Chevy Volt Top Saftey Pick Zeigler Chevrolet Schaumburg

Chevy Volt Earns IIHS “Top Safety Pick” Status

by Chevrolet in the News on May 26, 2011

Already one of the most innovative and highly awarded vehicles ever built by Chevrolet, the all-new Chevy Volt also is one of the safest: Just ask the experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which recently recognized the world’s first mass-produced extended-range electric vehicle with its much coveted “Top Safety Pick” honor.
Just like other Top Safety Picks, the Volt had to both offer electronic stability control—a standard feature on the Chevy—and garner the highest possible scores in IIHS evaluations of side, rear, frontal and rollover crash protection. On the other hand, one particular Volt characteristic did have a noticeable affect on its safety performance. Because of its high-efficiency battery pack, the Volt outweighs many similarly sized vehicles on the road today, and those added pounds can mean added protection to occupants.
Because size and weight affect crashworthiness, as explained by Joe Nolan, chief administrative officer for the IIHS, the Volt’s extra mass provides it with “a safety advantage over other small cars,” making it “a win-win for fuel economy and safety.”
In addition, the Volt showcases a wide range of standard safety content, including:

• GM’s StabiliTrak electronic stability control system
• Front side, knee and full-length side-curtain airbags
• LATCH (Lower Anchors and Top tethers for Children) compatibility for safety seats
• A five-year subscription to the OnStar Directions and Connections Plan with Automatic Crash Response, stolen vehicle assistance and navigation capabilities
• A driver-operated alert feature, developed in conjunction with the American Federation of the Blind, that can be used when the Volt is running in its near-silent all-electric mode to sound a warning for pedestrians (particularly those with visual impairments)

“Safety remains one of the most important factors buyers weigh when purchasing a vehicle,” said Doug Parks, Volt global vehicle line executive. “The IIHS designation reiterates the Volt as a safe, practical vehicle that can be a family’s only car—without compromises.”

Green Car of the Year. Chevy Volt Zeigler Chevrolet Schaumburg

Chevy Volt Captures “World Green Car Of The Year” Honors

by Chevrolet in the News on May 25, 2011

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt—the world’s first mass-produced extended-range electric vehicle—recently added another impressive recognition to its increasingly crowded trophy case when it was named “World Green Car of the Year” at the New York International Auto Show.

“The selection of the Volt as the World Green Car is a further proof point of the fuel-efficient technologies that are now being offered by the Chevrolet brand around the world,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “This award, and the others that have preceded it, validate the efforts of the development team to build a truly remarkable vehicle with the potential to transform transportation around the globe.”

And speaking of those other honors, they include being named:

• 2011 North American Car of the Year
• Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year
• Green Car Journal 2011 Green Car of the Year
• One of Car and Driver’s 10Best for 2011
• Automobile Magazine 2011 Automobile of the Year

The Volt’s unique powertrain also was named one of Ward’s 10 Best Engines for 2011.
But that’s about what you might expect from a car that delivers such unexpectedly high marks in fuel efficiency. According to the EPA, the Volt achieves the equivalent of 95 mpg city/90 mpg highway/93 mpg combined when relying on its advanced electric propulsion system—capable of providing up to 50 miles of all-electric, no-emissions driving on a single charge—and it gets standout EPA ratings of 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway/37 mpg combined when leveraging its high-efficiency I4 engine—which, if the Volt’s battery runs low, can provide hundreds of extra miles in driving range.
As a result, in the month of March (the latest month for which full data is available), Volt drivers averaged more than 1,000 miles between fill ups. A stellar example of this kind of performance comes from Volt owner Gary Davis of Greenville, S.C., who didn’t have to buy his first tank of fuel until nearly two months after he bought his car: “In my Volt I’ve driven 4,600 miles on 8.4 gallons of gas. That’s an impressive 547 mpg that I am achieving with my Volt.”
The 2011 Volt is on sale now at select Chevrolet dealers around the country and will continue rolling out to new markets as the year goes on.

Zeigler Chevy Cruze Named to top 10 best interiors.

Chevy Cruze Named To “10 Best Interiors” List

by Chevrolet in the News on May 27, 2011

The all-new Chevrolet Cruze—in its 2LT RS trim—took home one of the industry’s most prestigious honors recently, when Chevy’s fuel-sipping compact earned a place on the annual Ward’s 10 Best Interiors list.
According to Ward’s editors:
“The Cruze illustrates clearly how the growing market for economy cars has convinced auto makers that cutting corners in the passenger compartment no longer works. Soft-touch surfaces, high-grade plastics, properly bolstered leather-appointed seats and great attention to noise reduction make the Cruze a wonderful value at $22,910.”
Of course, it’s an even better value at $16,525, which is the starting MSRP on the base Cruze. And even here, the Chevy offers plenty of high-quality materials and standard content, including 10 air bags—the most in the Cruze’s segment—along with a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 sound system, air conditioning, ambient lighting, power windows and door locks, a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, six months of GM’s OnStar system, and more.
The sporty RS appearance package that helped the Cruze garner its recognition from Ward’s then builds on that strong foundation with further interior design touches like an uplevel instrument cluster with chrome accent rings, opaque cluster bevels and ice-blue backlighting. Also in the mix is an aggresive RS body kit for the exterior, with model-specific fascias, rocker moldings, rear spoiler and foglamps.
The 2011 Ward’s 10 Best Interiors list was based on a long list of criteria, among them being a vehicle’s materials, ergonomics, safety, human-machine interface, comfort, fit and finish, overall value, and aesthetics. Judges reviewed 51 new or significantly refreshed vehicles for this year’s recognition, eventually whittling the number down to just eight winners.
To get the inside story on the whole 2011 Chevrolet Cruze family—including the 42-mpg Cruze Eco—visit your local dealership today.