CarOrder Lays Off 100 Employees

May 11 2000

CarOrder.com laid off more than one third of its employees Thursday as part of the company's efforts to achieve profitability.

Company spokeswoman Erica Brynes said the company, based in Austin, Texas, laid off 50 full-time employees and 50 part-timers.

Most of those who received pink slips worked in the company's customer service department, she said. No one from the executive ranks was affected.

"We definitely want to term today as a reorganization as we move forward," Brynes says.

CarOrder.com, which launched in January 1999, will have about 200 employees after the layoffs. The company is an online car-buying service that allows consumers to order new vehicles via the Internet and then have them delivered.

The company competes in the online auto-buying sector with businesses such as iMotors.com, which specializes in used cars, and AutoByTel.com.