The finer details are that it’s a two year/30,000-mile standard vehicle maintenance program, that will be covered by Owner Care and won’t cost anything for the customer. It will cover the aforementioned oil changes (based on the vehicles Oil Life Monitor system), tire rotations and 172-point vehicle inspections.

John Schwegman, U.S. vice president of GMC Marketing added, “Whether our customers purchase a new or Certified Pre-Owned GMC, they expect high value and that’s what we deliver.  GMC’s enhanced Certified Pre-Owned program offers our customers an outstanding experience they are sure to appreciate”.

The GMC Certified Pre-Owned program will still offer a 12-month/12,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, but this offering is inclusive of the standard maintenance that the customer normally has to come out of pocket for.  The program will also offer a five-year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty which includes 24-hour roadside assistance and courtesy transportation.

Jennifer Costabile, general director of marketing and sales support, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations added, “Customers demand more value for their money, and we have responded.  We believe our enhanced program offers our customers an outstanding experience from the moment they drive their GMC Certified Pre-Owned vehicle off of the lot.”

Not only are you getting a dependable vehicle for the money, but now you’re getting your standard maintenance included along with the great warranty coverage that GM owners have already relied on to extend their life of their vehicles. Looks like it’s time to head to your Atlanta Buick GMC dealers and get yourself some peace of mind.

The GMC Canyon had explosive growth last month, increasing over 122% over last July, not to mention the GMC Terrain that climbed almost 93% and the Acadia that jumped 87%.  But the Cinderella of the ball was Chevrolet Cruze selling an amazing 24,648 vehicles making it the 2nd best selling Chevy/GM vehicle only playing second to the Silverado. Next up came Buick which owed its success to the Buick Regal, which was the only vehicle in its lineup to show improvement. But that will soon change as the Buick Verano hits the streets and gives it competing power in the C segment.

Needless to say that this growth for American automakers makes it truly a worthy competitor as it churns out economical vehicles with fuel mileage taken into consideration as a primary target for consumers consideration. More and more it’s becoming the first bullet point on the window sticker that car buyers are looking at and luckily GM was well aware of that anomaly. The end result is an amazing month that looks promising for the brands longevity in this tough market.

So what went wrong? A lot of things. To start, as mentioned before, this is not an impulse purchase. People are willing to spend upwards of $100 on Groupon for certain offers that they can use, but there are many limiting factors such as your buying audience being in the market for a vehicle, and also be willing to do business with that specific dealership. People may be willing to look for vehicles at various Buick GMC dealerships, but they will typically research online and don’t want to be pressured into shopping at just one dealer.   And some people have the perception that the dealership will simply raise the price to account for the voucher.  The General Manager of the dealership, Robert Milner, explained that they could shop online and bring the voucher in as a down payment, so they could be assured that price fixing is not occurring.

Milner also explained that while the Groupon trial failed, the dealership did receive a lot of feedback and questions from other dealerships considering the same advertising tactic, as well as a good bit of media attention.  The better tactic for dealerships with Groupon is to offer discounted oil changes, merchandise (for example, hats and t-shirts for a Porsche dealership where fans are a tad more rabid), and other car care accessories.

Big ticket items like cars and trucks are a long way away from being embraced by buyers like the ones that visit Groupon everyday.  As for this specific deal, it was a major lesson learned for not only the dealership and Groupon, but also car dealerships everywhere.

Overwhelmingly, VW has seen a shift of interest in the vehicle by men. When most men saw a Beetle on the road, they would tun to see how cute the girl was that was driving it. now there’s an added, “Hey, I wouldn’t mind driving that car.”

The changes haven’t appeared to upset Beetle purists who almost seem to welcome to he new changes even though it has moved a pretty good distance away from a design perspective. Trading in its more bulbous look for a more squashed version, added sporty touches and tons of comfort features on the inside.

When it finally comes to market full swing, will the sales match up with the studies? Will men embrace these vehicles or will women continue to dominate the Beetle? Where do you stand?

In the semi-automatic driving mode – referred to as Pilot Mode, for short – TAP maintains a safe distance to the vehicle ahead, drives at a speed selected by the driver, reduces this speed as necessary before a bend, and maintains the vehicle’s central position with respect to lane markers. The system also observes overtaking rules and speed limits. Stop and start driving maneuvers in traffic jams are also automated.

However, according to Prof. Dr. Jürgen Leohold, Executive Director of the Group, the driver is always in control. “The driver always retains driving responsibility and is always in control,” continues Leohold. “The driver can override or deactivate the system at any time and must continually monitor it.”  The point of the automation is not to take over driving, but to correct issues created by inattentive or distracted drivers.

No details were released on what models will get the first incarnation of this technology, but at least you know that it’s coming.  Want to know more? Check it out here: http://goo.gl/zEucg

Some of the standard features include split-folding rear seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, and an 8 speaker sound system that even has an auxiliary input for MP3 players. Some of the optional features on the turbo and 5 cylinder versions include Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, heated front seats, and interior ambient lighting.

Needless to say, keep an eye on both the Atlanta Volkswagen and Marietta Volkswagen locations to take the very first test drive of these awesome new vehicles.

Best Buy has dabbled in electric scooters for about a year now, the retail giant has been very quiet about the success of the venture with scooters.  However there was even more curiosity when they went into investigative mode with electric car maker Wheego a few months ago.  Many people wondered just what the retailer was planning on doing and what type of marketing the electric car could benefit from as a result. Now those talks have reportedly come to a stop and no decision has been made or publicly announced or even if there was anything to talk about in the first place.

Some blog pundits have considered that the crux of the problem may be the public’s perception of electric vehicles such as how you charge them, how far they can go on a charge, if it will dramatically raise their electric bill, will they be stranded if the battery runs out, and not to mention the difference between all of the models out there.

At this point, the best thing that Wheego can do is to go into overdrive and answer the questions that are out there as best as possible to alleviate the public concerns. Until the public is more comfortable with electric cars beyond the level that was achieved with hybrid cars, the EV market may have a tough uphill climb. For those that are perfectly comfortable with Wheego’s capabilities, Jim Ellis Wheego in Atlanta has a great offering of the vehicles and hopefully people will see the value as gas prices fluctuate in and out of wallets and pocketbooks across the country.

2011 Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles
2011 Most Fuel Efficient Cars			MPG
			City	Hwy
Most Efficient Compact Cars
	Chevrolet Volt 4 cyl, 1.4 L, Automatic(CVT), Plug-in EV , Premium	Elec	95	90
		Gas	35	40
	Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Manual(6), Diesel		30	42
	Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Manual(6), Diesel		30	42
Most Efficient Midsize Cars
	Hyundai Elantra 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual(6), Regular		29	40
Most Efficient Large Cars
	Hyundai Sonata 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Manual(6), Regular		24	35
	Honda Accord 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic(5), Regular		23	34
Most Efficient Small Station Wagons
	Audi A3 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Automatic(S6), Diesel		30	42
	Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Manual(6), Diesel		30	42

^{To see the full list with all of the electric cars, two seaters, and even the WORST fuel efficient cars, visit FuelEconomy.gov here.}

With all of the bad news coming out of the Saab world lately, it was a bit of a mystery why Saab was announcing their newest concept car called the PhoeniX at the Geneva and New York Auto Show.  According to the Wall Street Journal, Sweden’s National Debt Office and Saab have been in deep discussions about the Swedish car makers debt that has forced the company to halt production for weeks now.  Saab’s suppliers have stopped shipment of the parts needed to make the vehicles which gave Saab no choice but to turn the lights out until they can come to an amicable arrangement with their debtors.

Meanwhile, that didn’t stop them from debuting the Saab PhoeniX at multiple car shows, but how exactly will they be able to make this vehicle and get them onto the lots of Saab dealerships around the world? And so far the only arrangement that they’ve come to with the government is to allow Saab to sell their property and have their collateral released for sale (since Saab is owned by Spyker Cars NV).   That in itself doesn’t sound promising.

Will Saab be able to get enough interest in the PhoeniX to continue production and is there light at the end of the tunnel for Saab? In the same Wall Street Journal article are a lot of different ideas, but whether or not it can save the company is unknown.  Saab has never truly recovered from the last big automotive fallout a couple years ago, but Saab is putting a lot of hope behind the wheel on the PhoeniX.

The PhoeniX is a muscular shaped car with butterfly doors, “aeromotional” design and a liquid metal look that is said to be the design future of Saab according to their press release that shares an inordinate amount of detail. It was apparent that they are really trying to sell this car as their future and it certainly makes for good reading if gasoline runs through your veins. With all of the details and photos (all found in the press release), it certainly is bringing a lot of excitement to the Saab name again. And hopefully it will be enough to give the company a fresh start.

It’s called the Centennial Edition and it adds some really sweet brooding highlights both on the inside and outside that is an all black color scheme.  Additions like a red pinstripe on the satin black wheels with red brake calipers that are lightweight aluminum wheels that are specific to each model.  To go with those midnight wheels, the Centennial Edition only offers one paint color choice called Carbon Flash Metallic.

Also on the outside you’ll find a graphic of Louis Chevrolet on the B-pillars, the center caps of the wheels, and the center of the steering wheel and as a nice special touch, the fleur-de-lis symbol that normally sits on tops of the crossed flags badge has been replaced with “100.”

The black and red color scheme is also featured on the inside as well with the doors, instrument panel, and steering wheel wrapped in black leather with red stitching.  And those familiar with the 2011 Z06 Carbon Limited Edition will immediately see the similarities with the seats, steering wheel, shifter and armrests sharing the same suede accents as that model.  The headrest also carries the “100″ logo as well.

All of these Centennial models can be ordered starting this Summer, but details like pricing and when they’ll start appearing on the lots of Atlanta Chevy dealerships is still yet to be shared.  Can’t wait for more info and more photos? Head over to Cnet’s and read Liane Yvkoff’s wonderful coverage and enviable photo gallery right now! http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20052594-48.html#ixzz1JFRF9nJE