CHICAGO, Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com has been selected as one of the top 100 finalists--out of 535 nominees--for the 14(th) annual Chicago Innovation Awards. The awards celebrate the most innovative new products and services in the Chicago region across all organization sizes, sectors and industries. The awards ceremony will take place Oct. 27 at the Harris Theater in Chicago.

Cars.com was nominated for its consumer and automotive dealer service and repair initiatives. This year, the company unveiled new features on its website to help take the guesswork out of shopping for car service and repair. Fair-price repair estimates and dealer reviews are some of the features that give consumers the trust and quality they seek.

As part of these initiatives, Cars.com launched RepairPal Certified, a certification program developed for qualified franchise dealerships to verify trusted service departments across the United States. The certification badge assures consumers that a dealership's service department has strong customer satisfaction scores and qualified technicians, as well as guaranteed fair prices and warranties for its work.

"Cars.com is honored to be recognized by the Chicago Innovation Awards committee for our use of technology in helping to make vehicle service and repair a more pleasant experience," said Colette LaForce, chief marketing officer of Cars.com. "Every day, Cars.com helps millions of car shoppers and owners by being a trusted resource and unbiased advisor. We're proud of the innovation we're bringing to car ownership through our web properties and mobile apps, and will continue to innovate in new ways to drive the best possible experiences between dealers, repair shops and consumers."

Each of the top 100 finalists is also in the running for the annual "People's Choice Award," which is selected through online balloting at http://www.chicagoinnovationawards.com/2015-peoples-choice-award/. "People's Choice Award" voting ends Oct. 9.

Out of the top 100 finalists, the judges will select 10 winners of the Chicago Innovation Awards, 10 winners of the "Up-and-Comer Awards," representing innovation in the start-up community, the "Social Innovator Award" and the "Collaboration Award." The winners will be invited to the NASDAQ bell ringing ceremony in New York and participate in meetings with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Governor Bruce Rauner and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle.

For more information about Cars.com's new service and repair features, visit Cars.com/auto-repair.

About Cars.com
Launched in 1998, Cars.com, a TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) company, is an award-recognized online destination for car shoppers and owners that offers information from experts and consumers to help research, price and find new and used cars, as well as information about service and repair for car owners.

With more than 30 million monthly visits to its web properties, Cars.com offers millions of new and used vehicle listings, expert and consumer reviews, side-by-side comparison, build and price tools, unbiased editorial content and much more. In 2015, Cars.com introduced a new service and repair feature to help consumers find the right service provider and understand how much to pay with the fair-price estimator tool. Cars.com puts millions of car buyers, and now owners, in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make stress-free buying, selling and servicing decisions.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carscom-is-named-finalist-for-14th-annual-chicago-innovation-awards-300154949.html

SOURCE Cars.com