The auto industry is parking its inventory in cyberspace.

The auto industry is increasingly parking its inventory in cyberspace, where Internet browsers can stroll through a vast electronic showroom, kick imaginary tires, dig up detailed information, and even finance and buy a car and have it delivered. The Internet is a maze of auto information, and Web sites continue to expand. Currently, about 60 percent of the National Automobile Dealers Association_s (NADA) 20,000 il,10p,6p6 dealer members have some tie to an Internet Web site, according to an NADA study. The actual number of cars being sold over the Internet is unclear, but the biggest auto site, www.autobytel.com, claims to process more than 100,000 vehicle purchase requests each month. "In the future, as far as dealerships are concerned, you will be able to do everything on the Internet that you can do now by walking into a dealership,' said Jean Beres, the NADA_s information technology analyst". She divides the types of Web sites into three general categories - the auto-buying sites, where the browser is referred to a dealer and the Web site gets a referral fee from the dealer; sites operated by a manufacturer, where only its products are displayed; and others that focus on information regarding insurance, recalls and crash test results. NADA operates its own Web site, www.nada.org, which is designed primarily for its members, but Beres said it does have tips on maintenance, safety and links to specific manufacturer sites.