Considering that there was one American aircraft accident last year (and no one was injured or died) compared to 30,797 fatal traffic accidents in 2009 alone, it’s a pretty sound question.  The idea has been brewing in Washington D.C. for years now but with concerns for citizen’s privacy and the burdens this may place on the auto industry lawmakers have shied away from the issue.

Until Now.

The United States Senate recently passed a bill mandating that by 2015 automobiles must now come with the handy devices.  To strengthen the Senate’s stance it is widely suspected the the House of Representatives will soon follow suit itself with the bill, leaving only President Obama to sign it into law.  The rationale largely being that information provided from these black boxes will limit the amount of ‘he said – she said’ which currently makes up most accident cases.

Early reports have the law looking to target fifteen different measurements, including direction of acceleration, throttle position, when the air bags fired and others. To help calm citizen’s privacy advocates, the Senate version of the bill stipulates that the black box belongs to the owner of the vehicle, so it cannot be taken from an accident without some semblance of due process (i.e. a warrant).  In any event, the information derived from these boxes in the upcoming decade could usher in a golden era of automotive safety, and that is in everyone’s favor.

Keep in mind, when these new vehicles do finally roll out of the factories, you can get your safe new car here at Heinrich Chevrolet.

A quick breakdown of the new features:

• Weight Reduction through the use of an aluminum or even magnesium alloy frame, lightweight body panel alloys, plastics, and intriguingly spray in foam to keep the sound inside the car.  The foam is a great way to see the attention to detail Chevrolet has.
• Improved Aerodynamics.
• A Direct Injection V8 Engine, complete with an aluminum block, as well as an updated V6 Engine as well.
• Brand new Interior Design & Electric Power Steering
• and the four mode Hybrid Engine that will be tow rated for 9,000 lbs.

The real scoop here is that Chevrolet will be the first of the major automakers to re-vamp their pickups giving them a big foot forward in making inroads with the public with this vehicle.  This is also GM’s first new truck design since the federal restructuring and it’s pretty common knowledge that they are seeking to make a big splash with these re-designs.

Bringing out the first Hybrid Pick-Up Truck that doesn’t sacrifice any of the towing cpacity of a traditional engine is a pretty big deal as well. It’s just what American consumers want, more gas mileage, but same power.  Chevrolet delivers again.

• Drive Calmly: Aggressive accelerations, fast braking, and liberal use of the gas pedal not only terrifies your passenger, it also hurts your gas mileage by about 33% on the highway. Driving calmly on the other hand retains that fuel, and also typically results in less traffic tickets (another avoidable expense) and puts off car repairs. It is also a very good way to stay out of traffic accidents. Those three items alone should be enough to convince any lead-foot to drive easier. We’re not saying you should be reciting your favorite Zen Koan while driving. But you can save yourself from higher fuel expenses and the most frustrating game of ‘hurry-up-and-wait’ there is.

• Top Mileage Occurs Under 60 MPH: Although we all feel a deep, personal resonance with Sammy Hagar when he proudly exclaims that he ‘can’t drive fifty five’, in the interest of lower fuel expenses, we must persist and find away to do exactly that. Studies on the matter have shown this to be the case, and it’s held up to scrutiny over the years very well. Although the title of that link may give you second thoughts. But this is about your money! Use it how you see fit!
• Keep it Light: A bit of a no-brainer for our physics buffs reading the blog, but still worth mentioning, taking any excess weight out of your car gives you better gas mileage. The more you can take out the better your fuel savings. Without delving into a host of Greek letters and math symbols, I can tell you that a lighter car requires less power to get it to move. By using less power, your car inherently uses less gas.
• Idle Engines are the Devil’s Plaything: Say your running into a Tim Horton’s for a quick cup of joe, or you just need to drop something off for Aunt Ruth, or even better it is freezing outside and you want to hop into a warm vehicle, an idle engine doesn’t seem like a big deal. Well it is! An idle engine can burn up to ½ gallon of fuel in an hour, add up all the time taken to handle the three items listed above and you see how quickly that adds up to a lot of fuel. Especially in the wintertime for those who like to ‘preheat’
• Use the Overdrive Gears: According to the Federal Government overdrive gears not only save you fuel they reduce engine stress as well. Perhaps this should just become the new drive setting after all. However, I am sure the hordes of engineers who handle these things could provide some data which contradicts my stance.
• Keeping Your Engine Tuned Up: Just as doctors recommend that you stretch before running, or that you make sure to keep your fluids up with water during a workout, your car needs to be kept tuned up to allow for a maximizing of fuel economy. Emissions play a big role in this and can help you bump up your fuel efficiency by 4%
• And Keep Your Tires Inflated Properly: Not only do properly inflated tires increase your safety on the road, they can also lead to savings of close to $.13 a gallon. This is likely the most well-known tactic on our list, but combining all of these items can put you way ahead of the game as far as
• There’s a few other tactics that will help you here as well, embracing car pooling, looking for ways to incorporate public transportation, and using sites like http://www.buffalogasprices.com to help you lower the cost of fuel by not using as much!

Chevrolet announced last month that it will be reviving its ‘Diamonds & Dreams‘ program. This gives you, and anyone else for that matter the chance to win a ‘Dream Diamond‘ for our very own Lockport Little League. It is a free registration and counts as a chance to win the new field for the children of Lockport. Furthermore, Chevrolet is also giving away several other prize packages from equipment to baseball clinics, so even if you are not lucky enough to win one of the fields, you could still get some pretty amazing stuff for the kids in the league.

For those of you who aren’t baseball fans this contest also gives entries a chance to win a brand new 2013 Malibu Eco! There’s even more prize breakdowns than that so be sure to go here and register for all of these great items.  The contest does end July 22nd, so the sooner the better.

So be sure to pass this around to your friends who would like to see Lockport get a professional Little League Diamond – or would like a free, brand new car too.

This Chevrolet Cruz does not disappoint! Coming turbo-charged with a common rail 2-liter direct injection diesel engine this version of the Cruze packs 161 horsepower with a robust 266 pound-feet of torque. All while boasting an average of 40 mpg. Currently the only declassified models Chevrolet has disclosed for the diesel Chevy Cruze are for automatic sedans. But many in the industry have speculated that a manual version of the vehicle is very likely; along with a hatch back as well.

Citing the better gas-mileage diesel engines carry and the overall performance of modern diesel engines, Chevrolet is confident that this new version of the Cruze will only build upon the momentum the vehicle is already carrying as by being the best selling car in the country.

Chevrolet Cruze

Diesel powered vehicles have typically been more popular in Europe and Australia due to large disparities in tax rates between gasoline and diesel fuels. In America the difference has been negligible, as the better gas mileage has been off-set by higher diesel fuel prices. However, Chevrolet recognizes that current trends have the prices of the two fuels on a course to make that point negligible; with some analysts claiming they will be equal by the time the diesel powered Cruze hits the market approximately eight months from now. When it does you can be certain you can find them right here on the lot at Heinrich Chevrolet.

On April 30^th, Chevrolet announced their plans to begin selling the Corvette in South Korea as part of a larger effort to be an international brand. Chevy already had eight other automobiles in the South Korean market but none nearly as recognizable nor as powerful as the Corvette. This release comes about a year after Corvette debuted the Camaro in South Korean streets. In return Chevy has promised Americans a South Korean exclusive to be delivered to our shores; the intriguing Chevrolet Spark Minicar! Although not quite as well known as the Corvette or the Camaro it is something new to hit American roadways from Chevrolet and that is always a good thing.

The Corvette Coupe is set to go on sale in Korea for 86.4 million won, although opting for the premium interior will boost the cost up to 89.4 won (or $79,000). Prices like these are a significant mark-up from what one could expect to pay stateside, but takes into account the cost of shipping the cars to South Korea from American plants, the modest sales volumes expected, and the higher taxes paid in South Korea for purchases such as these. This new release was made possible by a 2011 free-trade agreement between the two nations that will reduce 95% of tariffs between the two nations over the next five years and largely made it a sustainable goal for Chevrolet to move into the South Korean market.

In any event this has just given North Korea another reason to be mad at the South; and I can say that because our blog is flagged by North Korean firewalls. But don’t fret readers, you don’t need to travel to South Korea, nor pay millions of won to get your own Corvette, simply come down to Buffalo’s best Chevy dealership, Heinrich Chevrolet

Bob spoke highly of the Chevy Volt and its status as the most popular hybrid car currently on the market.  Applauding Chevrolet for taking the bull by the horns and creating cars consumers crave, Bob Lutz goes on to show Colbert what true Chevrolet Muscle is all about.  The octogenarian proceeds to beat the show’s host in a push up competition!

See the whole thing here

As the vehicles start to roll out, we’ll be encouraging our customers to post pictures of their Cruze around town up on the website. Be sure to stop back later and see where and what everyone is doing with theirs!

While we were displeased on initially hearing the news as well, it really got us thinking. We feel that even if GM did want to kill the nickname, it would never be possible. The name “Chevy” is an iconic phrase that has decades of references in American pop culture. There are more references to Chevy throughout American music, television, and radio than any other car manufacturer. Just show me one song that references a Honda Accord (Note: You don’t actually have to show this to me, I’m sure there’s some obscure video on the internet where a Honda Accord is referenced, but you know what I’m saying.) From the legendary Don McLean right down to Dr. Dre, everyone uses the Chevy Nickname…and that’s kind of the point. Nobody ever seems to want a nickname, but they stick. That’s what nicknames do. You think that our service manager here at Heinrich Chevrolet really wants to be called Pudley? We’re sure he doesn’t…yet nobody is ever going to stop (sorry Paul). Love it or hate it, Chevrolet will always be Chevy.

We’re just happy to hear that they agree…we got nervous for a few minutes there.

For your enjoyment, here’s a bunch of famous songs in which the nickname “Chevy” is referenced. If you know of any songs we missed, let us know. Long live Chevy!

Underneath the Silverado body, you’ll find that Chevrolet has given us 11 new frames to accommodate all the different variations of this year’s model (be it extended cab, crew cab, regular cab, 4×4, or Real Wheel Drive.) You’ll find that the new frame is now boxed end-to-end, with uprated crossmembers. This gives the truck a 92% improvement in bending stiffness, which yields a 20% gain in torsional rigidity.  Coupled with a new independent front suspension, Chevy was able to make improvements to both the ride quality and steering feel. You’ll also find that all 4×4 models of the HD Trucks are now ready to more comfortably handle the load of a snow plow due to an updated front axle rating of six thousand lbs. (Which as we all know, can come in Handy given our harsh climate during these Buffalo winters.)

As always, you’ll find the best prices on both new and used 2011 Chevy Silverados in WNY right here at Heinrich Chevrolet, Buffalo’s best truck dealership.

Search our Truck Inventory today to find your next Silverado!