Autobytel to Hold Fourth Quarter and Full Year 201

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autobytel Inc. (NASDAQ: ABTL ), a pioneer and leading provider of digital automotive services connecting in-market car buyers with dealers and OEMs, will hold a conference call on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2016. The company will report its financial results in a press release prior to the conference call.

Autobytel President and CEO Jeff Coats and CFO Kimberly Boren will host the conference call, followed by a question-and-answer session. During the call, management will refer to a supplementary slide presentation, which will be available for download in the Investor Relations section of the company’s website.

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2017 Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time) Toll-free dial-in number: 1-877-852-2929 International dial-in number: 1-404-991-3925 Conference ID: 77540425

The conference call will also be broadcast live at www.autobytel.com (click on “Investor Relations” and then click on “Events & Presentations”). Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to register and download any necessary software. For those who will be joining the call by phone, please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time, and an operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Liolios at 1-949-574-3860.

A replay of the conference call will be available after 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through March 17, 2017. The call will also be archived in the Investor Relations section of Autobytel’s website for one year.

Toll-free replay number: 1-855-859-2056 International replay number: 1-404-537-3406 Replay ID: 77540425

Tax Benefit Preservation Plan At December 31, 2015, the company had approximately $88.2 million in available net operating loss carryforwards ("NOLs") for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The company's Tax Benefit Preservation Plan ("Plan") was adopted by the company's Board of Directors to preserve the company's NOLs and other tax attributes and thus reduce the risk of a possible change of ownership under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. Any such change of ownership under Section 382 would limit or eliminate the ability of the company to use its existing NOLs for federal income tax purposes. Rights issued under the Plan could be triggered upon the acquisition by any person or group of 4.9% or more of the company's outstanding common stock and could result in substantial dilution of the acquirer's percentage ownership in the company. As of October 31, 2016, there were 10,962,330 shares of the Company's common stock outstanding. There is no guarantee that the Plan will achieve the objective of preserving the value of the company's NOLs. For more information, please visit http://investor.autobytel.com/tax.cfm .

About Autobytel Inc. Autobytel Inc. provides high quality consumer leads and associated marketing services to automotive dealers and manufacturers throughout the United States. The company also provides consumers with robust and original online automotive content to help them make informed car-buying decisions. The company pioneered the automotive Internet in 1995 with its flagship website www.autobytel.com and has since helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and has helped every major automaker market its brand online.

Investors and other interested parties can receive Autobytel news alerts and special event invitations by accessing the online registration form at investor.autobytel.com/alerts.cfm .

Company Contact: Kimberly Boren Chief Financial Officer 949-862-1396 kimb@autobytel.com Investor Relations: Liolios Cody Slach or Sean Mansouri 949-574-3860 ABTL@liolios.com