Blog Category: Chevrolet

So you’re in the market for a new vehicle. Let’s say a minivan. You’ve always heard great things about the Chrysler Town & Country; they're packed with cool features, and heck, they invented the segment. But when you finally get down to price, the deal is okay, but nothing spectacular. On a whim you check out the Volkswagen Routan. Eerily similar to the Town & Country. Well it should be; the Routan is mechanically identical. It’s an example of some friendly sharing between the two companies to help VW get a minivan to market quickly without developing their own from scratch.

 The real difference you find though is when you starting talking deals. The VW dealer is giving you much more wiggle room. What gives?

More and more people have gas prices and fuel economy on their minds. This has in part resulted in a surge of interest in hybrid and electric vehicles and now we’re seeing another interesting shift - more people are considering a diesel vehicle. A mainstay in Europe, diesel vehicles have often been overlooked in North America - considered to be noisy and not worth the dollars at the dealership - but this perspective is slowly changing.

 With this in mind, we thought it would be useful to take a closer look at the diesel vehicle market and highlight a few vehicles that you may not have realized do come with a diesel option.

With apologies to Hertz and Avis, the 2014 Chevy Impala we finally take the leap from fleet car status to bonafide consumer desirability. No longer the province of county employees, the new Impala is designed in such a way that you may actually notice it on the road.

Clearly, the success of the last iteration of Malibu proved to Chevy brass that style and design actually matter, even in the family sedan market. The sleek roofline with elegantly executed chrome trim, sculpted side sheet metal and long wheelbase combine to cut a stylish, sleek silhouette.

Power will come from three engine choices: a 3.6L V-6, a new 2.5L four-cylinder and a 2.4L four-cylinder with eAssist, promising 35mpg. Expect the new Impala early in 2013.

GM Dealers (Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC brands) looking to move more used cars in 2011 have a little more ammo in their bag of tricks, thanks to Sirius XM Satellite Radio.  According to a recent press release, the company is now offering a free three month subscription to the company’s service with the purchase of a pre-owned vehicle that has a factory installed receiver, regardless of make/model.  The only caveat is that the vehicle be purchased at one of more than 1,000 participating GM dealerships across the US.

GM will continue to provide the same three month subscription to buyers of new and certified pre-owned GM vehicles, but this new offer allows budget-conscious and bargain shoppers the opportunity to experience Sirius XM, as well.

"Back To Football"...If you are a football fanatic, you know exactly what this quote means...after the offseason soap opera of the NFL Lockout, fans across the country were thrilled to see everything put to bed with the owners and players getting back to focusing on what millions of Americans love....football.  Between the upcoming professional and college seasons, for the next 5 months, millions of fans, every weekend, will load up their beloved car, truck, SUV, or hybrid and head out to a fun filled day of tailgating.  Yes, other sports may get the occasional tailgating group, but football, more than any other sport, brings out the tailgaters.  And thus, our vehicles play a critical role in our game day experience.

The new 2011 Chevy Cruze compact car has done the near impossible this summer -- it became the highest-selling passenger car in the United States, beating out its rivals and longtime best-sellers the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic.

This is the first time an American company has hit this milestone in years, and Paul Eisenstein on MSNBC.com points out that events beyond GM’s control have helped the Cruze. The tsunami that devastated so much of Japan and its manufacturing network earlier this spring has slowed the rate at which the Camry and Civic are being built. The Chevy Cruze is happy to step into that void.

We’ve been talking a lot about used cars, lately.

The reason is simple:  there are some really great deals to be gotten if you know what to look for and how to spot them.  Our friends at Edmunds have put together their annual Edmunds Used Car Best Bets, which is a great list that will help you in that search. 

TrueCar.com recently put out its TrueTrends Auto Industry Intelligence report for the month of June and the information, once again, paints a great picture for consumers in the market to buy a new car. 

The manufacturers are continuing to put solid incentives and rebates out, hoping to entice consumers off of the sidelines.  And with June the kickoff of the bread and butter months for car dealers, they are willing to bend a bit to sell a car or two.

So what is TrueCar telling us and how can it help you get a new car?

As you may have noticed, we have an ongoing theme that relates to helping you find great autos and being able to buy them without breaking the bank.  We will often steer you to great websites that can help you make those decisions or provide you with tips and information to do it yourself.

Kiplinger Personal Finance recently launched their 2011 Car Buying Guide on their website, and published their "Top Picks" recommendations in the March 2011 magazine issue available now.  Kiplinger's categorized autos in 11 categories and ranked them by price, performance, safety, roominess, and driving impressions.   You can see their full research functionality on the Kiplinger website.