Chevrolet Seeks Younger Buyers for NEW Corvette [VIDEO]

Updated looks and better performance will be the draw against Germany's best!

How good can life be?

Just remove the hardtop roof panel of a new Corvette Stingray, punch the accelerator to fully absorb the reassuring rumble of its V-8 and feel the wind in your hair. You may find the answer.

Chevrolet has completely updated its famous sports car in a bid for more respect among world-class sports cars, and with an eye to attracting new and younger fans and buyers. The 2014 Corvette aims valiantly to shed an image of being the embodiment of the Ugly American — powerful yet unrefined and fat.

The Corvette's new cockpit makes full use of real stuff — leather, carbon-fiber accents and aluminum — in contrast to a sea of plastic that marked the outgoing model. At 460 horsepower, the 6.2-liter V-8 with the performance exhaust system has 25 more ponies than the engine it replaces, yet is powerful, smooth and more efficient. On undulating roads near Monterey, Calif., Corvette is fun and confident, planting itself firmly in even the tightest curves.

The whole package is good enough that for the seventh generation of the car since Corvette rolled out in 1953, Chevrolet is declaring war anew on Porsche and other European sports cars. In the process, it also is taking dead aim at younger, affluent driving enthusiasts who may have written off Corvette as their dad's plaything.

The average age of a buyer of the current Corvette has been climbing each year and now is in the high 50s. It wants more of the upwardly mobile buyers in their 40s and even younger looking to reward themselves. Plus, Corvette attracts more blue-collar customers than other sports car brands. Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean that more buyers have to stretch their budgets for one. General Motors wouldn't mind having more fans rich enough to pick up a sports car on a whim, and take the top of the line.

Looking forward to the ALL NEW Corvette?

We an't wait either!!

Check Out Our Corvette Inventory

Forget the Minivan! 2013 Chevrolet Traverse Outshines with Standard Third Row

The 2013 Chevrolet Traverse may have killed the Chevrolet Uplander, but that's a good thing. The Traverse features a standard third row, rear view camera, and curtain airbags. How much does the Chevrolet Traverse cost? 

It's fairly undeniable that the crossover utility vehicle has made the minivan an endangered species. In Chevrolet's case, the Traverse has made the division's minivan extinct, which is a good thing as GM's minivans were terrible efforts compared to the rest of the industry's offerings.

No longer bedeviled by having to distract your eyes from the world's ugliest sliding doors, Chevrolet's engineers have been allowed to focus on their greatest strength—of throwing in ever more standard equipment for modest price bumps. The Traverse comes with standard equipment that are options on its competition. Standard third row seating? Check. Standard rear view camera system? Check. Standard head curtain airbags as roll over protection? Check.

Also standard on all Traverse models is its most powerful available engine, a 3.6L V6 with continuously variable valve timing, producing a healthy 288 BHP and 270 ft.-lbs. of torque. This engine represents top of the class power figures while still returning 17/24 city/highway on front wheel drive models and 16/23 on full time AWD versions. Front wheel driven models are rated for 5,200 pounds towing capacity. All models feature a six speed automatic transmission, and the 2013 models have more immediate downshifting in response to the throttle when sudden acceleration is demanded.

While the power train is nice and the standard safety features are great, the calling card of the Traverse is class leading space. For it is this spaciousness that not only leaves the Chevrolet minivans of yore unlamented, it gives the division something to crow about as world beating. The Traverse is long, coming in at 9.9 feet between the axles. The entire vehicle, bumper to bumper, comes in at just shy of 17 feet.

That means a decent amount of the Traverse continues on past the rear axle. In fact, even with its third row in action, there remains 24.4 cubic feet of cargo room, roughly the equal or better than the trunk of nearly every full sized sedan on the market. With the third row folded, there are a cavernous 70.3 cubes available. No one is missing the Uplander van, especially when the Traverse's third row access has been made a one touch sliding affair that ten year olds can easily handle. The sliding door of yesteryear has been made nearly obsolete.

As with many modern vehicles, onboard proximity radar systems are optionally available on the Traverse. On the LTZ trim level, side and rear blind spot proximity warnings have your back against things you can't see, providing both audio and visual cues that a collision is imminent.

With prices beginning at just north of $30,300 before destination charges, for the amount of space you get in return, you'd be hard pressed to come up with more for less. The Traverse, despite its facelift, may still not be much of a looker, but it has all of the power, safety, and convenience 

features you could reasonably need.

You only have to go to options for your wants.

Check out our Traverse Inventory!

GM Gives Chevrolet Volt a Jolt with Price Cut

The Volt is getting a jolt -- at least when it comes to price.

The slow selling newfangled plug-in car, which is supposed to the star of General Motors' portfolio, is going to have $5,000 knocked off its list price. The 2014 Volt will now cost $34,995, including shipping, 12.5% less than last year's model.

With a full $7,500 federal tax credit, the price is cut to $27,495. Some states have tax credits as well.

GM's move follows a similar price reduction for Nissan's all-electric Leaf and Ford's Focus Electric. Unlike those other two, the Volt has a backup gas engine that should give it more appeal to motorists who want to stay green without having the inconvience of finding ways to plug in whereever they go. The Volt can go on electric power alone for 38 miles, enough, GM says, for most people to get to work and maybe back, too. GM says owners average 900 miles between fill ups.

The price cut could also help clear the way for GM's next car based on the same technology, the Cadillac ELR. That luxury plug-in's pricing is yet to be announced.

Volt sales fell 3.3% last month, although they are up 9.2% for the first seven months of the year, Autodata reports.

Interested in a Volt?

Check out our latest Volt Inventory

Better yet, come in for a Test Drive today!

Nebraska's Lambrecht Chevrolet Dealership To Hold “Time Capsule” Auction

Lambrecht Chevrolet in Pierce, Nebraska, is a dealership rich in history. Mr. Ray Lambrecht opened the dealership with his bride, Mildred, in 1946 when he returned from World War II. It stayed open with only one additional employee for exactly 50 years before it closed its doors in 1996. This is a fairly common story as so many GM dealerships have gone by the wayside in the past couple of decades. 

Rare and Expensive: It is thought that this Corvette Stingray (top) with four miles on the clock might reach upwards of $50,000 - while the blue Chevy Cameo (bottom) is hoped to make upwards of six figures.

However, when the Lambrecht’s closed the doors, they left behind 514 cars (mostly Chevy) inside and in a nearby field. Many of the cars were trade-ins, but about fifty of them have been stuck in a time-warp – they were never titled, barely driven, and many have less than twenty miles on the odometer. They were left unsold at the end of the year and tucked away to gather dust. There is a video floating around of a few of the incredible survivors making their way into sunlight for the first time in decades.

Rusted and Ruined: Despite the rarity of cars with almost zero on the odometer - the majority of the vehicles in the auction are trade-ins left to rot like this old fashioned car.

According to the Lambrecht’s daughter, Jeannie Lambrecht Stillwell, her father can remember the story of each vehicle and the family has a strong attachment to the collection, but Ray and Mildred, at 95 and 92 respectively, they have decided to liquidate the dealership’s inventory.

Among the incredible collection are: a 1958 Cameo pickup truck with a single mile on the odometer, a 1978 Corvette with four miles, and a 1964 Impala with just four miles. 

Collectors Items: Some of the cars such as the 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air (top) and 1978 Chevrolet Impala (bottom) belonging to the Lembrecht family have been sealed away for 17-years to preserve their condition and motors

The entire lot, including parts and other cool historic merchandise, goes up for auction in Piece, Nebraska, on September 28 and 29, 2013. VanDerBrink Auctions will be conducting the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction, which will be open to the general public.

For more information, visit http://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/.

2014 Chevrolet Silverado is Rugged and Civilized

Chevrolet had a lot at stake with the redesigned Silverado. It is the best-selling General Motors model by a long shot, and it is facing off in a hotly contested segment amid some updated players. Consequently, we were eager to see how the 2014 Silverado measures up.

The styling is familiar and evolutionary. There is no confusing the Silverado for anything but a Chevrolet truck. In fact, many of the virtues that distinguished the previous Silverado carry forward, and it adds new features and refinements.

As in the last model, the Silverado has a low height for convenient cargo loading, aided by an integrated bumper step and assisted tail gate, for gentle lowering. The low floor also makes cabin access a cinch, rendering running boards unnecessary for many drivers.

The interior is significantly improved over last-year's model, with the MyLink infotainment system, abundant gauges, and simple buttons, knobs, and switches throughout. Top models get a decidedly upscale soft-touch dashboard. There are even luxury car amenities available, like a heated steering wheel and ventilated seats.

Most Silverados will have a 5.3-liter V8 engine, and the truck will also be offered with a 4.3-liter V6 and 6.2-liter V8. All three aluminum engines are mated with a six-speed automatic transmission. Despite carrying familiar displacement designations, these new engines have "few" carry over parts from past engines. Each has cylinder deactivation, variable-valve timing, direct injection, and grade braking. The V6 will be the standard engine, and, notably, will be offered with crew cab configurations.

The trucks will be sold in traditional standard, extended cab, and crew cab bodies, with a choice of two- or four-wheel drive. The redesign brings larger rear doors on crew cab models, and extended cab rear doors are now forward-hinged.

Our first impressions with a borrowed Silverado LTZ are that it is very civilized; sort of like driving a big sedan—quiet and highly refined.

Learn more about this impressive new truck in the video below, and stay tuned for when we buy our own and see how it compares against the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500.

Check out our Silverado Inventory.

GM Details 2015 Chevrolet City Express Powertrain and Features

General Motors provided more details on its upcoming 2015 Chevrolet City Express cargo van, which the automaker is sourcing from Nissan. The vehicle will come in two trim levels, LS and LT, according to GM. It will feature a 2.0L DOHC four-cylinder engine matched with a continuously variable transmission. The engine can produce 131 hp and 139 lb. ft. of torque, according to GM. The Chevrolet City Express also provides 122.7 cu. ft. of cargo space. The 2015 Chevrolet City Express will also qualify for the automaker’s Business Choice program, according to GM.

Select features on the LS include four-wheel antilock brakes; 15-inch steel wheels with 185/60R15 tires; 40/60 split rear cargo doors (with a 180-degree max opening); and Electronic stability Control. Others include a gray cloth interior with vinyl bolster wear patches; a fold down passenger seat with a seat back tray table; a center console with storage for file folders, a laptop, and more; an upper dashboard-mounted storage bin; 20 integrated interior reinforced cargo mounting points; six exterior roof rack mounting points; and six standard air bags.

GM said the LT model comes with these additional features: power heated outside mirrors; power door locks with an auto locking feature; remote keyless entry; and cruise control with steering wheel mounted controls.

The automaker plans to provide a number of packages and said the vehicle will be ready for upfit. It features weld nuts for attaching bins, D-Rings affixed to the floor that allow users to secure cargo, and standard dual sliding doors that allow access to the cargo area from either side of the vehicle. It also offers a range of window configuration options, a standard full-size spare tire, two different wheels with three different looks, spotter side mirrors, and two packages, Technology and Appearance.

The Technology package features a navigation radio system, steering wheel audio controls, USB input, a rear view camera, XM Radio, and Bluetooth. The Appearance package features body color bumpers, mirrors, door handles, and a chrome grill with black accents.

Talking to the 2014 Chevrolet Impala: G.M.’s Improved MyLink

Talking to your car can be like trying to reason with a recalcitrant toddler. It often petulantly refuses to obey your commands or, worse, does the opposite of what you want. But in-vehicle voice recognition systems are gradually improving, as demonstrated by the new version of Chevrolet’s MyLink system.

Connected services are expected to continue to be a major selling point, and Chevrolet went to great pains to emphasize the system’s debut on the all-new, front-wheel-drive only 2014 Impala. Standard on the LT and LTZ trim packages, the revamped next generation MyLink was one of the highlights described by Phil Carlisle, product manager for the Impala, at a press briefing in New York last week.

The new system features an 8-inch touch screen that slides up out of the dash to reveal, James Bond-style, a hidden compartment behind the screen where drivers can stash a smartphone. (It can be locked down with a numeric code to put it in valet mode, preventing other drivers from accessing personal information, like your home address on the navigation system.) The touch screen is pressure sensitive, so owners can still operate its built-in navigation (now boasting 3-D graphics), phone, and radio functions while wearing gloves. Alternately, all the controls are duplicated via a traditional set of dials and buttons, as well as steering-wheel mounted controls.

MyLink also supports smartphone-based apps, but only two are included: live weather reports and streaming music from Pandora. While General Motors spokespeople would not reveal what apps might come next, G.M. is heavily promoting development software to outside companies so that new programs can be added.

The highlight of the MyLink system, however, is likely to be its voice recognition system. G.M. has added more sophisticated natural-language speech recognition. It does not rely on a fixed set of commands but instead can interpret full sentences and common phrases. It means owners should not have to read the owner’s manual and memorize commands just to tell MyLink what to do.

Indeed, during an hourlong test drive, the Impala seemed comfortable with my spoken requests. “Play the radio,” elicited a response asking me to specify AM or FM or to simply choose a station. “Play 104.3 please,” I politely requested, and the system confirmed my instructions and Cream’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” came from the Bose stereo system’s speakers.

Delivering navigation instructions proved to be just as easy. Asking the car to change the destination resulted in the system asking me if I wanted to use an address or look for a nearby point of interest. I purposely chose a street name that often flummoxes New York City cabdrivers (77th Street), but MyLink wasn’t stumped – although I failed to mention the city, causing the system’s feminine voice to suggest a Long Island location. Even when it misunderstood, the system suggested backing up and asked me to start with the city name.

To achieve this level of natural vocal agility, G.M. tweaked voice recognition software from Nuance, said Ara Eckel, a connected car specialist at G.M. Furthermore, the recognition software is built into the dash, rather than relying on remote, Internet-based servers like Apple’s Siri, so MyLink’s responses are quick and seamless.

The overall MyLink system is based on the software used in the Cadillac Cue system. As such, this represents G.M.’s effort to standardize on a single in-dash platform that could give owners a consistent look and feel across the company’s various model lines. It means volume controls and on-screen buttons will appear in the same position eventually on all the company’s vehicles, even if the colors and other design elements vary from Cadillac to Chevy to Buick.

Cruising back to the city with the sun in our eyes, the Impala began to warm up. Pressing the voice button, I demanded, “Change temperature!” But the computerized female voice responded that it didn’t understand my request. It turns out heating and air-conditioning can’t yet be controlled by voice. Thankfully, the buttons for that are still there.

Our VERY OWN GM World Class Technicians

Technician Name: Pat Ward

Where are you from: Hackettstown

Where did you learn to work on cars?: Since I was younger, I had been working on cars with my grandfather. He bought a mini-bike when I was 10 and I put it together. Since then I have always had a knack for working on anything with a motor. 

How long have you been working at Chevrolet?: 11 years

Do you have any awards/certifications? GM World Class Technician, Master GM Tech, Master A.S.E Technician, GM Mark of Excellence Award, Certified NJ Inspection License

What’s your favorite car ? 64-65 Mustang it was my second car and I will never forget how much I loved it!

What do you like to do outside of work?: Go to the gym, ride my motorcycles, mountain biking, water skiing.. anything to stay active!

Technician Name: Eddie Kulesa

Where are you from?: Bloomfield, NJ

Where did you learn to work on cars?: Self taught, always loved working and driving them. Over 40 years in the business

How long have you worked at Chevrolet?: 16 years

Do you have any awards/certifications:? Master A.S.E Technician, GM World Class Technician, NJ Motor Vehicle Inspector License, NJ Motor vehicle Emissions Repair License

What do you like to do outside of work?: I enjoy playing with grand kids and umpiring Little League games