DETROIT – SmartAuction, Ally Financial’s online used vehicle auction, was named the Platinum Award recipient in the Online Auctions category of Auto Dealer Monthly’s 2011 Dealers’ Choice Awards. The honor is the seventh consecutive time SmartAuction has received an award in the Online Auctions category, which is measured by dealer and dealership personnel votes.

“The Dealers’ Choice Awards offer dealers and their employees the opportunity to make their collective voice heard and bring some well-deserved recognition not only to the great products and services that are vital to the day-to-day operations of the dealership, but also to the people behind those products and services,” said Harlene Doane, editor of Auto Dealer Monthly.

Steve Kapusta, SmartAuction’s executive director of Dealer Sales, said the secret to the company’s success has been adding industry leading features and value to its customers.

“We’ve always believed that building the trust of dealers is the key to gathering the largest number of buyers and sellers to an online marketplace and we’ve done this by offering industry leading value and innovation through such features as our NAAA compliant arbitration policy to our guide book integration and Dealer eVantage programs,” said Kapusta.

“On any given day, more than 9,000 dealers review SmartAuction’s online vehicle inventory, which averages 13,000 vehicles representing over 40 different vehicle makes,” Kapusta added. “That performance, combined with the energy of the dealers and leading consignors of rental, repossession and independent auctions has formed SmartAuction’s user community and fueled its momentum of success.”

2011 marks the seventh year Auto Dealer Monthly has held the Dealer’s Choice Awards, which recognize the most highly-regarded vendors, suppliers and finance companies in the retail automotive industry, as voted on by dealers and dealership personnel.