Solar Array Coming to the GM Orion Assembly Plant

Two-acre solar panel installation will produce enough energy to power 45 homes

General Motors is constantly making improvements to its facilities to reduce the impact the facilities have on the environment. From developing electric cars to reducing emissions to recycling waste from manufacturing facilities, GM is more environmentally-conscious than ever before. Another significant step in this direction is the construction of a solar array––a large group of connected photovoltaic cells (solar panels)––at the GM Orion Assembly Plant in Michigan, which will produce enough energy to power 45 homes.

The Orion Assembly Plant, in Lake Orion, is the home of the Buick Verano and the Chevrolet Sonic. The energy produced by the 350-kilowatt array, which will be built in a field next to the plant and owned by the area electric utility, DTE Energy, will be sent back to the grid for local homes and area businesses to use. The total energy saved will be equal to preventing 261 metric tons of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere.

“Last year, we committed to doubling our global solar output at our facilities from 30 megawatts to 60 by 2015,” stated GM Vice President of Sustainability and Global Regulatory Affairs Mike Robinson,. “We believe in harnessing energy from clean, renewable sources because there a solid business case to be made and it’s good for the environment. This array reinforces our progress.”

The solar array is part ofa DTE Energy pilot program called SolarCurrents^™. The goal is to install photovoltaic systems on customer property or rooftops during the next three years with hopes of generating 15 megawatts of electricity throughout southeastern Michigan. DTE Energy will construct the solar array on two acres of south-facing land to maximize output, providing power to local businesses and homes.

This addition to the Orion plant is the most recent in a series of environmentally-related efforts. Other examples include:

• Gas from two nearby landfills powers the facility, saving $1.1 million annually and reducing the amount of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide released into the air. This prevents more than 6,300 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

• Upgrades to lighting in the facility have cut carbon dioxide emissions by 5,003 metric tons and have saved $575,895. New software allows employees to track energy use in real-time and use the information to improve efficiency.

• A new eco paint process eliminates the need for a primer oven and is heated by landfill gas. The new process cuts energy use per vehicle in half compared to the previous process, and it gives the plant the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 80,000 tons at a full three-shift capacity – the equivalent of eliminating the emissions of 14,000 vehicles a year.

By utilizing innovative technology that contributes to more environmentally-friendly facilities, GM is helping to make the world a better place for its customers. To see what else GM is doing for the environment, visit www.gm.com/vision/environment1.html.

Big Store Advantage

Because of OUR Big Store Advantage YOU get to take advantage of:

Volume Pricing
In a dealership this BIG, it's important to make sure we're constantly bringing in fresh, new inventory!  But to do that we need space - which means YOU get to take advantage of lower pricing offered, as a means for us to keep fresh inventory on the lot at all times.

Largest Inventory Selection
This one's simple.  We're a BIG STORE with LOTS OF SPACE , so we've got LOTS OF INVENTORY.  Come in today and see for yourself!

Bigger/Better Service Department
A BIG dealership equals a BIG service department.  With more certified technicians, a larger and nicer waiting area and faster turnaround times, our service team can't be beat!

Better In-Store Access to Parts
When your car needs repaired, and parts have to be ordered, you're out of a vehicle until your parts get in.  At Rick Hendrick Chevrolet we're more likely to have the parts you need - no matter ht make or model of your vehicle - right here in the store!

South Carolina Residents Save BIG on Chevy Volt

South Carolina residents can save big on the purchase of a new Chevrolet Volt by combining a federal tax credit from $0 up to $7,5002 with a South Carolina state income tax credit of up to $1,999.3 

HERE’S HOW: 

STEP 1: 

Go to fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxphevb.shtml to determine your eligibility for the federal tax credit² and download the appropriate tax form (Form 8936 if the Volt is for personal use or Form 3800 if it’s for business purposes). 

STEP 2: 

Click Here to learn the details on the state income tax credit, including eligibility. Visit sctax.org/Forms+and+Instructions/2011/taxCredits/default.htm to download the tax credit application form (TC-48A). 

STEP 3: 

Submit your completed paperwork to the appropriate sources and enjoy your new Volt! 

*Each individual’s tax situation is unique. Consult your tax professional prior to claiming any credits to confirm the vehicle tax benefits for which you may be eligible. Must be applied by the owner after the purchase of a new Chevrolet Volt. 2 Available for purchase only. $0–$7,500 depending on your federal tax liability. 3 The state income tax credit is $1,999. Available for in-state purchase or lease of a new Volt during the tax years of 2012 through 2016. This state tax credit is not refundable, but may be carried forward for five years. Limited funding for each calendar year, available on a first-come, first-served basis. See state web site (step 2 above) for details. The federal tax credit and South Carolina income tax credit are government incentives and are not administered by General Motors. The Chevrolet Volt is available to order at participating Chevrolet dealers. Quantities are limited. Information accurate as of 8/23/12. Contact the proper agencies/authorities with questions. 

GM's History of Design Innovations

Automaker’s groundbreaking design department celebrates 85 years

General Motors was the first automaker to recognize and focus on the importance of automotive design, something taken for granted today. Led by Harley Earl, GM Design was created in June of 1927 to “study the question of art and color combinations in General Motors products.” Earl and his department moved the company to offer multiple colors for models, develop concept cars and, perhaps most significantly, institute yearly model changeovers. 

Standing on that kind of history, it’s no surprise that General Motors is a global leader in automotive design today, with 1,900 men and women in 10 international design centers focused on the future and creating “art that moves you,” driven by current GM Design leader and Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn.

“Our global team is united around its passion for designing vehicles that make an emotional connection with customers,” said Welburn. “What was true 85 years ago is still true today: A designer’s role is to create a beautifully executed exterior with great proportions that draw you in, and an interior that invites you into a relationship that develops and grows.”

In recent years, Cadillac and Buick have each undergone design renaissances, and Chevrolet has become a global brand with a globally recognized design language, apparent in such vehicle introductions as the Chevy Camaro sports car, the Malibu midsize sedan, and the Cruze compact car.

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended range went from concept to production in just three years, winning “North American Car of the Year” honors and co-winning the European “Car of the Year” award along the way.

“Our global structure allows us to design more new vehicles and to dedicate more people using the latest technology and tools to bring them to market,” said Welburn. “The diversity of thought, experience, culture and perspective we foster here is unrivaled, and it fuels our creative process.”

Those who make a living handing out automobile design awards have taken notice of GM’s innovations. Buick was named to the “Hottest Brands of 2010” list by the cable network MSNBC, while the new Chevy Camaro won several awards that same year, including “World Car Design of the Year” at the 2010 New York International Auto Show, “Collectible Car of the Year” from the National Automotive History Collection, Kiplinger's “Best New Sports Car” award, Ward's “Best Sports Car Interior” award, and a “Best in Design” distinction from Popular Mechanics.

In 2011, the same year the Chevrolet Volt was named “North American Car of the Year,” the Volt was also named Motor Trend “Car of the Year” and Motor Week “Driver's Choice Best of the Year.” Also in 2011, the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon was named an Automobile magazine “All-Star,” an “Editors Choice Top 10 Vehicle” of the year by MSN Autos and “Most Wanted” by Edmunds Inside Line.

Most recently, the all-new 2013 Cadillac XTS luxury sedan made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show as the most technologically advanced production car in the brand's history; the Buick Encore small crossover was unveiled at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit; the Chevrolet MiRay concept car won “Best Concept” in the annual Detroit News Readers' Choice Awards; and the all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS compact luxury sports sedan is currently challenging the world’s best premium cars.

Additional milestones in GM’s history include pioneering the concept of “advance design” in the 1930s, making it the first company to use special studio teams to explore engineering and design possibilities. The following decade, GM became the first automaker to hire women designers.

To test drive “art that moves you,” stop by today.

How To Read a New Car Window Sticker

There Is More To See Than Just the Price

Anyone who has shopped for a new car has looked at its window sticker — if for no other reason than to check the price. But the window sticker also offers other information that can be useful to buyers. This article will help you navigate the sea of text and numbers on a new car's window sticker. The sample sticker above comes from a 2013 Ford Focus ST and highlights 10 key areas of interest. Keep in mind that the layout of a window sticker can change depending on the automaker, but the information on what the industry calls the Monroney label is required by law to be the same across all manufacturers.

1. Model Information
This is where you will find the basic model information for the vehicle. The section is usually located in the top left or right corner. It tells you the engine and transmission combination, exterior and interior color, the year and trim level of the vehicle. Checking this part of the sticker is the best way to quickly ensure that the car in front of you has the engine and color configuration you're looking for.

2. Standard Equipment
This section of the window sticker lists all items and features that are included in the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP). Items listed here should be consistent with any other vehicle in this trim level. These items are grouped into such categories as: Exterior, Interior, Safety/Security, Comfort/Convenience and Mechanical/Performance.

3. Warranty Information
This section lists the length of the new car's bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties and notes any roadside assistance package that the manufacturer offers. Some new cars also come with free maintenance programs.

4. Optional Equipment
In this section, you'll find information on the car's factory-installed options. Some carmakers bundle them into packages. Others offer them à la carte. Knowing a vehicle's options can help you price it correctly and make apples-to-apples comparisons with other cars on the lot.

5. Pricing Information
This is where you'll find the base price of the vehicle and a breakdown of options and fees. Other items that would appear here are the destination charge (cost of transporting the vehicle to dealer) and any gas-guzzler tax (levied on cars with a combined MPG of 22.5 or less). The total price of the vehicle is sometimes located here, but it often occupies its own space.

6. Parts Content Information
Vehicle manufacturing is often a global process. Shoppers who want to "buy American" may have to ask themselves whether a Chevy manufactured in Mexico is more American than a Honda made in Ohio. Answers to questions like that will vary. The parts content section lists where the vehicle was assembled and often the percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts it contains. Our sample window sticker doesn't have the percentages, but many others do. For more information on this question, shoppers can turn to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA) Web site, which has the percentage breakdown of domestic and foreign content in cars from 2007 to the present.

7. Total Price
This section shows the total MSRP for the vehicle. That doesn't mean you have to pay this price, but it does give you a point of reference in your negotiations.  Depending on the demand for the car, sometimes this "sticker price" is a fair price.

8. Fuel Economy Label
The fuel economy label, also called an EPA label, gives you estimates of the vehicle's fuel efficiency. This block helps you compare the MPG numbers on one car versus another. The combined MPG number is the most prominent and most important figure to note. The EPA label is all new for the 2013 model year and provides more information than it previously had.

9. QR Code
Scanning this pixelated square with a smartphone camera links shoppers to the mobile EPA Web site. They can then customize their driving stats to get personalized fuel economy data.

10. Safety Ratings
NHTSA tests a number of new vehicles every year and issues star ratings based on the results. This information is in the safety rating section of the window sticker. Occasionally, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) scores also are displayed on the window sticker, as seen on our sample label. Because NHTSA doesn't test every car on the market, the safety-rating section will sometimes be blank. If this is the case, consumers can check the IIHS Web site.

"Sticker Is Quicker"
We once heard a salesman say this, referring to how much time could be saved if a customer would just pay the sticker price. We don't agree with that sentiment, but it's true that a new car's window sticker is the fastest way to verify the options on a vehicle so that you can accurately look up its TMV.

Whether you're shopping via the Internet and phone or in person, request a copy of the window sticker of a vehicle you are interested in. Once you have all the information a sticker contains, you can truly determine the best price to pay for a car that's right for you.

Five Places to Take Family during the Holidays in North and South Carolina

Lights, trees, gifts and even a ride on the Polar Express

Make special holiday memories that your kids will remember for a lifetime and even incorporate into the traditions they will eventually share with their own children.  The Carolinas offer many special holiday events, from train rides to light displays and more.

Take a ride on the Polar Express
The popular children's book and movie comes to life when you and your kids board The Polar Express from Nov. 9 to Dec. 30.  The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad transforms into the beloved Polar Express train as it departs from Bryson City, N.C., and makes a magical stop at the "North Pole" where Santa will board the train and give each child a silver sleigh bell.  More than 42,000 passengers rode on this version of The Polar Express in 2011.  Click here for more information.

O' Christmas Tree
Create fun Christmas memories with your family when you cut your own tree together.  The High Country of North Carolina around Boone, N.C., features many choose-and-cut tree farms - there are more than 60 such farms in the state.  To locate a farm where you can cut a Fraser fir to take home, visit www.ncchristmastrees.com.  Some of the farms also offer hot chocolate, wreaths and other greenery.

Light up your Holidays
An amazing light display is in store for visitors at the Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville, S.C.  The Roper Mountain Holiday Lights display features a tunnel of lights to pass through on the way up Candy Cane Lane, where there are dozens of fantastic attractions like a Ski Jumping Santa and Santa's Toy Factory.  The lights are on display between 6 and 10 p.m. nightly from Thanksgiving to Dec. 30.  Plan your visit at www.ropermountainholidaylights.com.

Everything's coming up ... Gingerbread
Every November in Asheville, N.C., the famed Grove Park Inn welcomes guests with the heavenly aroma of gingerbread filling its halls.  Gingerbread crafters from all over the country gather at the hotel in hopes that judges will pin a ribbon to their gingerbread house creations.  Entries from the 2012 National Gingerbread House Competition will be on display throughout the Grove Park Inn through Jan. 2.

Glittering Candles
Nights of a Thousand Candles takes place on three weekends in December at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrels Inlet, S.C. from 3 to 10 p.m. on Dec. 7-8, 14-15 and 20-22.  Participants can walk the paths amid the glow of more than 5,500 hand-lit candles and numerous sparkling lights.  Dinner is also available in addition to the admission price.  Click here for more information.

Enjoy the magic of the season as you pay attention to the sights, sounds, aromas and the squeal of excitement from the kids when they catch of glimpse of Santa at the mall!

Black Friday Savings and Giveaways

The idea behind the term "Black Friday" is that on the day after Thanksgiving retail stores have enough sales to put them "in the black" for the year.  "Black" refers to the accounting practice of recording losses in red and profits in black.

OK - so that tells us why stores participate in Black Friday.  The real excitement here, however, is the amazing savings that get passed on to customers for this one day ONLY.

Rick Hendrick Chevrolet is excited to take part in this American tradition this year with some AMAZING specials and giveaways!  Here's what we've got in store for you this year:

• Every person who test drives a car on Black Friday will receive a $25 gift card and will be entered to win an iPad mini - the giveaways will be going on all day!

• NEW 2012 Chevy Sonic just $14,990

• NEW 2013 Chevy Spark just $11,990

• NEW 2012 Chevy Cruze just $15,990

• Up to $10,000 off EVERY Chevy Silverado

• Oil Change with a complimentary tire rotation just $19.95

• $15 off diesel or synthetic oil change

Enjoy you Turkey today and get ready for some amazing savings tomorrow -- Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

GM Helps Find Jobs for Military Veterans

GM’s $250,000 donation to Hiring our Heroes program will fund nationwide job fairs

General Motors is committed to helping the nation’s returning veterans find meaningful employment. GM and the GM Foundation recently made a contribution of $250,000 to the Hiring our Heroes program, run by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Chamber Foundation. The program is a national effort to help both returning veterans and their spouses find jobs, as many of these individuals had to put their careers on hold due to long separations and overseas military deployments.

 

The $250,000 given by GM will help fund at least 20 job fairs for veterans around the country; at these fairs, GM, a GM supplier and a GM dealer will act as sponsoring hosts.

 

“The best way to thank the men and women who volunteered to serve our country is with a good job when they return home,” stated GM Chief Diversity Officer Kenneth J. Barrett, a retired Navy captain.

 

“Between this gift and the combined efforts of our GM family, we hope to help more veterans jump-start their new careers in the civilian world,” Barrett continued. “Veterans bring discipline, a work ethic and skills to employers unique to their military training, so hiring them isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.”

 

Hiring our Heroes was launched in March of 2011; since then, the program has helped more than 9,500 veterans and spouses find jobs, according to the National Chamber Foundation. The Foundation is on track with various partner agencies to host 400 hiring fairs this year and is working to get the business community to commit to hire 500,000 veterans by the end of 2014.

 

Numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the May unemployment rate among veterans who have served since 2001 was 12.7 percent, significantly higher than the national unemployment rate of 8.2 percent.

 

“As the auto industry continues its own recovery, we hope to help identify as many jobs as possible within the GM family – including suppliers and dealers – for qualified veterans,” Barrett said. “At GM, we have nearly 5,000 veterans in our workforce today and 45,000 more who are retirees.”

 

David M. Warner, a Marine Corp veteran, is a perfect example of how valuable these job fairs are. Warner attended a job fair for veterans in Livonia, Michigan; soon after, he began working at the GM Fairfax (Kansas) Assembly as a material group leader in the plant that constructs the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse.

 

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” said Warner. “Many of my fellow Marines are seeking work, and I hope their search goes as well as mine did.”

 

Another benefit of the Hiring our Heroes program is how employed veterans can relate to those still seeking jobs. “Because military men and women are trained to not brag about personal accomplishments, they sometimes need coaching to sell themselves in the civilian world,” stated Ryan Church, an assistant program engineering manager for the Chevrolet Equinox. Church is also a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. “Veterans can identify when they see and talk to ’one of their own’ on the other side of the table at these job fairs.”

 

GM is also involved in helping veterans find employment through the GM Talent Acquisition; weekly updates on salaried job openings are sent to state employment agencies, veterans’ groups and outplacement firms.  Additionally, the GM Careers website features a “Veterans” section on the home page that links to the company’s recruiting calendar. As a corporate participant in the Army Pays program, GM ensures that all service member participants will receive a job interview when they apply for a position.

 

With so many veterans currently struggling with unemployment and many more expected to leave the service in upcoming years, it’s imperative that businesses help these heroes move on with their lives and give them opportunities to provide for their families. GM’s contribution to the Hiring our Heroes program is a significant step in the right direction.