What’s up with all the recalls?
In case you’ve missed it, there’s been a rash of recalls announced by automakers lately. From the headline news, you’d think it was only Toyota. But while Toyota has clearly owned the headlines, there have been recalls announced by many automakers, including Honda, Susuki, Ford, and the latest from Nissan as reported by the New York Times in the article below. Even GM has announced a recall recently.
How can you keep up? Did you know you can sign up for email recall notification through the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration … just click here to sign up for notices on your specific vehicle! You should also know that each time you bring your vehicle to KARL for service, we check for any open manufacturer recalls to ensure your vehicle is kept in top shape. Just another advantage of using KARL. read more »
Chevy Suburban, Equinox and Traverse earn top Family Picks…
GM Tops Family Cars List
While families all around Fairfield and Westchester Counties have known it along, now the officials at Kelley Blue Book, one of the nation’s best known independant automotive experts, agree! The Chevrolet Suburban, Equinox and Traverse all made the Top 10 Family Cars for 2010 list from the editors of the Kelley Blue Book.
“Here’s great news for the U.S. automakers GM and Ford: Six of their vehicles dominated the list of the Top 10 Family Cars for 2010 as determined by the editors of the Kelley Blue Book and the Web site kbb.com,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
Three of them are Chevrolets — an SUV and two crossover utility vehicles — and three are Fords — one crossover and two sedans, including a gasoline-electric hybrid.
Comments from HUMMER CEO on Buyer Search …
HUMMER CEO Compares Buyer Search to Speed Dating
“I call it very fast speed dating. We have to look at each other, see if we like each other and then get it done very quickly,” HUMMER CEO Jim Taylor told Automotive News regarding their search to find a buyer for the brand. The original plan to sell HUMMER to China’s Tengzhong fell through Wednesday after Chinese regulatory officials refused to allow the purchase, leaving GM with the task of finding a new buyer in the next 60 to 75 days.
“The next step in the process is to sit down with those interested parties and figure out who is serious and who just doesn’t make any sense,” Taylor said. “Some are well-known equity houses, who do this for a living. Some are just those who say, ‘I want to buy it.’” read more »
When it Snows … the deals get better!
On a snowy February afternoon, I have to ask myself two questions …
First, when it snows, why are our Sales Consultants always more eager than usual to close a sale?
Second, is March just trying to get a head start?
Well, on the first count, I can tell you that since we all work as a team to clear away snow and dig out EVERY vehicle we have in inventory, our Sales Consultants are extra motivated at this time of year to make every sale they can. It just means one less vehicle for us to clear snow off of! So the next time you get frustrated clearing snow off one or two cars in your driveway; try thinking of us clearing snow off of over 200 vehicles!
New Potential HUMMER Bidders Emerge…
General Motors Co. is examining offers for Hummer in the wake of a Chinese machinery maker’s failed bid for the SUV brand, press reports said.
GM is giving prior bidders a fresh look after Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery failed to win approval from Chinese regulators for its planned purchase, The Wall Street Journal reported. Bloomberg News, citing five people briefed on the talks, said interested parties have done little or no due diligence and GM may still wind down the brand.
GM Contacts Previous Bidders for Hummer…
DETROIT/HONG KONG (Reuters) - General Motors has approached previous bidders for its Hummer unit after a deal to sell the brand to an obscure Chinese firm collapsed, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.
GM has reached out to the companies whose offers for the military-derived SUV line were turned down last year when the U.S. automaker agreed to sell Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, said the source, who declined to be identified because the discussions are private.
GM: HUMMER Sale to Tengzhong Cannot be Completed…
On Wednesday afternoon, February 24th, we received word, along with the rest of the world, that GM’s sale of HUMMER to Tengzhong cannot be completed. It seems that Tengzhong failed to gain the necessary approvals from a myriad of Chinese Governmental Agencies that were required to close the deal.
While certainly not the news that our loyal HUMMER owners wanted to hear, we can simply report the facts as we get them. It has been a long and winding road from June 2008, when GM announced a strategic review of the HUMMER Brand. Below is GM’s official press release. We can add that, despite what is being said publicly, there will likely be window during which GM will entertain other potential offers for Hummer that it was prohibited from entertaining while under contract with Tengzhong. We also want to reassure our customers that General Motors will fully back all HUMMER warranty terms, as well as ensure that parts are available for the life of current Hummer vehicles. HUMMER by KARL intends to stand behind our customers and continue to provide the service you’ve come to expect. More to follow…
GM Sale of HUMMER to Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery …
What’s up with HUMMER?
As of 2/22/2010, Here are some simple, straightforward facts:
Fast Facts
HUMMER’s mission is to design and build unique premium all-terrain vehicles that give consumers iconic styling and unparalleled capabilities. This means the best blend in performance, off-road capability, safety and fuel economy.
Vehicle Safety … What’s up with Toyota?
TOYOTA Vehicle Safety….
There is an old saying “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”. Somehow, that may be the case with Toyota. And this isn’t the first time we’ve brought up Toyota’s recall issues … check out our post back on January 31, 2007.
Sure, Toyota makes great cars, but even great cars can have issues. Afterall, today’s modern automobiles are designed and built by all manufacturers using a variety of components sourced from a variety of suppliers around the globe. The days of each manufacturer building cars made exclusively of parts produced by themselves is a notion from a bygone era. Today’s auto manufacturing occurs in a global market.
At the end of the day, each manufacturer must take responsibility for every product they put their name on. That means rigorously testing and retesting every system and component under a wide variety of real world situations. It means vigilantly following up on complaints and researching why warranty claims are happening. In essence, vehicle safety is the soul of each manufacturer.
Some companies have made safety a core cornerstone of their brand. Volvo tends to come to mind. But very quietly, over a number of years, General Motors has steadily improved vehicle safety by constantly asking questions internally. Then seeking solutions to issues and implementing those solutions. The result is a growing track record of safety success.
De-Levering Fairfield County … one garage at a time
After a year in which Ben Bernanke was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, much of our focus has certainly been about the economy. There have been many phrases coined to sum up the economic realities of the past couple of years, but the one that seems to stick is the ‘de-levering’ of the US Economy. De-levering is a catch-phrase that could mean many things, but taken at its core, I believe it relates to a massive effort to reduce debt across all levels of our economy. From large corporations, to local small businesses, to every household in America.
Why, you ask? Well, the truth is, many consumers are realizing that they don’t need to spend a premium on their transportation needs. They’ve taken a hard look at total costs – taking into account everything from:
Ø initial purchase price
Ø monthly payments
Ø insurance premiums
Ø property taxes
Ø maintenance costs
And they’ve come away realizing that in many cases they were spending far more than they thought.
About
KARL Chevrolet HUMMER is a family owned Chevrolet and HUMMER dealership located in New Canaan, CT. Our small but very dedicated staff is here to support you in every aspect of vehicle acquisition and ownership. We have been here fulfilling family transportation needs in Fairfield and Westchester Counties since 1927!
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