Most, if not all, of the 75 employees at Greenlight are expected to lose their jobs once the deal is completed next month. Analysts expect a major shakeout of independents this year and next. McGreevey says there is a place for third-party sites because consumers trust an unbiased source. But she says only three of the 10 to 15 major players will survive the shakeout. McGreevey applauds GM's pilot project with Autobytel because it lets GM benefit from the independence of a third-party Web site.
Some dealers are skeptical about the independents' chances to survive.
Mike Jackson, CEO of AutoNation, the USA's largest dealership chain, says dealers working in partnership with manufacturers can offer better prices and fewer hassles in buying a car over the Internet. Automakers are hiring Autobytel to train dealerships on using the Internet to generate sales, even if they don't use Autobytel's service, he says.