KARL Chevrolet HUMMER

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 »

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.

Read more »

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.

Read more »

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.

Read more »

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake rocked the capital city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti and instantly this poverty stricken and desolate land became the center of much of the world’s media attention.  It is sad that it takes an epic event like this to shine a light on one of the neediest countries on our earth, but this is reality.

While the public outpouring of support, both thoughts and prayers as well as financially, is a sign of the true goodwill in all of us, I’d like to take a moment in the midst of this crisis to point out how critical charitable giving is on a year round basis.  Whether its home or abroad, in our backyard or around the globe, there are always needs far greater than any of our own at any moment in time.  As Americans, as members of the human race, we each need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we do enough for others.  And we need to ask this question every day; not just when the media shines a bright light on the latest natural disaster or epic event.

Why?  Because without constant vigilance, the truly needy only become more disadvantaged over time.  They need us.  Not just in times of crisis; but each and every day.

Allow me to share a story that may give the idea of charitable giving a new meaning.

Read more »

UPDATE: Due to the inclimate weather, the “Hope Lights Lives” Luminary Lighting Scheduled for December 13th has been postponed. The lighting will take place next Sunday, December 20th.

Nothing signifies HOPE more than a single illuminated candle – unless of course there are thousands of illuminated candles! KARL Chevrolet is proud to once again serve as the New Canaan distribution center for the 2009 “Hope Lights Lives” Luminary Campaign. Tomorrow evening, December 13, 2009 at 5:00pm, neighborhoods throughout lower Fairfield County will be illuminated by literally thousands of white luminaries in what has become one of the areas most visible and unique fundraisers.

This year’s campaign promises to be the most expansive yet, as dozens of additional neighborhoods in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Rowayton, Stamford, Weston and Wilton have already pledged their support by agreeing to set out luminaries on the lighting night. Here at KARL, we distributed almost 600 luminary kits containing a dozen candles each. That’s almost 7,200 luminaries that will light up neighborhoods all around New Canaan tomorrow night. Mark your calendar and take a ride – early Sunday evening will certainly provide some beautiful sites around the area.

Family Centers is a private, nonprofit organization offering education and human services to children, adults and families in Fairfield County. More than 1,000 professionals and trained volunteers work together to provide a wide range of responsive, innovative programs. Through our five Centers of Excellence, more than 17,000 children, adults, families and communities receive the care, encouragement and resources needed to realize their potential. The annual lighting of luminaries signifies area neighbors HOPE for a bright future for all those seeking assistance from Family Centers.

Photo (from L-R): Stephanie Radman, Carolyn Escherich, Ned Thunem (volunteer from NCHS S.L.O.Bs), and Steve Karl all assist in the effort at KARL Chevrolet in New Canaan to help distribute Luminary Kits fof the 2009 “HOPE Lights Lives” campaign to benefit the Family Centers organization. 

We frequently hear the question “How safe is this car?” from customers as they look at a new or pre-owned vehicle. Here in New Canaan, and all over the metro New York area, safety is very important to our clients as we are frequently talking about the family’s primary transportation. When asked, we will frequently refer to various government crash tests, independent insurance studies and other data that shows GM building some of the safest vehicles on the market today.

But just how safe are today’s cars vs. the ones many of us grew up with? Many times debates can rage for hours when comparing an athlete who played fifty years ago to one playing today. In almost every instance, you can never get a definitive answer, as you are talking about two different eras and there is no realistic way to make an actual comparison other than a bunch of statistics. Well, I am about to share something truly amazing!

The National Institute for Highway Safety (NTHSA) recently celebrated their 50th year of conducting crash tests to determine the relative safety of vehicles. Normally, these tests are used to compare the results of various models against one another, but on the occasion of their 50th Anniversary, NTHSA decided to do something special. Since Chevrolet is the NUMBER ONE selling brand of cars and has completed more successful crash tests than any other manufacturer, NTHSA decided to crash test a 1959 Chevy Impala along with a 2009 Chevy Malibu. The resulting video is a must see! NTHSA Crash Test Video on YouTube.

The video speaks for itself - today’s vehicles, while smaller, more fuel efficient, and lighter weight, are actually far safer than cars of the past. The moral of the story: Never take vehicle safety for granted!

Here is a good take on the NY Times Magazine story, and surprisingly, it is coming from Slate Magazine…who is traditionally anti-HUMMER.

No Goodwill for Hummers
By Matthew DeBord
Posted Friday, November 6, 2009 - 6:52pm

Over at the New York Times Magazine, “Consumed” columnist Rob Walker has seen a Hummer- the large and often derided, military-derived General Motors SUV that will soon be sold as a brand to the Chinese-in the parking lot of a Goodwill and “smirked.” The implication is that the Hummer owner painted himself (and it’s probably a him) into a financial corner through his purchase of a pricey, gas-chuggin’ monstrosity and must now wear clothes and shoes that other people have worn before him. Or maybe he was just looking for a set of old golf clubs or hoping to pick up a dozen wine glasses for $6. Point is: You own a Hummer now, you’re on the road to ruin. Read more »

GM has announced a fun contest to allow consumers to NAME the official Signature Color for the new Chevy VOLT extended range Electric Vehicle that will debut in November 2010. Since the winter of 2007 when General Motors unveiled the VOLT concept vehicle, the public has been given a unique ‘inside’ look at the development of this ground breaking vehicle. Now, as the actual start-of-production draws near, GM is inviting you to help name the VOLT’s signature color. This color has already been used on auto show and press preview models - but it has never been officially named. Remember, the VOLT will fundamentally change our perceptions of what a vehicle can do - by traveling about 40 miles without a drop of fuel - and achieving an estimated potential 230 mpg!

Check out the color above - think of a silver/green hue. Creativity is good - but not necessary. Who knows, the winning color could be something very simple - or it could be something totally unique. The winner will be get the opportunity to drive the VOLT well before public introduction and speak with members of the VOLT development team. Get thinking . . . the contest ends on November 4, 2009. I’m thinking of a color named …….

Click here to get the details and enter your name suggestion!