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February 4th, 2011
The scene at the Detroit Auto Show this year has been all about the revival of a struggling industry so when the Chevy Volt took Car of the Year, it’s further evidence that the tide has changed.
Detroit and the Big 3 have been hitting on all cylinders as they clean up this year with awards across the board, and the Volt is one that signifies the capability of a remerging GM.
GM, no doubt, took a huge risk with the new Volt as other manufacturers chose too take a slower and safer approach to this shift in demand. Pioneers in this industry can find that one small step towards having faith in the consumer interests can lead to great success.
The Volt represents much more than a new direction for the automobile, it marks a point in history where the corporate executives are finally forced to listen to the market as opposed to listening to their egos. It was do or die and in this case, GM chose to do what many wouldn’t, and now they are being rewarded for this leadership.
The Volt is an electric vehicle that can operate under a range of weather climates and driving conditions with little concern of being stranded by a depleted battery. The Volt has a total driving range of up to 379 miles, based on EPA estimates. For the first 35 miles, the Volt can drive gas- and tailpipe-emissions-free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank.
The Volt still has many hurdles before if finds itself as a common vehicle parked in many of the average American garages, paired with high voltage charging stations and surrounded by green walls, floors and lives.
The 2011 Chevy Volt suggested starting MSRP is $40,280
Tags: 2011 Chevy Volt
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January 30th, 2011
Nowadays, it’s one thing to offer a competent vehicle in the SUV market, and it’s another to design and produce an SUV that satisfies the growing number of sub-segments that exist. The Equinox is a crossover, borderline midsize SUV, and nearly too large to be considered a compact SUV.
The perfect SUV now appears to be measured in cubic feet of capacity, go too low and there’s not enough cargo space, too large and it’s back to the heavyweight division where parking becomes nearly impossible.
The Equinox is essentially midsize when it comes to comparing it to something like a Honda CR-V, which beats it in cargo space by offering an extra 9.2 cubic feet.
The win for the Equinox is clearly from the efficiency it brings with 22 city and 32 Hwy MPG. Though don’t let the numbers be your primary focus, because buying a vehicle that suits your lifestyle and family needs will be just as important.
Most people love the design of the Equinox, and it’s clearly one of the nicer looking models in it’s class, but the interior is where the highest ratings were achieved. Reviews put it at a likely candidate for leading it’s class for interior design and features that maximize the room over previous years.
The 2011 Chevrolet Equinox is competitive in its segment with a suggested starting MSRP of $22,745 for the LS – $23,910 for the 1LT – $25,970 for the 2LT – $28,320 for the LTZ. Add around $2500 for All-Wheel Drive, available as an option on all models.
[source: USNews]
Tags: 2011 Equinox
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January 28th, 2011
The 2011 Chevy Cruze ECOTEC delivers tremendous value and outstanding fuel economy.
Powered by Chevy’s new eco-tech 1.4 L turbocharged engine, the cruise gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway all for less than $20,000.
Cruze has been a hit in Europe and Asia so Chevrolet saw an opportunity to bring something to the market in the US that could follow similar success.
The difference that the Cruze brings to the table is the overall roominess of its interior whereas many compact cars feel tight and cramped.
In addition to price and fuel economy, the Cruze has also earned five-star ratings for safety everywhere it’s been tested. This fact reveals that small cars do not have to sacrifice safety in order to bring a game changer in the market.
Cruze LT, starting at $18,895, includes:
Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed automatic transmission
16-inch wheels
Cruze 2LT, starting at $21,395, includes:
Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed automatic transmission
Standard six-way power driver seat, leather seating surfaces, heated seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB port with audio interface, steering-wheel mounted audio controls and remote vehicle start
Standard 16-inch alloy wheels
Cruze Eco, starting at $18,895, includes:
Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed manual transmission
Segment-leading expected 40 miles per gallon highway
Standard 17-inch alloy wheels with ultra low-rolling resistance tires, and enhanced aerodynamic performance package
Cruze LTZ, starting at $22,695, includes:
Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed automatic transmission
Standard six-way power driver seat, leather seating surfaces, heated seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
Standard cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB port with audio interface, steering-wheel mounted audio controls and remote vehicle start
Standard automatic climate control, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, and ultrasonic rear-parking assist
18-inch alloy wheels with four-wheel disc brakes
RS appearance package, available on LT and LTZ models for $695, includes:
Unique front and rear fascias
Rocker moldings
Front fog lamps
Rear spoiler
Major available option features on Cruze include:
In-dash navigation system with 40-gigabyte hard drive, enabling pause-and-play radio, downloading of audio CDs or transferring MP3 files from a USB memory device
Pioneer Audio system, with nine speakers and 250-watt amplifier
Ultrasonic rear park assist
Tags: 2011 cruze, chevy volt eco, ecotec
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September 25th, 2010
If you were to purchase a new truck what are the most important specifications or pieces of data that influence what you buy?
Some may be very specific in their use case for a new truck, for instance the need to haul materials that have an average payload could make or break the deal.
The benefit in having your expectations down gives you a much better decision making process when considering the brand that suits you best. Things like safety could be up on your list, and if so, which trucks are considered the safest.
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 earned a Top 5 rating from NHTSA for frontal collisions. This makes the Silverado quality choice for companies that utilize pickup trucks in their fleets and other cases where safety is of the utmost concern.
The ability to score such a top spot in safety comes from the quality of engineering and the use of heavy duty and reinforced sections of the trucks frame. These extra efforts are to ensure that owners of the Silverado are getting the best product and safest in terms of the ability to withstand impacts.
Silverado pickups are something that when driving you can sense the quality that went into every aspect of the truck’s chassis and suspension system. Travel on rough roads and dangerous conditions have all been factored in to produce one of the countries most popular and safest lineup of Chevrolet trucks.
Tags: Chevy Silverado 1500
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August 24th, 2010
The Chevrolet Silverado is the longest lasting pick up truck ever. This is one of Chevrolet’s most prized possessions in both engineering and design. The Chevrolet Silverado has been a legend in the pick up truck industry and continues to dominate all sorts of competitions and tests.
The Silverado is an extremely powerful and durable vehicle, that has been designed for very rugged conditions and very heavy towing, the Chevrolet Silverado recently beat Ford and Dodge pickups at a shootout.
The Chevrolet Silverado is a vehicle that has been the pride and joy of GM and has certainly made a history for itself in being the longest lasting pickup truck.
Regular cab
Chevy Silverado regular cab is considered to be the base level model and has all the fundamentals of being a great pickup truck. This truck leads an entire lineup of some of the highest quality, American-made trucks.
Extended cab
Similar to the regular cab, the extended cab version simply offers a section of space behind the front seats allowing the storage of things like tools or whatever else won’t quite fit in the front. In addition, it has a couple of fold down seats enabling it to carry a couple more passengers.
The Crew Cab
The Crew Cab model features four doors making it the most luxury of the entire lineup. This allows a comfortable experience for multiple passengers and gives them the comfort and convenience of entering through their own door. One might be thoroughly surprised at the quality of luxury that Chevy presents.
Chevrolet Silverado is simply a sharp, attractive looking truck. This tremendous power and durability give it something of an immortal feel because of how long-lasting it is. Looking down into the interior from above you can see why one would consider this quite an impressive luxury pickup.
For those that want the extreme there is the turbodiesel model which creates an impressive 650 foot pounds of torque at 1,600 RPM. Combine that with the power of a six speed Allison transmission and you have yourself an unstoppable force.
Tags: 2011 Chevy Silverado
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July 31st, 2010
Chevrolet or Chevy, take your pick. It’s a preference thing and not everyone would say one over the other unless it fits within the sentence. There are obvious examples of this but I won’t dive into all the specific examples other than to suggest you decide which ones work and which do not. This was a marketing decision made at the top of a global corporation, and it really doesn’t matter to them if you use either one over the other.
Chevy is just using this as a way to streamline a decision making process that likely eats up a lot of their marketing resources. Should they use Chevy or Chevrolet on those print ads, how about the emails to new customers, or any other marketing material they may produce.
It may also be that the name Chevy is a bit more casual and relaxed than they want the experience to be when being introduced to their lineup for the first time. Its an image that they appreciate and embrace, but it’s also a feeling of what someone is actually buying should represent very distinctly the brand and quality of a standard and legacy of the Chevrolet products.
According to Alan Batey, Chevy is their nickname, and they want people to continue to use the name but because of their growth into these worldwide markets they want people to associate their products with one uniform brand name and that is Chevrolet. I’m sure this may have been a bit overrated in terms of a good story to break from GM’s media department because in the end its the product and features of that product that make the meaning here.
Take Corvette, and think whether or not it’s important to prefix that with either Chevy or Chevrolet, there is no reason to. The brand is as much it’s own entity as Chevrolet is to GM.
If you were to do research into these words even further, you can find definitive results that indicate which ways people prefer to use them in their online search.
And if you look at the way people use search engines, Chevy is by far the winner because thats just how people have become accustomed to searching for the models they want.
Tags: chevrolet, Chevy
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June 16th, 2010
The Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid is a powerful full-size two mode pickup which attains 40% better fuel economy over conventional full size pickups – not bad for a full size truck with a 6,100 pound hauling capacity.
General Motor’s two-mode hybrid system combines the dominant 6L V8 engine that can operate in either 4 cylinder or 8 cylinder mode, with a 300 volt battery pack powering two powerful electric motors. The Silverado Hybrid in electric-only mode is capable of operating without the use of it’s gasoline engine to speeds of 30 MPH – this helps in saving gas especially in city driving where there is a lot of stop and go traffic.
The Silverado comes in both 2WD or 4WD versions, and an electronically controlled automatic transmission. The two electric motors actually sit in the bellhousing of the transmission, quite a clever way of packaging this new technology without disrupting the drivetrain configuration.
The Silverado Hybrid is the only full size truck with 5- star side impact crash ranking in the federal crash test. The 2 mode Hybrid system provides flawless and steady power. The electric motor is half the size when compared to the single mode Hybrid systems. The 2 mode system was initially introduced in 2008 Tahoe Hybrid.
It is the central part of GM’s strategy, reducing our dependence on oil, improving fuel economy with electric motors, and eventually eliminating emissions.
Tags: Chevy Silverado Hybrid
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May 17th, 2010
Automakers live and die by product reputation. Too many recalls and the brand becomes tarnished in the minds of consumers. Balancing the scales again can be done but it does take time and usually a large financial expenditure to settle law suits as well as to launch ad campaigns to help recover consumer confidence.
Americans view vehicles in various ways which illicit emotions from peaceful comfort to—safe ride for the family–to gut-stirring-sports-car-worthy-horsepower, but the one way Americans do not see a vehicle is a machine that can not be controlled. The Toyota vehicle problem of unintended acceleration created massive recalls and ‘understandable customer panic’. A press shy Toyoda, new CEO of Toyota, found himself faced with a brand damaging debacle. While Toyota faced one PR nightmare after another automakers from other brands took notice realizing of course that the best policy relating to vehicles and recalls is avoidance of the initial problem. GM adheres to that philosophy and is erring on the side of caution when it comes to the safety of its customers and the reputation of its brands.
GM will, by the end of 2012, have an ‘enhanced smart pedal” feature installed in all vehicles that fall under their umbrella. This technology will, when the driver ‘depresses the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously, grant the brake’s command and thereby bring down power to engine. With the recent problems recounted in the news, GM feels that even though this problem is not common within their brands that instilling a comfort level within their customer base about this frightening problem is the way to go.
As with any upgrade GM’s engineers are giving themselves enough time to incorporate this feature seamlessly within each model. Keeping customers safe on the roads is a point of pride for GM and the enhanced smart pedal is another way to ensure their customer base feels safe and secure when hitting the road.
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April 30th, 2010
Buying a new vehicle may seem like a daunting task, but follow a few simple guidelines and it’s no longer the burden
Who has not passed an auto dealership and seen ‘the’ vehicle; the only one for you, or so it seemed at the time? However that vehicle you want must pass your rigorous standards–after all it is your bank account and safety that is at stake.
Here are a few tips to help you drive away in a vehicle you are passionate about yet does not put you in the red.
Online venues like Web sites, Social Media, and blogs are invaluable for your research. Many dealerships incorporate videos of vehicles under their brand showing a 360 of the vehicle as well as vehicle stats. If the dealership does not offer this, check the brand’s Web site.
Your vehicle is a home away from home and auto engineers design them with that idea offering the newest technology available. With this in mind, make sure not to rush your decision making.
Now that you have gathered your data, and know the car that is right for you at this time in your life, drive to the dealership for a test drive. Have a list of the options or features that you’d like to see demonstrated or explained. The sales staff will be excited to help you when they see you’ve done some homework and ready to drive your new car home.
In order to make the purchase process simple and fast, simply call the dealership to find out if the year, make, model and trim is in stock if you don’t see it on the website. By taking these steps prior to arriving at the the dealer, you’re not only going to have a smoother experience, but you’ll be setting the pace for those who don’t wish to be sold on a particular vehicle.
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April 28th, 2010
Tulsa Oklahoma shares a rich motoring history and is said to be the birth place of the famed US Highway 66 or as Americans fondly remember: Route 66.
The highway metaphorically turned a page in history for the psyche of the American driver making the car not only a machine but an individual taste of freedom. Not much has changed in Tulsa when it comes to offering drivers unique driving experiences.
When you’re shopping for a new or used GMC truck in Tulsa you might consider the intended use of the truck such as hauling materials, going offroad, or driving something that you can have the family jump in and go for a weekend camping trip.
A work truck bought for durability may not have quite the options that you’d need so you can save some money by searching out which options are important to you.
Here are some of the dealer installed options you can get on a 2011 GMC Sierra:
1. Bed Liner
2. Stationary Tool Box
3. Cargo Management System Rails
4. Overhead Utility Rack
For those who may want the technology to integrate a cell phone, the Bluetooth option is a good choice. The Bluetooth connects a cell phone to the vehicle audio system. This comes with steering wheel-mounted audio controls and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
For work or for play, the GMC Sienna is sure to satisfy your needs on a number of levels. For a work truck, you can’t beat the dependability and ruggedness of a GMC Sierra.
As technology evolves, so does the demand for new ways to incorporate and manage our work effectively. GMC has incorporated some of these tools into it’s lineup, Visit your Tulsa GMC dealer for a first hand look at all the options available.
Tags: Tulsa GMC Dealer
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