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ATLANTA — Manheim is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its General Motors Dealer Lane program by adding the first-ever monthly Online Event Sale on OVE.com.

Management said the first open sale will run today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. It's set to include more than 300 late-model, low-mileage units from GM franchised dealers. The special sale is meant to give dealers "convenient access to the freshest possible General Motors Dealer Lane pre-owned inventory straight from dealership lots."

Launched just a year ago, Manheim believes the General Motors Dealer Lane program has been on the fast track to success. The program is now offered at 24 Manheim locations throughout the country.

Company officials think the expansion to OVE.com Online Event Sales should mean all dealers now have the opportunity to purchase these late-model, low-mileage units in any manner that they choose from Manheim. 

Manheim described vehicles in the GM Dealer Lane as "the cream of the crop." These units are no older than five years, with 75,000 miles or less on the odometer.

The company emphasized that every vehicle in the Online Event Sale follows the same criteria as the in-lane vehicles, and the vehicles offered online come with a Manheim-approved Condition Report and guaranteed satisfaction through Manheim's Online Buy Back Policy.

"The success of The General Motors Dealer Lane program is due in large part to (Manheim's) excellent customer service," noted Blake Hubbard, used car manager at Maher Chevy in St. Petersburg, Fla.

"The Manheim team strives to build long-term, repeat customers instead of one-time buyers, which increases our confidence in both the quality of the cars and the entire buying process," Hubbard added

To date, the company indicated approximately 21 percent of all Manheim vehicles are sold to online buyers. Furthermore, OVE.com's average monthly volume through June is up 38 percent over 2009's average monthly volume.

Manheim asserts the efficiency and ease of buying online is an increasingly popular solution for time- and inventory-constrained dealers.

"Manheim has seen great success in-lane with the General Motors Dealer Lane program," noted Debbie Conrad, executive director of General Motors Dealer Business.

"We are excited to be expanding the General Motors Dealer Lane program to include a monthly Online Event Sale so all dealers will have their choice of channels to pick from when sourcing late-model, low- mileage inventory from the General Motors Dealer Lane program," Conrad added.

Dealers can access the General Motors Dealer Lane sale as well as other Manheim Online Event Sales by clicking on the daily sales calendar at www.manheim.com.