that the prospectus for Autobytel’s initial public offering was false and misleading in violation of the securities laws because it did not disclose these arrangements. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. The action is being coordinated with approximately 300 other nearly identical actions filed against other companies. A motion to dismiss addressing issues common to the companies and individuals who have been sued in these actions was filed on July 15, 2002. On October 9, 2002, the Court dismissed the Autobytel Individual Defendants from the case without prejudice based upon Stipulations of Dismissal filed by the plaintiffs and the Autobytel Individual Defendants. On February 19, 2003, the Court denied the motion to dismiss the complaint against Autobytel. Autobytel believes that it has meritorious claims against the underwriters and intends to vigorously defend the action.

          Between April and June 2001, eight separate purported class actions virtually identical to the one filed against Autobytel were filed against Autoweb, certain of Autoweb’s current and former directors and officers (the “Autoweb Individual Defendants”) and underwriters involved in Autoweb’s initial public offering. The complaints against Autoweb have been consolidated into a single action, and a Consolidated Amended Complaint, which is now the operative complaint, was filed on April 19, 2002. The foregoing action purports to allege violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs allege that the underwriter defendants agreed to allocate stock in Autoweb’s initial public offering to certain investors in exchange for excessive and undisclosed commissions and agreements by those investors to make additional purchases of stock in the aftermarket at pre-determined prices. Plaintiffs allege that the prospectus for Autoweb’s initial public offering was false and misleading in violation of the securities laws because it did not disclose these arrangements. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. The action is being coordinated with approximately 300 other nearly identical actions filed against other companies. A motion to dismiss addressing issues common to the companies and individuals who have been sued in these actions was filed on July 15, 2002. On October 9, 2002, the Court dismissed the Autoweb Individual Defendants from the case without prejudice based upon Stipulations of Dismissal filed by the plaintiffs and the Autoweb Individual Defendants. On February 19, 2003, the Court dismissed the Section 10(b) claim without prejudice and with leave to replead but denied the motion to dismiss the claim under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 against Autoweb. Autoweb believes that it has meritorious claims against the underwriters and intends to vigorously defend the action.

          On February 28, 2003, a purported class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Autoweb, the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Chief Financial Officer of Autoweb, and CSFB, the co-lead underwriter of Autoweb’s initial public offering, are named as defendants in that action. The complaint alleges claims against Autoweb and such former officers for violations of the Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Florida’s Blue Sky laws and also alleges claims based on common law theories of fraud, negligent misrepresentation and respondeat superior. The complaint makes similar allegations against approximately 50 other companies for which CSFB was the lead or a co-lead underwriter. The complaint alleges that the defendants disseminated false and misleading information to the public which misrepresented the accuracy of Autoweb’s initial public offering price, its financial condition and future revenue prospects. The complaint further alleges that the effect of the purported fraud was to manipulate Autoweb’s stock price so that the defendants could profit from the manipulation. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. No date has been set for a response to this complaint. Autoweb intends to vigorously defend the action.

          Autobytel has reviewed the above class action matters in accordance with SFAS No. 5, “Accounting for Contingencies,” and has determined that a reserve for loss contingencies is not required at this time.

          From time to time, Autobytel is involved in other litigation matters relating to claims arising out of the ordinary course of business. Autobytel believes that there are no claims or actions pending or threatened against it, the ultimate disposition of which would have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations and financial condition. However, if a court or jury rules against Autobytel and the ruling is ultimately sustained on appeal and damages are awarded against Autobytel, such ruling could have a material and adverse effect on Autobytel’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

5.    Accrued Liability for Restructuring and Other Charges

          In 2001, Autobytel recorded a total of $4,514 for domestic restructuring and other charges. The charges were related to the reorganization of dealer operations, the elimination of duplicate facilities, the write-down of fixed assets, contract termination costs related to online advertising and the aftermarket program on the Autobytel.com Web site, the write-off of previously capitalized software related to the aftermarket program and the integration of Autoweb into Autobytel following the acquisition of Autoweb. In 2002, Autobytel recorded a total of $769 for charges related to the restructuring of Autobytel’s

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operations to reduce costs and enhance efficiencies. The charges included severance costs affecting approximately 15% of Autobytel’s employees in sales, marketing and information technology, and Autobytel’s lease obligation on the vacant portion of AIC’s office facilities.

          As of March 31, 2003, the remaining accrued liabilities related to the 2001 restructuring and other charges were $27 and consisted primarily of leased facility maintenance costs. Autobytel expects the remaining charges to be paid in 2003.  The remaining accrued liabilities related to the 2001 charges as of March 31, 2003 were as follows:

	Domestic Restructuring and Other Charges
Total charges	$	4,514
Non-cash charges		(739	)
Cash payments		(3,665	)
December 31, 2001, accrued liability balance		110
Cash payments		(76	)
December 31, 2002, accrued liability balance		34
Cash payments		(7	)
March 31, 2003, accrued liability balance	$	27

          As of March 31, 2003, the remaining accrued liabilities related to the 2002 restructuring charges were $383.  Autobytel expects the remaining charges to be paid by 2005. The remaining accrued liabilities related to the 2002 charges as of March 31, 2003 were as follows:

	Domestic Restructuring Charges
	Rent			Compensation			Total
Total charges	$	552		$	217		$	769
Cash payments		(108	)		(217	)		(325	)
December 31, 2002, accrued liability balance		444			—			444
Cash payments		(61	)		—			(61	)
March 31, 2003, accrued liability balance	$	383		$	—		$	383

6.    Business Segment

          Autobytel conducts its business within one business segment, which is defined as providing automotive marketing services primarily through the Internet.

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Item 2.     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

          You should read the following discussion of our results of operations and financial condition in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of certain events may differ significantly from those projected in such forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” below in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Overview

          We are an automotive marketing services company that helps dealers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through efficient marketing, advertising and customer relationship management tools and programs primarily through the Internet. We own and operate the car buying Web sites—Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com and CarSmart.com—and an automotive research Web site, AutoSite.com. We are also a leading provider of automotive marketing data and technology through our Automotive Information Center (AIC) division.

          We conduct our business within one business segment, which is defined as providing automotive marketing services primarily through the Internet.

          In the first quarter of 2003, we generated $1.3 million in cash primarily due to reduced expenses and continued focus on aggressive collection efforts. Although there is no assurance, we expect to generate cash from operations in 2003.

          Program fees consist of fees paid by program dealers who participate in our Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com and CarSmart.com online car buying referral networks. These fees are comprised of monthly subscription and transaction fees for qualified consumer leads, or purchase requests, which are directed to participating program dealers. Autobytel.com program dealers using our services pay ongoing monthly subscription fees based, among other things, on the size of territory, demographics and, indirectly, the transmittal of qualified purchase requests to them. Autoweb.com and CarSmart.com program dealers using our services pay ongoing monthly subscription fees or transaction fees based on the number of qualified purchase requests provided to them each month. Beginning in the second quarter of 2002, program fees also include fees for our dealer call center and dealer training. We expect to be primarily dependent on our program dealers for revenues in the foreseeable future.

          Our program dealer contract terms generally range from 90 days to one year and are terminable on 30 days’ notice by either party. In the first quarter of 2003 we began an effort to sign new dealers to contracts with an initial term in excess of 30 days that are terminable on 30 days’ notice by us and automatically renew unless either party elects not to renew. The majority of our program fees consist of monthly fees which are recognized in the period service is provided. For the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, program fees were $13.1 million and $15.4 million, or 65% and 74% of total revenues, respectively. Average monthly program fees per dealer were $828 and $787 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

          Enterprise sales include fees from major dealer groups and automotive manufacturers for purchase requests delivered to enterprise dealers and fees from manufacturers and other users for automotive marketing data and technology provided by AIC. Enterprise dealers consist of (i) dealers that are part of major dealer groups with more than 25 dealerships with which we have a single agreement and (ii) dealers that are eligible to receive purchase requests from us as part of a single agreement with an automotive manufacturer or its automotive buying service affiliate. Major dealer groups include AutoNation and automotive manufacturers include manufacturers such as General Motors and Ford. We intend to strengthen the size and quality of our relationships with major dealer groups, automotive manufacturers and other users of automotive marketing data and technology. Revenues from enterprise sales were $3.4 million and $2.0 million, or 17% and 10% of total revenues, in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

          Advertising revenues represent fees from automotive manufacturers and other advertisers who target car buyers during the research, consideration and decision making process on our Web sites. Using the targeted nature of Internet advertising, manufacturers can advertise their brands effectively on any of our four Web sites by targeting advertisements to consumers who are researching vehicles, thereby increasing the likelihood of influencing their purchase decisions. In particular, our Dynamic Content Placement (DCP) product allows manufacturers to automatically present specific comparative information relevant to the vehicle that is being researched to car shoppers using our Web sites. Supported by data and technology provided by AIC, DCP targets consumers deep into the research and decision-making process as they compare various vehicles online. In addition, our customizable advertising product, the Featured Model Showcase, offers manufacturers the opportunity to present detailed, enhanced information about a specific vehicle model to millions of online car shoppers on our Web sites. Features can include purchase request functionality, image galleries, brochure requests and video. With the

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investment in our advertising sales organization and further selling of our advertising inventory, we anticipate that our advertising business in 2003 will increase compared to 2002. Revenues from advertising were $2.8 million and $1.8 million in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, or 14% and 8% of total revenues, respectively.

          Revenues from other products and services include fees from our customer loyalty and retention marketing program for dealerships and manufacturers called RPM, international licensing agreements and other existing products and services. We expect to increase the number of dealers subscribing to our RPM program. However, we expect to continue to redirect resources previously used to support international licensing agreements and other existing products and services towards the development of RPM and other new products. In the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, revenues from other products and services were $0.9 million and $1.6 million, or 4% and 8% of total revenues, respectively.

          To enhance the quality of purchase requests, each purchase request is passed through our Quality Verification System (QVS)^SM which uses filters and validation processes to identify consumers with strong purchase intent before delivering the purchase request to our program and enterprise dealers. As a result of the implementation of QVS, purchase request quality has increased. High quality purchase requests are those that result in high closing ratios. Closing ratio is the ratio of the number of vehicles purchased at a dealer generated from purchase requests to the total number of purchase requests sent to that dealer. We anticipate that improved purchase request quality will help us increase closing ratios and further reduce customer credits, reduce dealer turnover and increase revenues in the future.

          We delivered approximately 0.8 million and 1.0 million purchase requests through our online systems to program and enterprise dealers in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Of these, approximately 0.6 million and 0.9 million were delivered to program dealers and approximately 0.2 million and 0.1 million were delivered to enterprise dealers in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Purchase requests delivered to program dealers in the three months ended March 31, 2003, decreased 0.3 million, or 36%, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2002. The decrease was primarily a result of QVS as we rejected purchase requests that did not meet our qualification standards and a decline in our number of program dealer relationships due, in part, to our efforts to retain dealers that provide a reasonable profit to us. Our revenue per purchase request from program dealers was $21.23 and $16.19 in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. We expect to continue to deliver approximately 0.6 million and 0.2 million purchase requests to program dealers and enterprise dealers, respectively, in each of the remaining quarters of 2003.

          Our dealer relationships as of March 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002 were as follows:

	Number of Dealer relationships as of
	March 31, 2003		December 31,   2002
Autobytel.com		2,972		3,042
Autoweb.com		1,689		1,699
CarSmart.com		419		473
Suspended dealer relationships (a)		117		148
Total program dealer relationships		5,197		5,362
Enterprise dealer relationships (b)		14,716		14,733
RPM dealer relationships		217		146
Total dealer relationships		20,130		20,241

(a)	The delivery of purchase requests to these dealers has been suspended until past due amounts on account are resolved. We do not recognize revenue from dealers for periods that they are under suspension.
(b)	A program with a major manufacturer increased enterprise dealer relationships by approximately 11,500 in the third quarter of 2002. The program automatically extends in one month increments until terminated by us or the manufacturer.

          Program dealer relationships consist of subscriptions to our new car marketing programs and our Used Vehicle CyberStore program. A decline of 165 program dealer relationships from December 31, 2002 to March 31, 2003 was primarily a result of the termination of 577 program dealer relationships by the dealers or by us offset by the addition of 412 program dealer relationships. As of March 31, 2003, we had 117 suspended dealer relationships. Suspended dealer relationships are relationships with dealers to whom the delivery of purchase requests has been suspended until past due amounts on account are resolved. We do not recognize revenue from dealers for periods that they are under suspension. As of March 31, 2003, 592 program dealers had a relationship with more than one of our branded Web sites.

          We developed and implemented various tools and processes to improve our dealer support. The purpose of our dealer support is to enhance subscribing dealers’ ability to sell cars using our programs. We contact all dealers new to our programs to confirm their initiation on our programs and train their personnel on the use of our programs and tools. We also contact our

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dealers on a regular basis to identify dealers who are not using our programs effectively, develop relationships with dealer principals and their personnel responsible for calling our customers and to inform our dealers about their effectiveness using surveys completed by our purchase-intending customers. We also invested additional resources in our sales and support departments.

          Our relationship with dealers may terminate for various reasons including:

• termination by the dealer due to issues with purchase request volume, purchase request quality, fee increases or lack of dedicated personnel to manage the program effectively,

• termination by us due to the dealer providing poor customer service to consumers or for nonpayment of fees by the dealer,

• termination by us of dealers that cannot provide us with a reasonable profit,

• extinction of the manufacturer brand, or

• selling or termination of the dealer franchise.

          We cannot assure that we will be able to reduce our dealer turnover. Our inability or failure to reduce dealer turnover could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

          As of March 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002, we had 217 and 146 dealers, respectively, using RPM.

          Because our primary revenue source is from program fees, our business model is significantly different from many other Internet commerce sites. The automobiles requested through our Web sites are sold by dealers; therefore, we derive no direct revenues from the sale of a vehicle and have no significant cost of goods sold, no procurement, carrying or shipping costs and no inventory risk.

          Sales and marketing costs consist primarily of:

• fees paid to our Internet purchase request providers, including Internet portals and online automotive information providers,

• promotion and advertising expenses to build our brand awareness and encourage potential customers to visit our Web sites and

• personnel and other costs associated with sales, marketing, training and support of our dealer networks.

          Our Internet marketing and advertising costs, including annual, monthly and variable fees, were $7.4 million and $7.9 million in the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Also included in sales and marketing expenses are the costs associated with traditional media, such as television, radio and print advertising and with signing up new dealers and their ongoing training and support. Sales and marketing costs are recorded as an expense in the period the service is provided. We expect sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenue to slightly increase in 2003 compared to 2002.

Results of Operations

          The following table sets forth our results of operations as a percentage of revenues:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2003			2002
Revenues
Program fees		65	%		74	%
Enterprise sales		17			10
Advertising		14			8
Other products and services		4			8
Total revenues		100			100
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing		63			59
Product and technology development		19			28
General and administrative		14			15
Autobytel.Europe restructuring, impairment and other international charges		—			72
Total operating expenses		96			174
Income (loss) from operations		4			(74	)
Loss on recapitalization of Autobytel.Europe		—			(20	)
Interest income		—			2
Foreign currency exchange gain		—			—
Income (loss) in equity investees		—			(1	)
Income (loss) before minority interest and income taxes		4			(93	)
Minority interest		—			4
Income (loss) before income taxes		4			(89	)
Provision for income taxes		—			—
Net income (loss)		4	%		(89	)%

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Three Months Ended March 31, 2003 Compared to 2002

          Revenues.    Our revenues decreased by $0.4 million, or 2%, to $20.3 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $20.7 million in 2002.

          Program Fees.    Program fees consist of fees paid by program dealers who participate in our Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com and CarSmart.com online car buying referral networks. These fees are comprised of monthly subscription and transaction fees for qualified consumer leads, or purchase requests, which are directed to participating program dealers. Autobytel.com program dealers using our services pay ongoing monthly subscription fees based, among other things, on the size of territory, demographics and, indirectly, the transmittal of qualified purchase requests to them. Autoweb.com and CarSmart.com program dealers using our services pay ongoing monthly subscription fees or transaction fees based on the number of qualified purchase requests provided to them each month. Beginning in the second quarter of 2002, program fees also include fees for our dealer call center and dealer training. Program fees decreased by $2.3 million, or 15%, to $13.1 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $15.4 million in 2002. The decrease was primarily due to a decline in the number of paying dealers and the quantity of purchase requests delivered to our dealers partially offset by an increase in average monthly program fees per dealer and revenue per purchase request. Average monthly program fees per dealer were $828 and $787 and revenue per purchase request was $21.23 and $16.19 in the first quarter of 2003 and 2002, respectively. We intend to continue our efforts to send dealers only qualified purchase requests, improve dealer support and increase our fees per purchase request. However, we expect our program fee revenues to slightly decline in 2003 compared to 2002 as we work to reduce our dealer turnover.

          Enterprise Sales.    Enterprise sales include fees from major dealer groups and automotive manufacturers for purchase requests delivered to enterprise dealers and fees from manufacturers and other users for automotive marketing data and technology provided by AIC. Enterprise dealers consist of (i) dealers that are part of major dealer groups with more than 25 dealerships with which we have a single agreement and (ii) dealers that are eligible to receive purchase requests from us as part of a single agreement with an automotive manufacturer or its automotive buying service affiliate. Major dealer groups include AutoNation and automotive manufacturers include General Motors and Ford. Enterprise sales increased by $1.4 million, or 69%, to $3.4 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $2.0 million in 2002. The increase was primarily due to selling more purchase requests to existing customers, improving the quality of our purchase requests and adding new enterprise customers. We may add new enterprise customers and, therefore, revenues from enterprise sales may increase in 2003 compared to 2002.

          Advertising.    Revenues from advertising represent fees received from automotive manufacturers and other advertisers who target car buyers during the research, consideration and decision making process on our Web sites. Advertising revenue increased by $1.0 million, or 62%, to $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $1.8 million in 2002.  The increase was primarily due to an increase in the pricing of our advertising, higher spending by automotive manufacturers, adding additional automotive manufacturers as customers and more effectively selling our advertising inventory. With the investment in our advertising sales organization, further selling of our available advertising inventory, an increase in internet advertising pricing and the introduction of our Dynamic Content Placement and Featured Model Showcase products, we expect our advertising revenues to increase in 2003 compared to 2002.

          Other Products and Services.    Revenues from other products and services include fees from RPM, international licensing agreements and other existing products and services. Revenues from other products and services decreased by $0.7 million, or 40%, to $0.9 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $1.6 million in 2002. A decrease of  $1.3 million in revenues from international licensing agreements and other existing products and services, such as database marketing, financing and classified listings was partially offset by fees from RPM of $0.6 million.  RPM was launched in the second quarter of 2002. We continue to focus our efforts on offering marketing services to dealers and automotive manufacturers

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such as RPM and plan to redirect resources from other existing products and services towards these efforts. We expect increases in revenues from RPM in 2003 compared to 2002.

          Sales and Marketing.    Sales and marketing expense primarily includes advertising and marketing expenses paid to our purchase request providers and for developing our brand equity, as well as personnel and other costs associated with dealer sales, RPM sales, web site advertising sales, and dealer training and support. Sales and marketing expense increased by $0.6 million, or 5%, to $12.9 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $12.3 million in 2002. This represents 63% and 59% as a percent of total revenue for the first quarter of 2003 and 2002, respectively. The increase was primarily due to a $0.8 million increase in sales personnel and compensation costs, $0.3 million in other marketing and advertising expenses partially offset by a  decrease in online advertising of $0.5 million. We expect our sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenues to slightly increase in 2003 compared to 2002.

          Product and Technology Development.    Product and technology development expense primarily includes personnel costs related to developing new products, enhancing the features, content and functionality of our Web sites, our Internet-based communications platform, costs associated with our telecommunications and computer infrastructure, costs related to data and technology development at AIC and amortization of software development costs. Product and technology development expense decreased by $1.9 million, or 33%, to $3.9 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $5.8 million in 2002. This represents 19% and 28% of total revenue for the first quarter of 2003 and 2002, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to a $1.0 million decrease in personnel and related costs, a $0.2 million decrease in amortization of software development costs related to international software and a $0.7 million decrease in other product and technology development expenses. In the first quarter of 2003, we did not incur software development costs.  In the first quarter of 2002, we capitalized $0.9 million of software development costs related to the enhancements of RPM. We expect our product and technology development expenses as a percentage of revenues to decrease in 2003 compared to 2002.

          General and Administrative.    General and administrative expense primarily consists of executive, financial and legal personnel expenses and costs related to being a public company. General and administrative expense decreased by $0.3 million, or 9%, to $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2003 compared to $3.1 million in 2002. This represents 14% and 15% of total revenue for the first quarter of 2003 and 2002, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to a $0.2 million decrease in legal expenses due to resolution of certain litigation matters and a $0.1 million decrease in other general corporate expenses. We expect our general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues to slightly increase in 2003 compared to 2002 due to higher insurance costs and fees associated with regulatory requirements for public companies.  

          Autobytel.Europe Restructuring and Impairment Charges.    In the first quarter of 2002, we recorded non-cash charges of $4.0 million for terminated Autobytel.Europe contracts and $11.0 million for the impairment of our investment in Autobytel.Europe.

          Loss on Recapitalization of Autobytel.Europe.    In the first quarter of 2002, we recorded a non-cash charge of $4.2 million related to the partial disposition of our investment in Autobytel.Europe.

          Interest Income.    In the first quarter of 2003, interest income decreased by $0.3 million, or 82%, to $0.1 million compared to $0.4 million in 2002 due to lower average cash balances and declining interest rates.  

          Income (Loss) in Equity Investees.    Income (loss) in equity investees represents our share of income or loss in our Autobytel.Europe and Australian venture. In the first quarter of 2003, we recognized $0.1 million of income related to Autobytel.Europe. In the first quarter of 2002, the loss recognized for Autobytel Australia was $0.2 million. Autobytel Australia ceased operations in August 2002.

          Minority Interest.    Minority interest represents the portion of Autobytel.Europe’s net loss allocable to other Autobytel.Europe shareholders. A portion of the loss generated by Autobytel.Europe, our majority-owned subsidiary through March 28, 2002, was allocated to its other shareholders resulting in a gain of $0.9 million in the first quarter of 2002. As of March 29, 2002, Autobytel.Europe is no longer a majority-owned subsidiary as we reduced our ownership to 49%.

          Income Taxes.    No provision for federal income taxes has been recorded as we generated taxable losses through December 31, 2002 and we expect nominal taxable income for the year ending December 31, 2003. As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately $127.7 million of federal and $77.4 million of state net operating loss carryforwards available to offset future taxable income. Of the $127.7 million of federal and $77.4 million of state net operating loss carryforwards, $16.6 million and $16.6 million, respectively, relate to Autoweb activities prior to the acquisition. These net operating loss carryforwards expire in various years through 2022. Also, Autobytel has federal and state research tax credit carryforwards of $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively. Utilization of the net operating losses are subject to an annual limitation due to

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the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code and similar state provisions. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of net operating loss carryforwards before utilization. Additionally, the state of California has suspended the deduction for net operating loss carryovers for the tax years 2002 and 2003.

Stock Options Granted in 2003

          From January 1, 2003 through March 31, 2003, we granted stock options to purchase 1,139,000 shares of common stock under our 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan and 2000 Stock Option Plan. The stock options were granted at fair market value on the date of grant. As of March 31, 2003, we had 6,239,637 outstanding stock options.

Employees

          As of April 30, 2003, we had a total of 254 employees. We also utilize independent contractors as required. None of our employees are represented by a labor union. We have not experienced any work stoppages and consider our employee relations to be good.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

          In the first quarter of 2003, we generated $1.3 million in cash compared to cash usage of $6.3 million, before the deconsolidation of $28.2 million of cash of Autobytel.Europe, in the first quarter of 2002. We had $28.8 million in cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2003.

          Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2003 compared to net cash used of $4.7 million in the same period of 2002. Net cash provided for the three months ended March 31, 2003 primarily resulted from the net income for the period before non-cash charges and a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets partially offset by a decrease in accrued expenses. A $1.1 million decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets was primarily due to the amortization of a fixed marketing agreement and the settlement of escrow funds in the first quarter of 2003. A $1.4 million decrease in accrued expenses was primarily due to the payout of accrued compensation costs in the first quarter of 2003.

          Net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2002 resulted primarily from the net loss for the period before non-cash charges, including recapitalization, restructuring and impairment of Autobytel.Europe, an increase in accounts receivable and decreases in accounts payable and accrued expenses partially offset by a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets.

          Net cash used in investing activities was nominal for the three months ended March 31, 2003. Net cash used in investing activities was $29.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2002. Cash used in investing for the first quarter of 2002 was primarily due to the deconsolidation of Autobytel.Europe, expenditures for capitalized software related to our new customer relationship management software, RPM, and the purchase of computer hardware and software. 

          Net cash provided by financing activities was $0.1 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Cash provided by financing activities in 2003 and 2002 was due to proceeds received from the sale of common stock through stock option exercises and our employee stock purchase plan. 

          Our cash requirements depend on several factors, including:

• the level of expenditures on marketing and advertising, including the cost of contractual arrangements with Internet portals, online information providers and other referral sources,

• the level of expenditures on product and technology development,

• the ability to increase the volume of purchase requests and transactions related to our Web sites,

• the amount and timing of cash collection and disbursements, and

• the cash portion of acquisition transactions and joint ventures.

          We do not have debt. We believe our current cash and cash equivalents are sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months.

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          As of March 31, 2003, our contractual commitments were as follows:

	Nine Months Ending December 31,		Years Ending December 31,
	2003		2004		2005		Total
Operating leases	$	903	$	980	$	120	$	2,003
Online advertising		1,716		14		—		1,730
Hosting and communication		284		336		73		693
Data licensing		500		68		61		629
Total	$	3,403	$	1,398	$	254	$	5,055

          With respect to periods beyond the first quarter of 2004, we may be required to raise additional capital to meet our long term operating requirements. Since inception, we have experienced annual operating losses and have an accumulated deficit of $160.3 million as of March 31, 2003. Failure to generate sufficient revenues, raise additional capital or reduce discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. We expect to be able to fund our operations from internally generated funds for at least the next 12 months. However, we cannot assure that we will be able to fund our operations from internally generated funds during such period or thereafter.

          While we forecast and budget cash requirements, assumptions underlying the estimates may change and could have a material impact on our cash requirements. If capital requirements vary materially from those currently planned, we may require additional financing sooner than anticipated. We have no commitments for any additional financing, and there can be no assurance that any such commitments can be obtained on favorable terms, if at all.

          Any additional equity financing may be dilutive to our stockholders, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants with respect to dividends, raising capital and other financial and operational matters which could restrict our operations or finances. If we are unable to obtain additional financing as needed or on terms favorable to us, we may be required to reduce the scope of or discontinue our operations or delay or discontinue any expansion, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

          In August 2001, the FASB issued SFAS No. 143, “Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations.” SFAS No. 143 addresses financial accounting and reporting obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets and the associated asset retirement costs. SFAS No. 143 is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002. We adopted SFAS No. 143 on January 1, 2003. The adoption did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

          In June 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities.” SFAS No. 146 addresses financial accounting and reporting for costs associated with exit or disposal activities. SFAS No. 146 is effective for exit or disposal activities initiated after December 31, 2002. We adopted SFAS No. 146 on January 1, 2003. The adoption did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

          In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. (FIN) 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees and Indebtedness of Others.” FIN 45 elaborates on the disclosures to be made by the guarantor in its interim and annual financial statements about its obligations under certain guarantees that it has issued. It also requires that a guarantor recognize, at the inception of a guarantee, a liability for the fair value of the obligation undertaken in issuing the guarantee. The initial recognition and measurement provisions of this interpretation are applicable on a prospective basis to guarantees issued or modified after December 31, 2002; while the provisions of the disclosure requirements are effective for financial statements of interim or annual reports ending after December 15, 2002. We adopted the disclosure requirements on December 31, 2002 and the recognition and measurement provisions on January 1, 2003. The adoption of FIN 45 did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

          In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure” which amends SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation.” SFAS No. 148 provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. SFAS No. 148 also requires prominent disclosure about the method of accounting and the effect of the method used on reported results in both annual and interim financial statements. SFAS No. 148 is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2002. We adopted SFAS No. 148 on January 1,

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2003 and have elected to continue to account for our stock-based compensation in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.”

          In January 2003, the FASB issued FIN 46, “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” an Interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51. FIN 46 requires certain variable interest entities to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. FIN 46 is effective immediately for all new variable interest entities created or acquired after January 31, 2003. For variable interest entities created or acquired prior to February 1, 2003, the provisions of FIN 46 must be applied for the first interim or annual period beginning after June 15, 2003. We do not expect the adoption of FIN 46 to have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

Risk Factors

          In addition to the factors discussed in the “Overview” and “Liquidity and Capital Resources” sections of “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the following additional factors may affect our future results.

We have a history of net losses and cannot assure that we will be profitable. If we are unable to sustain our recent profitability and we  lose money, our operations will not be financially viable.

          Because of the relatively recent emergence of the Internet-based vehicle information and purchasing industry, none of our senior executives has long-term experience in the industry. This limited operating history contributes to our difficulty in predicting future operating results.

          We have incurred losses every quarter through the third quarter of 2002. Having achieved profitability in the fourth quarter of 2002, we might fail to sustain or increase that profitability in the future. We cannot assure that we will be profitable. Autobytel had an accumulated deficit of $160.3 million as of March 31, 2003 and $161.2 million as of December 31, 2002.

          Our potential for future profitability must be considered in light of the risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in the early stages of development, particularly companies in emerging and rapidly evolving markets, such as the market for Internet commerce. We believe that to achieve profitability, we must, among other things:

• generate increased vehicle buyer traffic to our Web sites,

• successfully introduce new products and services,

• continue to send new and used vehicle purchase requests to dealers that result in sufficient dealer transactions to justify our fees,

• expand the number of dealers in our networks and enhance the quality of dealers,

• sustain and expand our relationships with automotive manufacturers,

• identify and successfully consummate and integrate acquisitions,

• respond to competitive developments,

• maintain a high degree of customer satisfaction,

• provide secure and easy to use Web sites for customers,

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• increase visibility of our brand names,

• continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel and

• continue to upgrade and enhance our technologies to accommodate expanded service offerings and increased consumer traffic.

          We cannot be certain that we will be successful in achieving these goals or that if we are successful in achieving these goals, that we will be profitable.

If our dealer attrition increases, our dealer networks and revenues derived from these networks may decrease.

          The majority of our revenues are derived from fees paid by our networks of participating program and enterprise dealers. A few agreements account for all of our enterprise dealer relationships. From time to time, a major dealer group or automotive manufacturer may significantly increase or decrease the number of enterprise dealers participating in our dealer networks. If dealer attrition increases and we are unable to add new dealers to mitigate the attrition, our revenues will decrease. A material factor affecting dealer attrition is our ability to provide dealers with high quality purchase requests. High quality purchase requests are those that result in high closing ratios. Closing ratio is the ratio of the number of vehicles purchased at a dealer generated from purchase requests to the total number of purchase requests sent to that dealer. If the number of dealers in our networks declines, our revenues will decrease and our business, results of operations and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

          Generally, our dealer agreements have a stated term ranging from 90 days to one year, but the dealer agreements are cancelable by the dealer upon 30 days notice. In the first quarter of 2003 we began an effort to sign new dealers to contracts with an initial term in excess of 30 days that are terminable on 30 days’ notice by us and automatically renew unless either party elects not to renew. Participating dealers may terminate their relationship with us for any reason, including an unwillingness to accept our subscription terms or as a result of joining alternative marketing programs. We cannot assure that dealers will not terminate their agreements with us. Our business is dependent upon our ability to attract and retain qualified new and used vehicle dealers, major dealer groups and automotive manufacturers. During the first quarter of 2003, we added 412 program dealer relationships to our dealer networks and 577 program dealer relationships were terminated by dealers or us. In the first quarter of 2003, our enterprise dealer relationships declined by 17.  As of March 31, 2003, we had 19,913 dealer referral relationships, including approximately 11,500 dealer referral relationships which are part of a program with a major manufacturer. As of March 31, 2003, 592 program dealers had a relationship with more than one of our branded Web sites. Also, we had 117 suspended dealer relationships as of March 31, 2003. In order for us to grow or maintain our dealer networks, we need to reduce our dealer attrition. We cannot assure that we will be able to reduce the level of dealer attrition, and our failure to do so would materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may lose participating dealers because of the reconfiguration of dealer territories. We will lose the revenues associated with any reductions in participating dealers resulting from such reconfiguration.

          If the volume of purchase requests increases, we may need to reduce or reconfigure exclusive territories currently assigned to Autobytel or CarSmart dealers to serve consumers more effectively. If a dealer is unwilling to accept a reduction or reconfiguration of its territory, it may terminate its relationship with us. A dealer also could sue to prevent such reduction or reconfiguration, or collect damages from us. We have experienced one such lawsuit. A material decrease in the number of dealers participating in our networks or litigation with dealers could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We rely heavily on our participating dealers to promote our brand value by providing high quality services to our consumers. If dealers do not provide our consumers high quality services, our brand value will diminish and the number of consumers who use our services may decline causing a decrease in our revenues.

          Promotion of our brand value depends on our ability to provide consumers a high quality experience for purchasing vehicles throughout the purchasing process. If our dealers do not provide consumers with high quality service, the value of our brands could be damaged and the number of consumers using our services may decrease. We devote significant efforts to train participating dealers in practices that are intended to increase consumer satisfaction. Our inability to train dealers effectively, or the failure by participating dealers to adopt recommended practices, respond rapidly and professionally to vehicle inquiries, or sell and lease vehicles in accordance with our marketing strategies, could result in low consumer satisfaction, damage our brand names and materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Competition could reduce our market share and harm our financial performance. Our market is competitive not only because the Internet has minimal technical barriers to entry, but also because we compete directly with other companies in the offline environment.

          Our vehicle purchasing services compete against a variety of Internet and traditional vehicle purchasing services, automotive brokers and classified advertisement providers. Therefore, we are affected by the competitive factors faced by both Internet commerce companies as well as traditional, offline companies within the automotive and automotive-related industries. The market for Internet-based commercial services is new, and competition among commercial Web sites may increase significantly in the future. Our business is characterized by minimal technical barriers to entry, and new competitors can launch a competitive service at relatively low cost. To compete successfully, we must significantly increase awareness of our services and brand names. Failure to compete successfully will cause our revenues to decline and would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

          We compete with other entities which maintain similar commercial Web sites including AutoUSA, Microsoft Corporation’s MSN Autos, CarsDirect.com, Cars.com, eBayMotors.com and AutoTrader.com. AutoNation, a large consolidator of dealers, has a Web site for marketing vehicles. We also compete indirectly against vehicle brokerage firms and affinity programs offered by several companies, including Costco Wholesale Corporation and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In addition, all major automotive manufacturers have their own Web sites and many have launched online buying services, such as General Motors Corporation’s BuyPower and Ford Motor Company in its partnership with its dealers through FordDirect.com. Our recently announced customer relationship management product, RPM, competes with companies that provide marketing services to automotive manufacturers and dealers, including Reynolds and Reynolds, Automatic Data Processing, TVI Inc., Minacs, Online Administrators and Teletech. We also compete with vehicle dealers that are not part of our networks. Such companies may already maintain or may introduce Web sites which compete with ours.

          We believe that the principal competitive factors in the online market are:

• brand recognition,

• dealer return on investment,

• speed and quality of fulfillment,

• dealer territorial coverage,

• relationships with automotive manufacturers,

• variety of related products and services,

• ease of use,

• customer satisfaction,

• quality of Web site content,

• quality of service and

• technical expertise.

          We cannot assure that we can compete successfully against current or future competitors, many of which have substantially more capital, existing brand recognition, resources and access to additional financing. In addition, competitive pressures may result in increased marketing costs, decreased Web site traffic or loss of market share or otherwise may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our quarterly financial results are subject to significant fluctuations which may make it difficult for investors to predict our future performance.

          Our quarterly operating results have fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate in the future due to many factors. Our expense levels are based in part on our expectations of future revenues which may vary significantly. If revenues do not increase faster than expenses, our business, results of operations and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected. Other factors that may adversely affect our quarterly operating results include:

• our ability to retain existing dealers, attract new dealers and maintain dealer and customer satisfaction,

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• the announcement or introduction of new or enhanced sites, services and products by us or our competitors,

• general economic conditions and economic conditions specific to the Internet, online commerce or the automobile industry,

• a decline in the usage levels of online services and consumer acceptance of the Internet and commercial online services for the purchase of consumer products and services such as those offered by us,

• our ability to upgrade and develop our systems and infrastructure and to attract new personnel in a timely and effective manner,

• the level of traffic on our Web sites and other sites that refer traffic to our Web sites,

• technical difficulties, system downtime, Internet brownouts or electricity blackouts,

• the amount and timing of operating costs and capital expenditures relating to expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure,

• governmental regulation and

• unforeseen events affecting the industry.

Seasonality is likely to cause fluctuations in our operating results. Investors may not be able to predict our annual operating results based on a quarter to quarter comparison of our operating results.

          We expect our business to experience seasonality as it matures. The seasonal patterns of Internet usage and vehicle purchasing do not completely overlap. Historically, Internet usage typically declines during summer and certain holiday periods, while vehicle purchasing in the United States is strongest in the spring and summer months. If seasonality occurs, investors may not be able to predict our annual operating results based on a quarter to quarter comparison of our operating results. Seasonality in the automotive industry, Internet and commercial online service usage and advertising expenditures is likely to cause fluctuations in our operating results and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be particularly affected by general economic conditions due to the nature of the automotive industry.

          The economic strength of the automotive industry significantly impacts the revenues we derive from our dealers, automotive manufacturers and other strategic partners, advertising revenues and consumer traffic to our Web sites. The automotive industry is cyclical, with vehicle sales fluctuating due to changes in national and global economic forces. Purchases of vehicles are typically discretionary for consumers and may be particularly affected by negative trends in the general economy. The success of our operations depends to a significant extent upon a number of factors relating to discretionary consumer spending, including economic conditions (and perceptions of such conditions by consumers) affecting disposable consumer income (such as employment, wages and salaries, business conditions and interest rates in regional and local markets). In addition, because the purchase of a vehicle is a significant investment and is relatively discretionary, any reduction in disposable income in general or a general increase in interest rates or a general tightening of lending may affect us more significantly than companies in other industries.

          Zero percent financing offered by manufacturers in 2002 may negatively affect vehicle sales in 2003. Consumers may have shifted their planned vehicle purchases from 2003 to 2002. A decline in vehicle purchases may result in a decline in demand for our services which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

          Threatened terrorist acts and the ongoing military action have created uncertainties in the automotive industry and domestic and international economies in general. These events may have an adverse impact on general economic conditions, which may reduce demand for vehicles and consequently our services and products which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. At this time, however, we are not able to predict the nature, extent and duration of these effects on overall economic conditions on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

          We cannot assure that our business will not be materially adversely affected as a result of an industry or general economic downturn.

If any of our relationships with Internet search engines or online automotive information providers terminates, our purchase request volume or quality could decline. If our purchase request volume or quality declines, our participating

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dealers may not be satisfied with our services and may terminate their relationships with us or force us to decrease the fees we charge for our service. If this occurs, our revenues would decrease.

          We depend on a number of strategic relationships to direct a substantial amount of purchase requests and traffic to our Web sites. The termination of any of these relationships or any significant reduction in traffic to Web sites on which our services are advertised or offered, or the failure to develop additional referral sources, would cause our purchase request volume or quality to decline. If this occurs, dealers may no longer be satisfied with our service and may terminate their relationships with us or force us to decrease the fees we charge for our services. If our dealers terminate their relationships with us or force us to decrease the fees we charge for our services, our revenues will decline which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We receive a significant number of purchase requests through a limited number of Internet search engines, online automotive information providers, and other auto related Internet sites. We periodically negotiate revisions to existing agreements and these revisions could increase our costs in future periods. A number of our agreements with online service providers may be terminated without cause. We may not be able to maintain our relationship with our online service providers or find alternative, comparable marketing sponsorships and alliances capable of originating significant numbers of purchase requests on terms satisfactory to us. If we cannot maintain or replace our relationships with online service providers, our revenues may decline which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we cannot build and maintain strong brand loyalty our business may suffer.

          We believe that the importance of brand recognition will increase as more companies engage in commerce over the Internet. Development and awareness of the Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com and CarSmart.com brands will depend largely on our ability to obtain a leadership position in Internet commerce. If dealers and manufacturers do not perceive us as an effective channel for increasing vehicle sales, or consumers do not perceive us as offering reliable information concerning new and used vehicles, as well as referrals to high quality dealers, in a user-friendly manner that reduces the time spent for vehicle purchases, we will be unsuccessful in promoting and maintaining our brands. Our brands may not be able to gain widespread acceptance among consumers or dealers. Our failure to develop our brands sufficiently would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we lose our key personnel or are unable to attract, train and retain additional highly qualified sales, marketing, managerial and technical personnel, our business may suffer.

          Our future success depends on our ability to identify, hire, train and retain highly qualified sales, marketing, managerial and technical personnel. In addition, as we introduce new services we may need to hire additional personnel. We may not be able to attract, assimilate or retain such personnel in the future. The inability to attract and retain the necessary managerial, technical, sales and marketing personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

          Our business and operations are substantially dependent on the performance of our executive officers and key employees. The loss of the services of one or more of our executive officers or key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are a relatively new business in an emerging industry and need to manage our growth and our entry into new business areas in order to avoid increased expenses without corresponding revenues.

          We have been introducing new services to consumers and dealers in order to establish ourselves as a leader in the evolving market for automotive marketing services. The growth of our operations requires us to increase expenditures before we generate revenues. For example, we may need to hire personnel to oversee the introduction of new services before we generate revenues from these services. Our inability to generate satisfactory revenues from such expanded services to offset costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

          We must also:

• test, introduce and develop new services and products, including enhancing our Web sites,

• expand the breadth of products and services offered,

• expand our market presence through relationships with third parties and

• acquire new or complementary businesses, products or technologies.

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          We cannot assure that we can successfully achieve these objectives.

If federal or state franchise laws apply to us we may be required to modify or eliminate our marketing programs. If we are unable to market our services in the manner we currently do, our revenues may decrease and our business may suffer.

          We believe that neither our relationship with our dealers nor our dealer subscription agreements constitute “franchises” under federal or state franchise laws. A federal court of appeals in Michigan has ruled that our dealer subscription agreement is not a “franchise” under Michigan law. However, if any state’s regulatory requirements relating to franchises or our method of business impose additional requirements on us or include us within an industry-specific regulatory scheme, we may be required to modify our marketing programs in such states in a manner which undermines the program’s attractiveness to consumers or dealers. If our relationship or written agreement with our dealers were found to be a “franchise” under federal or state franchise laws, we could be subject to other regulations, such as franchise disclosure and registration requirements and limitations on our ability to effect changes in our relationships with our dealers, which may negatively impact our ability to compete and cause our revenues to decrease and our business to suffer. If we become subject to fines or other penalties or if we determine that the franchise and related requirements are overly burdensome, we may elect to terminate operations in such state. In each case, our revenues may decline and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

          We also believe that our dealer marketing service generally does not qualify as an automobile brokerage activity and, therefore, state motor vehicle dealer or broker licensing requirements do not apply to us. Through a subsidiary, we are licensed as a motor vehicle dealer and broker. In response to Texas Department of Transportation concerns, we modified our marketing program in that state to make our program open to all dealers who wish to apply. In addition, we modified the program to include a pricing model under which all participating dealers, regardless of brand, in a given zip code in Texas are charged uniform fees. If other states’ regulatory requirements relating to motor vehicle dealers or brokers are deemed applicable to us, we may become subject to fines, penalties or other requirements and may be required to modify our marketing programs in such states in a manner that undermines the attractiveness of the program to consumers or dealers. If we determine that the licensing or other requirements, in a given state are overly burdensome, we may elect to terminate operations in such state. In each case, our revenues may decline and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

If financial broker and insurance licensing requirements apply to us in states where we are not currently licensed, we will be required to obtain additional licenses and our business may suffer.

          If we are required to be licensed as a financial broker, it may result in an expensive and time-consuming process that could divert the effort of management away from day-to-day operations. In the event states require us to be licensed and we are unable to do so, or are otherwise unable to comply with regulations required by changes in current operations or the introduction of new services, we could be subject to fines or other penalties or be compelled to discontinue operations in such states, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

          We provide links on our Web sites so consumers can receive real time quotes for insurance coverage from third parties and submit quote applications online through such parties’ Web sites. We receive fees from such participants in connection with this advertising activity. We do not believe that such activities require us to be licensed under state insurance laws. The use of the Internet in the marketing of insurance products, however, is a relatively new practice. It is not clear whether or to what extent state insurance licensing laws apply to activities similar to ours. Given these uncertainties, we currently hold, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, insurance agent licenses or are otherwise authorized to transact insurance in numerous states.

          If we are unable to be licensed to comply with additional regulations, or are otherwise unable to comply with regulations required by changes in current operations or the introduction of new services, we could be subject to fines or other penalties or be compelled to discontinue operations in such states, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

There are many risks associated with consummated and potential acquisitions.

          We intend to continue to evaluate potential acquisitions which we believe will complement or enhance our existing business. If we acquire other companies in the future, it may dilute the value of existing stockholders’ ownership. The impact of dilution may restrict our ability or otherwise not allow us to consummate acquisitions. Issuance of equity securities may restrict utilization of net operating loss carryforwards because of an annual limitation due to ownership change limitations under the Internal Revenue Code. We may also incur debt and losses related to the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets if we acquire another company, and this could negatively impact our results of operations. We currently do

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not have any definitive agreements to acquire any company or business, and we may not be able to identify or complete any acquisition in the future.

          Acquisitions involve numerous risks. For example:

• It may be difficult to assimilate the operations and personnel of an acquired business into our own business;

• Management information and accounting systems of an acquired business must be integrated into  our current systems;

• We may lose dealers participating in both our network as well as that of the acquired business, if any;

• Our management must devote its attention to assimilating the acquired business which diverts attention from other business concerns;

• We may enter markets in which we have limited prior experience; and

• We may lose key employees of an acquired business.

Internet commerce has yet to attract significant regulation. Government regulations may result in increased costs that may reduce our future earnings.

          There are currently few laws or regulations that apply directly to the Internet. Because our business is dependent on the Internet, the adoption of new local, state or national laws or regulations may decrease the growth of Internet usage or the acceptance of Internet commerce which could, in turn, decrease the demand for our services and increase our costs or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

          Tax authorities in a number of states are currently reviewing the appropriate tax treatment of companies engaged in Internet commerce. New state tax regulations may subject us to additional state sales, use and income taxes.

Evolving government regulations may require future licensing which could increase administrative costs or adversely affect our revenues.

          In a regulatory climate that is uncertain, our operations may be subject to direct and indirect adoption, expansion or reinterpretation of various laws and regulations. Compliance with these future laws and regulations may require us to obtain appropriate licenses at an undeterminable and possibly significant initial monetary and annual expense. These additional monetary expenditures may increase future overhead, thereby potentially reducing our future results of operations.

          We have identified what we believe are the areas of domestic government regulation, which if changed, would be costly to us. These laws and regulations include franchise laws, motor vehicle brokerage licensing laws, motor vehicle dealership licensing laws, insurance licensing laws and financial services laws, which are or may be applicable to aspects of our business. There could be laws and regulations applicable to our business which we have not identified or which, if changed, may be costly to us.

Our success is dependent on keeping pace with advances in technology. If we are unable to keep pace with advances in technology, consumers may stop using our services and our revenues will decrease.

          The Internet and electronic commerce markets are characterized by rapid technological change, changes in user and customer requirements, frequent new service and product introductions embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards and practices that could render our existing Web sites and technology obsolete. These market characteristics are exacerbated by the emerging nature of the market and the fact that many companies are expected to introduce new Internet products and services in the near future. If we are unable to adapt to changing technologies, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. Our performance will depend, in part, on our ability to continue to enhance our existing services, develop new technology that addresses the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our prospective customers, license leading technologies and respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices on a timely and cost-effective basis. The development of our Web sites and iManager systems and other proprietary technology entails significant technical and business risks. We may not be successful in using new technologies effectively or adapting our Web sites and iManager systems, or other proprietary technology to customer requirements or to emerging industry standards.

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We are vulnerable to electricity blackouts and communications system interruptions. The majority of our primary servers are located in a single location. If electricity or communications to that location or to our headquarters were interrupted, our operations would be adversely affected.

          We presently host our production Web sites and certain systems, including Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, CarSmart.com, AutoSite.com, RPM and iManager, at a secure hosting facility in Irvine, California. Although backup servers are available, our primary servers are vulnerable to interruption by damage from fire, earthquake, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, break-ins and other events beyond our control. In the event that we experience significant system disruptions, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. We have, from time to time, experienced periodic systems interruptions and anticipate that such interruptions will occur in the future.

          As a result of a variety of factors, available electricity supply in California may not be sufficient to meet demand at all times in some areas, and these constraints may continue for several years. The supply constraints have been managed, and will likely continue to be managed, by a combination of obtaining additional supplies, requested conservation, interruption of certain customers whose rates include that possibility, and as a last resort, interruption of some or all customers in certain areas through “rolling blackouts.” Relieving the supply constraints is likely to cause increases in the retail rates to be paid. Our main production systems are hosted in a secure facility with generators and other alternate power supplies in case of a power outage. However, our corporate offices, where we maintain our accounting, finance and contract management systems, are vulnerable to wide-scale power outages. To date, we have not been significantly affected by rolling black-outs or other interruptions in service related to the constraints on electricity supply. In the event we are affected by increased electricity rates or interruptions due to electricity supply constraints, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

          We maintain business interruption insurance which pays up to $12.5 million for the actual loss of business income sustained due to the suspension of operations as a result of direct physical loss of or damage to property at our offices. However, in the event of a prolonged interruption, this business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to fully compensate us for the resulting losses.

Internet commerce is new and evolving with few profitable business models. We cannot assure that our business model will be profitable.

          The market for Internet-based purchasing services has only recently begun to develop and is rapidly evolving. While many Internet commerce companies have grown in terms of revenues, few are profitable. We cannot assure that we will be profitable. As is typical for a new and rapidly evolving industry, demand and market acceptance for recently introduced services and products over the Internet are subject to a high level of uncertainty and there are few proven services and products. Moreover, since the market for our services is new and evolving, it is difficult to predict the future growth rate, if any, and size of this market. The extent to which other participants in the automotive industry will accept the role of third party all make, all model services like us is not yet known.

If consumers do not adopt Internet commerce as a mainstream medium of commerce or if automotive industry participants resist the role of third party online services, our revenues may not grow and our earnings may suffer.

          The success of our services will continue to depend upon the adoption of the Internet by consumers and dealers as a mainstream medium for commerce and/or the willingness of automotive manufacturers to cooperate with third party services. While we believe that our services offer significant advantages to consumers and dealers, there can be no assurance that widespread acceptance of Internet commerce in general, or of our services in particular, will occur or that automotive companies will continue to accept a role for third party services such as ours. Our success assumes that consumers and dealers who have historically relied upon traditional means of commerce to purchase or lease vehicles, and to procure vehicle financing and insurance, will accept new methods of conducting business and exchanging information and that automotive manufacturers will accept, rather than resist, a role for all make, all model third party sites such as ours that allow for comparisons. In addition, dealers must be persuaded to adopt new selling models and be trained to use and invest in developing technologies. If the market for Internet-based vehicle marketing services fails to develop, develops slower than expected, faces opposition or becomes saturated with competitors, or if our services do not achieve market acceptance, our business, results of operations and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.

Internet-related issues may reduce or slow the growth in the use of our services in the future.

          Critical issues concerning the commercial use of the Internet, such as ease of access, security, privacy, reliability, cost, and quality of service, remain unresolved and may impact the growth of Internet use. If Internet usage continues to increase rapidly, the Internet infrastructure may not be able to support the demands placed on it by this growth, and its performance

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and reliability may decline. The recent growth in Internet traffic has caused frequent periods of decreased performance, outages and delays. Our ability to increase the speed with which we provide services to consumers and to increase the scope and quality of such services is limited by and dependent upon the speed and reliability of the Internet, which is beyond our control. If periods of decreased performance, outages or delays on the Internet occur frequently or other critical issues concerning the Internet are not resolved, overall Internet usage or usage of our Web sites could increase more slowly or decline, which would cause our business, results of operations and financial condition to be materially and adversely affected.

The public market for our common stock may continue to be volatile, especially since market prices for Internet-related and technology stocks have often been unrelated to operating performance.

          Prior to the initial public offering of our common stock in March 1999, there was no public market for our common stock. We cannot assure that an active trading market will be sustained or that the market price of the common stock will not decline. Recently, the stock market in general and the shares of emerging companies in particular have experienced significant price fluctuations. The market price of the common stock is likely to continue to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors such as:

• actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results,

• historical and anticipated operating metrics such as the number of participating dealers, the visitors to our Web sites and the frequency with which they transact,

• announcements of new product or service offerings,

• technological innovations,

• competitive developments, including actions by automotive manufacturers,

• changes in financial estimates by securities analysts,

• conditions and trends in the Internet and electronic commerce industries,

• adoption of new accounting standards affecting the technology or automotive industry and

• general market conditions and other factors.

          Further, the stock markets, and in particular the Nasdaq National Market, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have particularly affected the market prices of equity securities of many technology companies and have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of such companies. These broad market factors have and may continue to adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, general economic, political and market conditions, such as recessions, interest rates, international currency fluctuations, terrorist acts, military actions or wars, may adversely affect the market price of the common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies with publicly traded securities. Such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Changing legislation affecting the automotive industry could require increased regulatory and lobbying costs and may harm our business.

          Our services may result in changing the way vehicles are sold which may be viewed as threatening by new and used vehicle dealers who do not subscribe to our programs. Such businesses are often represented by influential lobbying organizations, and such organizations or other persons may propose legislation which could impact the evolving marketing and distribution model which our services promote. Should current laws be changed or new laws passed, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. As we introduce new services, we may need to comply with additional licensing regulations and regulatory requirements.

          To date, we have not spent significant resources on lobbying or related government affairs issues but we may need to do so in the future. A significant increase in the amount we spend on lobbying or related activities could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

International activities may adversely affect our financial condition.

          Our licensees currently have Web sites in the United Kingdom, Sweden, The Netherlands and Japan. We may expand our brand into other foreign markets primarily through licensing our trade names. We cannot be certain that we will be

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successful in introducing or marketing our services abroad. Revenue from our licensees may be adversely affected by risks in conducting business in their markets, such as regulatory requirements, changes in political conditions, potentially weaker intellectual property protections and educating consumers and dealers who may be unfamiliar with the benefits of online marketing and commerce. In addition, our investment in licensees may be impaired. As a result, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Our computer infrastructure may be vulnerable to security breaches. Any such problems could jeopardize confidential information transmitted over the Internet, cause interruptions in our operations or cause us to have liability to third persons.

          Our computer infrastructure is potentially vulnerable to physical or electronic computer break-ins, viruses and similar disruptive problems and security breaches. Any such problems or security breaches could cause us to have liability to one or more third parties and disrupt all or part of our operations. A party who is able to circumvent our security measures could misappropriate proprietary information, jeopardize the confidential nature of information transmitted over the Internet or cause interruptions in our operations. Concerns over the security of Internet transactions and the privacy of users could also inhibit the growth of the Internet in general, particularly as a means of conducting commercial transactions. To the extent that our activities or those of third party contractors involve the storage and transmission of proprietary information such as personal financial information, security breaches could expose us to a risk of financial loss, litigation and other liabilities. Our current insurance program may protect us against some, but not all, of such losses. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We depend on continued technological improvements in our systems and in the Internet overall. If we are unable to handle an unexpectedly large increase in volume of consumers using our Web sites, we cannot assure our consumers or dealers that purchase requests will be efficiently processed and our business may suffer.

          If the Internet continues to experience significant growth in the number of users and the level of use, then the Internet infrastructure may not be able to continue to support the demands placed on it by such potential growth. The Internet may not prove to be a viable commercial medium because of inadequate development of the necessary infrastructure, timely development of complementary products such as high speed modems, delays in the development or adoption of new standards and protocols required to handle increased levels of Internet activity or increased government regulation.

          An unexpectedly large increase in the volume or pace of traffic on our Web sites or the number of orders placed by customers may require us to expand and further upgrade our technology, transaction-processing systems and network infrastructure. We may not be able to accurately project the rate or timing of increases, if any, in the use of our Web sites or expand and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to accommodate such increases. In addition, we cannot assure that our dealers will efficiently process purchase requests.

          Any of such failures regarding the Internet in general or our Web sites, technology systems and infrastructure in particular, or with respect to our dealers, would have a material and adverse affect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Misappropriation of our intellectual property and proprietary rights could impair our competitive position.

          Our ability to compete depends upon our proprietary systems and technology. While we rely on trademark, trade secret, patent and copyright law, confidentiality agreements and technical measures to protect our proprietary rights, we believe that the technical and creative skills of our personnel, continued development of our proprietary systems and technology, brand name recognition and reliable Web site maintenance are more essential in establishing and maintaining a leadership position and strengthening our brands. As part of our confidentiality procedures, we generally enter into agreements with our employees and consultants and limit access to our trade secrets and technology. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our services or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Policing unauthorized use of our proprietary rights is difficult. We cannot assure that the steps taken by us will prevent misappropriation of technology or that the agreements entered into for that purpose will be enforceable. Effective trademark, service mark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available in every country in which our products and services are made available online. In addition, litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce or protect our intellectual property rights or to defend against claims or infringement or invalidity. Misappropriation of our intellectual property or potential litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face risk of claims from third parties relating to intellectual property. In addition, we may incur liability for retrieving and transmitting information over the Internet. Such claims and liabilities could harm our business.

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          As part of our business, we make Internet services and content available to our customers. This creates the potential for claims to be made against us, either directly or through contractual indemnification provisions with third parties. We could face liability for information retrieved from or transmitted over the Internet and liability for products sold over the Internet. We could be exposed to liability with respect to third-party information that may be accessible through our Web sites, links or car review services. Such claims might, for example, be made for defamation, negligence, patent, copyright or trademark infringement, personal injury, breach of contract, unfair competition, false advertising, invasion of privacy or other legal theories based on the nature, content or copying of these materials. Such claims might assert, among other things, that, by directly or indirectly providing links to Web sites operated by third parties, we should be liable for copyright or trademark infringement or other wrongful actions by such third parties through such Web sites. It is also possible that, if any third-party content information provided on our Web sites contains errors, consumers could make claims against us for losses incurred in reliance on such information. Any claims could result in costly litigation, divert management’s attention and resources, cause delays in releasing new or upgrading existing services or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements.

          We also enter into agreements with other companies under which any revenue that results from the purchase of services through direct links to or from our Web sites is shared. Such arrangements may expose us to additional legal risks and uncertainties, including local, state and federal government regulation and potential liabilities to consumers of these services, even if we do not provide the services ourselves. We cannot assure that any indemnification provided to us in our agreements with these parties, if available, will be adequate.

          Even to the extent such claims do not result in liability to us, we could incur significant costs in investigating and defending against such claims. The imposition upon us of potential liability for information carried on or disseminated through our system could require us to implement measures to reduce our exposure to such liability, which might require the expenditure of substantial resources or limit the attractiveness of our services to consumers, dealers and others.

          Litigation regarding intellectual property rights is common in the Internet and software industries. We expect that Internet technologies and software products and services may be increasingly subject to third-party infringement claims as the number of competitors in our industry segment grows and the functionality of products in different industry segments overlaps. Recently, a third-party asserted that we infringe certain of its patents. We initiated legal action to declare that no such infringement exists. There can be no assurance that our services do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties.

          In the past, plaintiffs have brought these types of claims and sometimes successfully litigated them against online services. Our general liability insurance may not cover all potential claims to which we are exposed and may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that may be imposed. Any imposition of liability that is not covered by insurance or is in excess of our insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We could be adversely affected by litigation. If we were subject to a significant adverse litigation outcome, our financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

          We are a defendant in certain proceedings which are described in “Part II. Item 1. Legal Proceedings” herein.

          From time to time, we are involved in other litigation matters arising from the normal course of our business activities. The actions filed against us and other litigation, even if not meritorious, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention and an adverse outcome in litigation could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we are unable to maintain our Nasdaq National Market listing, the liquidity of our common stock would be seriously limited.

          We cannot assure that we will be able to comply with the minimum requirements for continued listing on the Nasdaq National Market. In the event our shares are delisted from the Nasdaq National Market, we anticipate that we would attempt to have our common stock traded on the NASD over-the counter Bulletin Board. If our common stock is delisted, it would seriously limit the liquidity of our common stock and limit our potential to raise future capital through the sale of our common stock, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are uncertain of our ability to obtain additional financing for our future capital needs. If we are unable to obtain additional financing we may not be able to continue to operate our business.

          We currently anticipate that our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to meet our anticipated needs for working capital and other cash requirements at least for the next 12 months. We may need to raise additional funds sooner, however, in order to fund more rapid expansion, to develop new or enhance existing services or

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products, to respond to competitive pressures or to acquire complementary products, businesses or technologies. There can be no assurance that additional financing will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to fund our expansion, take advantage of potential acquisition opportunities, develop or enhance services or products or respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited. In addition, our ability to continue to operate our business may also be materially adversely affected in the event additional financing is not available when required. Such limitation could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law contain provisions that could discourage a third party from acquiring us or limit the price third parties are willing to pay for our stock.

          Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws relating to our corporate governance could make it difficult for a third party to acquire us, and could discourage a third party from attempting to acquire control of us. These provisions allow us to issue preferred stock with rights senior to those of the common stock without any further vote or action by the stockholders. These provisions provide that the board of directors is divided into three classes, which may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control or change in our management because less than a majority of the board of directors are up for election at each annual meeting. In addition, these provisions impose various procedural and other requirements which could make it more difficult for stockholders to effect corporate actions such as a merger, asset sale or other change of control of us. Such charter provisions could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control. The issuance of preferred stock also could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of common stock or could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of the common stock.

          We are also subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, the statute prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. For purposes of Section 203, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder, and an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or did own 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock.

Our actual results could differ from forward-looking statements in this report.

          This report contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations which involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including the risk factors set forth above and elsewhere in this report. The cautionary statements made in this report should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this report.

Item 4.     Controls and Procedures

          Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-14(c) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, within 90 days of the filing date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on their evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting them to material information required to be included in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It should be noted that the design of any system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.

          On a regular basis, we review and modify our internal controls and procedures. There have been no significant changes (including corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies or material weaknesses) in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.     Legal Proceedings

          On October 10, 2002, Morrison & Foerster LLP, a law firm that represented Autobytel, A.I.N., Inc. and  Michael Gorun, former President of A.I.N., at various points in litigation which was settled in 2002, filed an action entitled Morison & Foerster LLP v. Autobytel.com Inc. et al. in the Santa Clara Superior Court against Autobytel, A.I.N. and Mr. Gorun

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asserting claims for damages for beach of contract for failure to pay legal fees and expenses plus interest accrued thereon in the aggregate amount of approximately $660,000. Autobytel and A.I.N. dispute these allegations and intend to vigorously defend against the action. In addition, Autobytel and A.I.N. believe that they have meritorious claims against Morrison & Forester LLP.

          No charges for loss contingencies associated with the above legal matter were recorded in the three months ended March 31, 2003 or 2002. As of March 31, 2003, we maintained an estimated reserve for loss contingencies which was recorded in December 2002.

          In August 2001, a purported class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Autobytel and certain of Autobytel’s current and former directors and officers (the “Autobytel Individual Defendants”) and underwriters involved in Autobytel’s initial public offering. The complaints against Autobytel have been consolidated with two other complaints that relate to its initial public offering but do not name it as a defendant, and a Consolidated Amended Complaint, which is now the operative complaint, was filed on April 19, 2002. This action purports to allege violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs allege that the underwriter defendants agreed to allocate stock in Autobytel’s initial public offering to certain investors in exchange for excessive and undisclosed commissions and agreements by those investors to make additional purchases of stock in the aftermarket at pre-determined prices. Plaintiffs allege that the prospectus for Autobytel’s initial public offering was false and misleading in violation of the securities laws because it did not disclose these arrangements. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. The action is being coordinated with approximately 300 other nearly identical actions filed against other companies. A motion to dismiss addressing issues common to the companies and individuals who have been sued in these actions was filed on July 15, 2002. On October 9, 2002, the Court dismissed the Autobytel Individual Defendants from the case without prejudice based upon Stipulations of Dismissal filed by the plaintiffs and the Autobytel Individual Defendants. On February 19, 2003, the Court denied the motion to dismiss the complaint against Autobytel. We believe that we have meritorious claims against the underwriters and intend to vigorously defend the action.

          Between April and June 2001, eight separate purported class actions virtually identical to the one filed against Autobytel were filed against Autoweb, certain of Autoweb’s current and former directors and officers (the “Autoweb Individual Defendants”) and underwriters involved in Autoweb’s initial public offering. The complaints against Autoweb have been consolidated into a single action, and a Consolidated Amended Complaint, which is now the operative complaint, was filed on April 19, 2002. The foregoing action purports to allege violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs allege that the underwriter defendants agreed to allocate stock in Autoweb’s initial public offering to certain investors in exchange for excessive and undisclosed commissions and agreements by those investors to make additional purchases of stock in the aftermarket at pre-determined prices. Plaintiffs allege that the prospectus for Autoweb’s initial public offering was false and misleading in violation of the securities laws because it did not disclose these arrangements. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. The action is being coordinated with approximately 300 other nearly identical actions filed against other companies. A motion to dismiss addressing issues common to the companies and individuals who have been sued in these actions was filed on July 15, 2002. On October 9, 2002, the Court dismissed the Autoweb Individual Defendants from the case without prejudice based upon Stipulations of Dismissal filed by the plaintiffs and the Autoweb Individual Defendants. On February 19, 2003, the Court dismissed the Section 10(b) claim without prejudice and with leave to replead but denied the motion to dismiss the claim under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 against Autoweb. We believe that we have meritorious claims against the underwriters and intend to vigorously defend the action.

          On February 28, 2003, a purported class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Autoweb, the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Chief Financial Officer of Autoweb, and CSFB, the co-lead underwriter of Autoweb’s initial public offering, are named as defendants in that action. The complaint alleges claims against Autoweb and such former officers for violations of the Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Florida’s Blue Sky laws and also alleges claims based on common law theories of fraud, negligent misrepresentation and respondeat superior. The complaint makes similar allegations against approximately 50 other companies for which CSFB was the lead or a co-lead underwriter. The complaint alleges that the defendants disseminated false and misleading information to the public which misrepresented the accuracy of Autoweb’s initial public offering price, its financial condition and future revenue prospects. The complaint further alleges that the effect of the purported fraud was to manipulate Autoweb’s stock price so that the defendants could profit from the manipulation. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. No date has been set for a response to this complaint. We intend to vigorously defend the action.

          We have reviewed the above class action matters and have determined that a reserve for loss contingencies is not required at this time.

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          From time to time, we are involved in other litigation matters relating to claims arising out of the ordinary course of business. We believe that there are no claims or actions pending or threatened against us, the ultimate disposition of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. However, if a court or jury rules against us and the ruling is ultimately sustained on appeal and damages are awarded against us, such ruling could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Item 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

          No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the first quarter of 2003.

Item 6.     Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

          (a) Exhibits:

99.1*	Chief Executive Officer Certification of Periodic Report, dated May 14, 2003.
99.2*	Chief Financial Officer Certification of Periodic Report, dated May 14, 2003.

* A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Autobytel and will be retained by Autobytel and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.

          (b) Reports on Form 8-K:

          On January 31, 2003, we filed a Form 8-K dated January 30, 2003 announcing our financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2002.

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SIGNATURES

           Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

	AUTOBYTEL INC.
	By:	/s/ HOSHI PRINTER
		Hoshi Printer Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
	By:	/s/ AMIT KOTHARI
		Amit Kothari Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)
Date: May 14, 2003

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Jeffrey A. Schwartz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Autobytel Inc., certify that:

1.  I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Autobytel Inc.;

2.   Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

4.  The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and we have:

a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

b) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the “Evaluation Date”); and

c) presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;

5.  The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

a) all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant’s auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls; and

6.  The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether or not there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

Date: May 14, 2003

/s/ JEFFREY A. SCHWARTZ

Jeffrey A. Schwartz,
President and Chief Executive Officer

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I, Hoshi Printer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Autobytel Inc., certify that:

1.  I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Autobytel Inc.;

2.  Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

4.  The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and we have:

a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

b) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this quarterly report (the “Evaluation Date”); and

c) presented in this quarterly report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;

5.  The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

a) all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and have identified for the registrant’s auditors any material weaknesses in internal controls; and

b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal controls; and

6.  The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have indicated in this quarterly report whether or not there were significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

Date: May 14, 2003

/s/ HOSHI PRINTER

Hoshi Printer,
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number
99.1*	Chief Executive Officer Certification of Periodic Report, dated May 14, 2003.
99.2*	Chief Financial Officer Certification of Periodic Report, dated May 14, 2003.

* A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Autobytel and will be retained by Autobytel and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.

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EX-99.1

EXHIBIT 99.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Autobytel Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2003 (the “Report”), I, Jeffrey A. Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. ss. 1350, as adopted pursuant to ss. 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company.

/s/    Jeffrey A. Schwartz

Jeffrey A. Schwartz

Chief Executive Officer

May 14, 2003

EX-99.2

EXHIBIT 99.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Autobytel Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2003 (the “Report”), I, Hoshi Printer, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. ss. 1350, as adopted pursuant to ss. 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company.

/s/    Hoshi Printer

Hoshi Printer

Chief Financial Officer

May 14, 2003