• by David Goetzl , February 4, 2009

The blue bible of car-buying information indicated the Super Bowl ads for three carmakers may yield some green.

The Kelley Blue Book--which provides price quotes in print long before they became easily accessible online--said consumers flocked to its Web site for information on Hyundai, Audi and Toyota vehicles after spots for the brands ran in the Big Game.

Kelley said page views for the Hyundai Genesis saw an 82% jump on kbb.com, while the Audi A6 had a 45% increase. There was also a 13% bump for the Toyota Venza.

Kelley made the announcement evidently as a marketing maneuver for itself. "When it comes to new-vehicle information, consumers go where they can get timely, accurate information ...," said Rick Wainschel, senior vice president of marketing and analytics for Kelley Blue Book. "Our Web traffic data shows the online effect today's vehicle commercials have on shoppers and where they go to find the latest new-vehicle information."

A print version of Kelley has been around since 1926; it gives rise to the term "blue-book value" of a vehicle, particularly a used one.