WESTCHESTER, Ill. — Insurance Auto Auctions has added a Mandarin Chinese option to its Web site, meaning the company now provides six language interface options. The others are English, French, Polish, Russian and
Spanish.

IAA estimates that almost one-third (30 percent) of its vehicles are purchased by foreign buyers and noted that more than 12 percent of customers select a language other than English on the company's Web site.

Officials said this percentage is likely to continue moving upward.

"Nearly 1 billion people speak Mandarin Chinese, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. We are delighted to offer this emerging client base the opportunity to experience IAA's live-online auctions," stated Tom O'Brien, chief executive officer at IAA.

"No matter what language our clients may speak, there remains a solid demand overseas for U.S. salvage vehicles," he added. "We understand their desire for a user-friendly bidding and buying platform and will continue to focus on providing an ever-growing global client base with great online experiences."