Chevrolet Volt Makes Visit to Enumclaw

Red 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Alan Gamblin has been around cars his whole life.  He rarely gets really excited about a new car that comes out.  He is pretty tight lipped when it comes to new products but when Chevrolet gave a special Chevrolet Volt to Art Gamblin Motors for Creation Fest 2011 and the Enumclaw Street Fair Alan was beyond excited.  The car blew him away and that is all he could talk about for a week.  Alan Gamblin was the only person that could drive the car from the Enumclaw Expo Center back to the dealership at night to charge up the Volt. While the Volt was with Art Gamblin Motors it consumed  0 gallons of gasoline and ran the whole time on electricity.   The Chevrolet Volt is the 2011 North American Car of the Year and if it blew Alan Gamblin away it definitely will blow you away.

Not only did Chevrolet send a Volt up from California it also sent out a product specialist from Michigan to talk with guests at Creation Fest and the Enumclaw Street Fair.  The Volt is an extended range electric car that can run up to 40 miles on pure electricity and when the electricity runs out the gas engine kicks in.  As Motortrend Magazine said about the Volt, “The Future is Here and America is Back in the Game.”

After the event Art Gamblin Motors had to say goodbye to its Chevrolet Volt.  Art Gamblin Motors will be getting its first retail Volt this fall.  So stay tuned and check out our inventory on website www.gamblinmotors.com to see when the Volt will arrive.

2011 Chevrolet Volt Red

Creation Fest Northwest 2011

Creation Fest North West 2011

If Alan Gamblin could go back in time and change professions many would pick him to be lawyer or a politician.  After this past week at Creation Fest Northwest 2011 we all know what occupation change he would make.  Alan Gamblin has a hidden ROCK STAR hidden behind that smile.  With a T-Shirt Launcher in one hand and microphone in another everyone at Creation Fest knew who Alan Gamblin was.  Either they screamed Chevrolet, T-shirt guy or Gamblin Motors… Alan work the crowd every night like a true Rock Star.

Art Gamblin Motors was once again excited to be a sponsor at Creation Fest 2011.  The turn out was great and the weather was even better.  Gamblin Motors donated special VIP vehicles for the staff and artists for Creation Fest.  Alan Gamblin even negotiated with Chevrolet for a Chevrolet Volt to be at the event.

Saturday night was the big night as it was the closing night of the 4 day event.  The band Skillet was on hand and Chevrolet Zone Manager Ron McCants was on there to launch-shirts off the stage!

Art Gamblin Motors had a great selection of vehicles on hand which included the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, 2011 Chevrolet Equinox, 2012 Chevrolet Malibu and Chevrolet Silverado.

Save Your Gas This Summer

With fuel prices on the rise this summer, we thought we would share some tips that will make your tank of gas last a little longer.

1. Avoid High Speeds- As your speed increasees, your drag increases. Driving 62 mph vs. 75 mph will reduce fuel consumption by about 15%.

2. Do Not Accelerate or Brake Hard- By anticipating the traffic and applying slow steady acceleration and braking, fuel economy may increase by as much as 20%.

3. Keep Tires Properly Inflated- Keep tire air pressure at the level recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. A single tire under inflated by 2 PSI, increases fuel consumption by 1%. Another option would be inflating your tires using Nitrogen. Nitrofill is a great way to keep your tires properly inflated while extending the life of your tires as well.

4. Use A/C Sparingly- When the air conditioner is on, it puts extra load on the engine forcing about 20% more fuel to be used. The defrost position on most vehicles also uses the air conditioner.

5. Keep Windows Closed- Having windows open, especially on the highway, increases drag and decreases fuel economy by about 10%.

6. Service Vehicle Regularly– Proper maintenance avoids poor fuel economy related to dirty air filters, old spark plugs or low fluid levels.

7. Use Cruise Control- Maintaining a constant speed over long distances often saves gas.

8. Avoid Heavy Loads- Remove the sand bags from your truck in the spring and pack lightly for long trips.

9. Avoid Long Idles- If you anticipate being stopped for more than 1 minute, shut off the car. Restarting the car uses less fuel than letting it idle for this time.

10. Purchase a Fuel Efficient Vehicle- When buying a new vehicle, examine the vehicles rated fuel efficiency. Usually choosing a small vehicle with a manual transmission will provide you with great fuel economy.

General Motors offers a great selection of fuel efficient vehicles at affordable prices. The all new Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Impala, Buick Regal are all great options when looking for a fuel efficient car.

The Chevrolet Volt

What is the Volt? The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability. The Volt is capable of about 340 miles total driving range, with electricity powering the car at all times and speeds. For trips of up to 40 miles, the Volt gets its power solely from electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery.  When the Volt’s battery runs low, an engine-generator seamlessly engages to extend the driving range for an additional 300 miles on a full tank of gas.

Who will get the most benefit from driving the Volt? According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, more than 75% of people commute 40 miles a day or less. If you plug in frequently, you’ll experience the greatest gas savings and reduced emissions. Per mile, electricity is less expensive to use than gas, so if you can plug in before or shortly after the electric charge runs out, you’ll get the maximum benefit out of Volt.

What happens if I travel more than 40 miles? Once the charge in the Volt battery is depleted, the gas engine will turn on to seamlessly generate enough energy to continue to power the car for up to 300 additional miles.

How much does Volt cost to charge? Electricity is an extremely affordable way to power a car —If the car is driven less than 40 miles, it will cost about $1.50 a day for electricity. That’s about the same annual cost as running a common household appliance.

How long does it take to recharge? The Volt will take about 4 hours to recharge on 240 volts or about 10 hours on a standard 120-volt home outlet.  A 20-foot portable vehicle charge cord will come standard and is designed to work on any standard 120-volt outlet.

When will Volt arrive at Gamblin Motors? Chevrolet is releasing Volt on a State by State basis.  The good news is that Volt production is increasing more than double from original forecast. The State of Washington is due to have Volt in the fourth quarter of this year.

Chevrolet Volt- Sooner Than Expected

Chevy Volt, Volt, Chevrolet Volt

Here it is the car that is supposed to save Chevrolet.  Most of you have probably heard of the award winning and ground breaking Chevrolet Volt.  General Motors has recently announced updated plans for the release of the new Chevrolet Volt, speeding up the rollout of Chevrolet’s newest vehicle by close to six months. Due to strong customer demand and consumer interest Chevrolet plans to double the production of the Volt from 60,000 units to 120,000 units.  You can say the GM and Chevrolet are ahead of the curve in the electric car race.  The Chevrolet Volt recently was awarded the 2011 North American Car of the Year due to its innovative features. Check out the map below to see when Chevrolet plans on releasing the Volt.

 

For those of you who may not be as familiar with the Chevy Volt, here is a quick run down provided by Chevrolet on what this vehicle has to offer. Plus we will be blogging about this car more in the future so this is not the last time you will hear us talking about the Volt. We look forward to having one here in our showroom in the near future and we will keep you posted on upcoming Volt news.

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is powered by 16-kWh, “T”-shaped lithium-ion battery that powers the electric drive unit, which allows it to drive 40 miles on battery power alone. The system puts out 149-hp and a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft, allowing the Volt to go from 0-60 mph in about 9 seconds, hitting a top speed of 100 mph. The battery can be re-charged by plugging into a household outlet and takes 4 hours to recharge on 240 volts, and about 10-12 hours on a standard 120-volt outlet. The Chevrolet Volt also carries an 84-hp 1.4 4-clyinder engine that allows the five-door, FWD sedan to travel additional miles while averaging a fuel-economy of 50 mpg. A fully charged battery and full tank of gas will allow the Volt to travel 340 miles. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt gets an EPA estimated 93 miles per ’gallon-equivalent’ when driving under electric power only, 37 mpg when in gasoline mode and over the long term it is estimated to get 60 miles per gallon in combined gasoline-powered and electric-powered driving. Prices for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt start at $41,000 but with a full federal income tax credit (which range from $0 to $7,500), the Volt can cost a total of $33,500.  See  Chevrolet.com for more information.