So it has been an interesting week for me as I have finally made the transition from the Internet Department to the actual sales floor. In the car business we call the act of selling the sales floor, I really don’t know why the term if called floor when reality the better term would be is lot. The sales lot.
This transition has been years in the making but due to the rapid growth with the Internet and learning new concepts and techniques of manipulating websites for Search Engine Optimization it has been very difficult for me to lose my post in the Internet Department. We have made some giant strides the past couple of years and months in the Internet Department and finally got things under control with a solid game plan of how we are going to attack things for the next couple of months to a year. No point of having a strategy when there is not a goal or objective in place.
So this week I moved my office from our Main Store location to our Truck Center. It sometimes is funny how many people in our town and even my own friends don’t understand the lingo of the truck center and the main store. People in Enumclaw label it this way, the one across the street from Safeway or the new one when referencing the Truck Center (the Truck Center is over 10 years old). Now the Main Store is called the old store or the the one next to Mazatlan.
So if you ever want to come see me, I am at the Truck Center and this is what I aspire to look like.
The 2010 Detroit Auto Show showcased the 2011 Buick Regal GS. When I first saw the Buick Regal and the Opel Insignia I was blown away and it was a car I could not wait to make production here in the states. Recently there have been spy shots of the Regal GS testing in North America but still there has been no official word from GM to be entered into production. Car bloggers have been saying it is only a matter of time before they announce the GS being part of the Buick Lineup.
Power for the Regal GS comes from a high-output 2.0L Ecotec turbocharged engine with direct-injection technology. It is based on the engine that will be offered on Regal CXL models later this summer, but the engine and turbocharger are tuned to deliver greater boost pressure in the GS. The output is estimated at 255 horsepower (190 kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400 Nm).
The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission that directs torque to an adaptive all-wheel-drive system calibrated for performance driving. An electronic, limited-slip rear differential helps ensure the engine’s power is distributed effectively during cornering.
The high-performance drivetrain is expected to enable the Regal GS to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds. That performance is complemented by a four-wheel-independent suspension, with a unique High Performance Strut (HiPerStrut) design in front. The HiPerStrut system helps reduce torque steer and maintain negative camber during cornering. This improves ultimate grip levels in dry and wet conditions, as well as improves the direct feel of the road, while isolating undesirable feedback. Behind the wheel the driver experiences reduced torque steer, improved grip and increased cornering power, along with crisper handling, steering precision and feedback.
The Regal GS features a high-performance Brembo brake system with 14 x 1.2-inch (355 x 32 mm) cross-drilled rotors; four-piston, high-strength aluminum calipers, and high-performance pads.
The Regal GS is also equipped with Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS) chassis technology (also offered on Regal CXL models with the 2.0L turbo engine). It delivers enhanced vehicle stability and greater driving safety, while also adapting the driving characteristics of the car to the driver’s preferences. The driver selects among three operating modes – normal, sport and GS – that change the suspension settings, throttle response and steering sensitivity through the variable-effort steering system.
Key Competitors: Acura TL, Saab 9-3, Audi A4, Lexus IS.
It has always been one of my goals to visit all 50 states. I cheat sometimes where I count the states where I had lay over. So for example when I have had lay-overs in Minneapoli,s Minnesota you better believe I count Minnesota as a state I have visited.
This past month I had the opportunity to go to Chicago with my father for a business trip. This was part of the dealer 20 group that we belong too. I wish I could say that I got to go out and see the city, but to be honest I did not even get into Chicago. Our plane left on Monday as we were pushing away from the gate ready to take flight but a light would not turn on in the cock pit. Of course we sat on the runway for almost 2 hours before they pulled us back to the terminal and boarded a different plane.
So we flew into O’Hare International airport at 10:00 PM. Our hotel was about 5 minutes away from the airport. Our meetings started at 7:00 AM in the morning which was a little rough for me which was like waking up at 5:00 AM. We were in meetings all day Tuesday. We did get a chance to go out to dinner at Harry Caray’s Steak House, which was fabulous. As you can see from the pictures it was a really cool place to eat with a giant holy cow in front.
We had early morning meetings on Wednesday and we went to go home right after… Another mechanical issue had us in the airport for an extra 3 hours. We learned a lot at our meetings but most importantly I get to check off Illinois off my list of states I have visited. I am anxious to actually really visit Chicago.
The Chevrolet Cruze has finally hit North America. The Cruze has been on sale overseas and now is making the jump over the pond to North America. With over 4-million miles in testing this Cruze has been very successful in Europe.
The Cruze will replace the Chevrolet Cobalt which has not been known for its styling but the Cruze replaces the Cobalt with a little more style and still holds its own against the competition in fuel economy and safety.
The new Cruze is powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder and a 1.8-liter four-cylinder with a choice of six-speed automatic or manual transmissions. The turbocharged engine puts out 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft. of torque and should be capable of up to 40 mpg on the highway, GM says. The 1.8-liter puts out 136 horsepower and 123 lb-ft. of torque.
The Cruze will be offered in three trim levels, LS, LT and LTZ, the latter two of which will come standard with the turbo motor.
Safety will be a priority in the new Cruze, GM says. Ten airbags will come as standard, including the rear seat side airbags and knee airbags. Stability control and ABS will be standard across the lineup.
The 2011 Cruze will also offer a more spacious interior and greater cargo room than its two main competitors, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. Standard interior options will include a stereo system with MP3 playback capability, 6-speakers and an AUX jack for personal MP3 players. A premium Pioneer sound system is available as an option with a USB port for iPod connectivity. Other available options include Bluetooth and a navigation system. On the outside, 16-inch wheels are standard on LS and LT models and 17-inch alloy wheels are standard on the LTZ model. 18-inch alloy wheels are available as an option on 2LT and LTZ models.
Ward’s 10 Best Engines is an annual list of the ten ”best” automobile engines available in the U.S. market, that are selected by Ward’s Auto World Magazine. The list was started in 1994, and has been drawn every year since then. For 2010, 34 vehicles from 13 automakers were chosen to make this year’s top 10 list. Among the top 10 is General Motors2.4L Ecotec DOHC inline 4.
The direct injected engine with variable valve timing helps deliver segment-best highway fuel economy in GM’s popular new crossovers, the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. The engine also debuts in the all-new Buick LaCrosse and Buick Regal sedans next year.
Winners were chosen based on several factors, including power, noise, vibration and harshness, fuel efficiency, new technology and comparative data for similar engines.
The new Ecotec 2.4L engine includes technology that provides a number of benefits. “Direct injection was designed into the 2.4L to boost fuel efficiency and for refined power,” said Chris Meagher, chief engineer for Ecotec engines. “The variable valve timing system is tuned to work in tandem with direct injection to achieve optimum fuel economy and lower emissions. The engine achieves a respectable 182 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque, which makes for a pleasing customer driving experience.”
With direct injection, fuel is sprayed directly into the engine cylinder, where it is mixed with air. As the fuel vaporizes in the cylinder, the air and fuel mixture is cooled. This enables the use of a higher compression ratio, which improves engine efficiency and performance. Direct injection also reduces cold-start hydrocarbon emissions by up to 25 percent.
The Ecotec 2.4L engine is an all-aluminum, dual overhead cam, four-valve engine with forged steel connecting rods and oil spray cooling for reduced friction and noise. In all models, the engine is mated to a highly efficient six-speed automatic transmission.
I ran across this Buick ad and found it a great advertisement for the 2010 Buick LaCrosse. We had our first Buick LaCrosse the other day and it was on our lot for 4 hours before it sold and no it was not a vehicle that was ordered for a customer. I am very excited with Buick and the vehicles that they are coming out with and the media is taking notice.
I can proudly say since the GM Bankruptcy that Buick is not your grandpa’s Buick anymore. Since the restructuring of General Motors Buick has transformed into a competitive luxury car maker here in the United States. Buick has been a huge success in China for GM one of the major reasons why leaders in Detroit decided to keep Buick as one of its key brands.
With the 2010 Buick LaCrosse and the recent announcement of the 2011 Buick Regal (aka Opel Insignia) the future looks bright for Buick. One of the down falls of Buick has been its buyers average age. Buick has not built cars geared for younger generations. Now welcome to a more hip and edgy Buick brand. The LaCrosse is a great car and definitely will compete great head to head with Lexus and many other luxury car makers throughout the world. The car that will bring younger buyers in the showroom is the Buick Regal. With the hope of getting a Regal GS with over 335-hp turbocharged V6. The Regal is going to come with a 6-speed manual transmission. A manual transmission in a Buick, yes you just read that correctly.
The Regal will come with 2 official engine choices of right now. The 2.4L 4 cylinder will only be offered in an Automatic Transmission. This is the same engine found in the Chevrolet Equinox along with the Buick LaCrosse. The 2.4L will produce 182-hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0L turbocharged engine will be offered in the automatic and 6-speed manual transmission. The 2.0L is going to have 220-hp.
I am so excited for the Buick Regal if you have not noticed as I have written about it for weeks. This is definitely one of the cars I am looking forward to the most for the upcoming year. Art Gamblin Motors Buick.
It’s one thing to think outside the box, another to shred the box altogether.
That’s what General Motors is doing, though – using recycled cardboard from shredded boxes to cut down road noise in the 2010 Buick LaCrosse.
Buick will use ground-up cardboard to make a substrate for the LaCrosse’s headliner. The cardboard will be recycled from shipping material received at GM’s “zero landfill” metal stamping plant in Marion, Ind., and will be ground up and processed into the headliner insulation material by after-market parts supplier Federal-Mogul.
The recycled cardboard insulation makes the car “a smidge quieter,” said Lora Herron, a materials engineer for the LaCrosse.
The Marion plant is one of a growing number of auto plants in the U.S. that recycle, divert or eliminate waste so that nothing is sent to a landfill.
The new LaCrosse is the latest example of a U.S. car using either recycled or easily-grown materials, as opposed to petroleum-based plastic, to improve performance or quality.
Great news coming out of Detroit as Chevrolet announced that they will be putting the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible into production. The muscle car is going topless starting Quarter 1 of 2011. The Camaro Convertible will be built in Oshawa, Canada. This is also the site where the new Buick Regal will be also be built.
Click Here for Leftlane.com – GM to build Regal in Oshawa, Confirms Camaro Convertible for Q1 2011
Click Here for EgmCartech.com – Chevrolet Camaro Convertible production confirmed for Q1 2011
Click Here for Autoblog.com – GM Confirms Chevy Camaro Convertible for Oshawa production alongside 2011 Buick Regal
Click Here for Camaro5.com – Convertible Confirmed to Enter Production in 1st Quarter 2011
Click Here for Camaro5.com – 2011 Camaro Convertible production version spotted testing on US soil for first time
Click Here for Leftlane.com – 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Spied
“Institute tests represent the four most common kinds of crashes,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund. “Getting through these tough tests and earning the Institute’s highest award means the Malibu and LaCrosse are in the top tier for safety.”
The Top Safety Pick for LaCrosse and Malibu are significant because their principal competitors from Lexus, Acura, Toyota and Honda respectively were dropped from the list, which for the first time required a “good” rating in a roof strength test. This test is a measure to help determine protection in rollover crashes, which are responsible for 9,000 highway deaths a year.
“Customers continue to tell us that safety is a top consideration in a new vehicle purchase and we are listening,” said GM Vice President of U.S. Sales Susan Docherty.
In the roof strength test, a metal plate is pushed against one side of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating for rollover protection, the roof must withstand a force of four times the vehicle’s weight before reaching five inches of crush. This is called a strength-to-weight ratio.
“This recognition is important because customers are increasingly placing trust in credible third-party reports,” Docherty said. “That’s why the roof strength of the 2010 LaCrosse and Malibu were important to get right. We think this is one more reason for consumers to consider these cars.”
Achieving a “good” rating in front and side crash tests and rear impact as well as electronic stability control were the other criteria used to select the 27 vehicles that received Top Safety Pick for 2010 compared with 94 in 2009. The Institute told automakers in January that it was adding the rollover test.
Frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of 40 mph frontal offset crash tests. Each vehicle’s overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.
Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings are based on injury measures recorded on two instrumented dummies, an assessment of head protection and the vehicle’s structural performance during the impact.
Rear crash protection is rated according to a two-step procedure: The height of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of the head of an average-size man. Seat/head restraints with good or acceptable geometry are tested for forces on the neck in a simulated collision in which a stationary vehicle is struck in the rear at 20 mph. Malibus built after October 2009 received a “good” rating in rear crash protection, allowing the Top Safety Pick designation.
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