Thank You

November has gone by so quickly!  Thank you for visiting the Ron Lewis Automotive Group online.  Lots of news from "Around the Lots" this month:

 

• We'll soon be announcing the local winner of our Jeep Grand Cherokee "Go Anywhere, Do Anything" contest.  After all of the paperwork is cleared, we should have the news out on Facebook this week!
• In time for the Thanksgiving holiday, Kia has just released Special Financing Rates on the 2012 Kia Optima (as low as 0% up to 60 months); 2013 Optima (as low as 0.9% up to 60 months); and on the 2013 Kia Sorento (as low as 0% up to 60 months) for qualified buyers.  Brenda Anthony, our Internet Sales Manager at Morrow Kia, can answer any questions you have about these great rates!
• Have you seen it?  Have you experienced it? Just dreaming about it?  Cranberry Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is now a proud dealer of the Dodge SRT Viper!  Come see us today about placing your order for a new 2013 SRT® Viper. Pricing and options are now available and official.  Be sure to visit the Viper Visualizer at driveSRT.com/viper or stop in and our Viper specialists can help you customize your own.  Curious?  Call my brother-in-law, Jobie Glessner, directly at our Cranberry Township dealership, 724.452.4040.  
• Diesel trucks have been very popular at our Waynesburg Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram location.  Right now we have over 80 in stock, both new and pre-owned, with many options, model years, and price points.  Check out our diesel truck inventory and remember, we'll bring any truck to the location that's best for you.  
• Our "Toys for Tots" Drive is underway at each of our Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram locations.  Stop by to drop off unwrapped toys in our showrooms in Cranberry, Pleasant Hills and Waynesburg.  Now through December 31st, when you purchase a 2012 or 2013 Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, or Dodge Journey from one of our dealerships, a $100 donation will be made to Toys for Tots!  
• A thank you and shout out to our recent customers who drove hours out of state from Michigan and Virginia to select Morrow Chevrolet Kia as their dealership of choice.  Thank you very much for your business!  We are glad your online shopping led you to us!

 

We realize you have your choice of Ford, Chevrolet, Kia, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram and pre-owned vehicle dealers in the Greater Pittsburgh area, and beyond.  That spirit of competition motivates us to make your automotive search, purchase, and/or service experience stand out from the rest. Whether you are purchasing for a first-time driver, seeking a family-friendly vehicle, work truck, or a fun luxury car to add to your collection, we're committed to working with you to find the best new or pre-owned vehicle to fit your lifestyle and budget.

We're here to serve all of your automotive needs. Let us know how we can assist you today!

From all of us at the Ron Lewis Automotive Group,

Drive safely and Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
Gwen

Gwen Lewis
Founding Director of Online Operations
Ron Lewis Automotive Group

All About the Camaro

Take a look back at the history of the Chevy Camaro, and how it has evolved until it was re-invented in its current retro form. Courtesy of Howstuffworks.com: bit.ly/UJ02pU

 

 

"During those two years after the debut of the Mustang, Chevy worked to develop a car that hued to the long-hood-short-rear-deck pony-car template, but unique styling and a range of high-performance engines quickly established Camaro as the ride pony-car enthusiasts turned to first for affordable power.

The pages of this article examine the Camaro model year by model year, revealing the look, the equipment, and the spirit that garnered it a legion of loyal fans that continues to this day."

Courtesy of Howstuffworks.com

GM Ready for 500,000 Electric Vehicles by 2017

GM has big plans for the future and their part in it. Check out this press release from Autoblog.com to see what they'll be doing in the years ahead: bit.ly/QMACwg

 

Speaking (via satellite) to journalists at the General Motors Electrification Experience in San Francisco yesterday, Mary Barra, GM's senior vice president of global product development, announced that The General will have 500,000 "vehicles with electrification" by 2017. That's only five years away, and implies 100,000 such vehicles sold in each of the next five years. The asterisk is that Barra most certainly did not mean a half-million GM plug-in vehicles will be on the road by then, since electrification here includes everything from the small electric helpers in its eAssist vehicles to full electrics like the Chevrolet SparkEV. Using those parameters, GM will sell 50,000 vehicles "with some form of electrification" this year alone. As of the end of October, GM sold 19,309 Volts, and the final 2012 tally will likely be around 25,000.

But, the interesting aspect is that Barra says GM's future "focus" will be on plug-in technology. She didn't say that GM is leaving things like hydrogen and biofuels behind, just that, "The plug-in offers a unique opportunity to change the way people commute. Plug-based solutions will play a significant role in our technology portfolio going forward." The Volt, Barra said, is fulfilling its role as technology leader, spawning not just the Spark EV but also the planned production version of the Cadillac ELR concept shown above. Right now, only those privy to GM's secret future plans binders know how many "children" the Volt will have by 2017.

Courtesy of Autoblog.com

How Radar Detectors Work

Ever wondered how a radar detector does what it needs to? Take a look at this article from Howstuffworks.com to find out.

bit.ly/SRr3u8

 

 

"Radar can also be used to measure the speed of an object, due to a phenomenon called Doppler shift. Like sound waves, radio waves have a certain frequency, the number of oscillations per unit of time. When the radar gun and the car are both standing still, the echo will have the same wave frequency as the original signal. Each part of the signal is reflected when it reaches the car, mirroring the original signal exactly.

But when the car is moving, each part of the radio signal is reflected at a different point in space, which changes the wave pattern. When the car is moving away from the radar gun, the second segment of the signal has to travel a greater distance to reach the car than the first segment of the signal. As you can see in the diagram below, this has the effect of "stretching out" the wave, or lowering its frequency. If the car is moving toward the radar gun, the second segment of the wave travels a shorter distance than the first segment before being reflected. As a result, the peaks and valleys of the wave get squeezed together: The frequency increases.

Based on how much the frequency changes, a radar gun can calculate how quickly a car is moving toward it or away from it. If the radar gun is used inside a moving police car, its own movement must also be factored in. For example, if the police car is going 50 miles per hour and the gun detects that the target is moving away at 20 miles per hour, the target must be driving at 70 miles per hour. If the radar gun determines that the target is not moving toward or away from the police car, than the target is driving at exactly 50 miles per hour."

 

Courtesy of Howstuffworks.com

How Proving Grounds Work

Ever heard of automotive proving grounds? Take a look at this article form Howstuffworks.com to see why car companies need their test tracks:

bit.ly/Qb7fTP

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automotive-proving-ground.htm 

 

 

"Where do manufacturers test their cars to be sure they work as advertised? Almost every major auto manufacturer has an automotive proving ground, a place where they can take cars and put them through paces, testing them rigorously against extreme and varying conditions at different speeds with varying passenger loads. These proving grounds have a long history, dating back the better part of a century. Some of the most colorful episodes in automotive history have taken place at these test beds of automotive technology, but most of us will never know about them.

 

So, where exactly are these proving grounds and what do the automakers do there? This isn't exactly a secret. Nonetheless, most manufacturers don't go out of the way to let people know what goes on in their private testing facilities. Volkswagen even likes to think that its test track is secret (but we know better). In the rest of this article, we'll look at the history of automotive proving grounds and just what it is that companies from GM to Fiat do there."

 

Courtesy of Howstuffworks.com