Commercial Auto Dealers

As if GM’s OnStar service wasn’t great enough already, you can expect even more features in the next couple years.

OnStar subscribers already depend on this convenient service for many of their driving needs. Since 1997, it has helped bail drivers out of traffic jams, find their way around a new city and contact emergency services when an accident occurs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. According to GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner, more than 85,000 OnStar users contact the service every day. OnStar has also responded to more than one million emergencies in the last 12 years. In addition, more than 60,000 drivers have used OnStar to have their locks unlocked remotely after leaving their keys in the car.

But, according to Wagoner, the service is “just getting warmed up.”

Instead of the small radio screen that current OnStar-equipped vehicles use, the 2009 models are going to have a full screen mounted in the dashboard so drivers can easily see and access the service. Another feature – OnStar eNav – allows users to download directions directly from their home computer. Wagoner also hinted to a few more features, including a way to let drivers use their cell phone as a remote control that they can use to lock their car from miles away, warm or cool their car from a distance and start the car from hundreds feet away as well.

OnStar is also working on implementing a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system in which your vehicle can “communicate” with other OnStar-equipped vehicles for additional safety on the roads.

Sound exciting? If so, visit your local GMC truck dealer and get a 2009 model equipped with the eighth generation of OnStar. With all of the conveniences and features, it’s definitely worth every penny and then some.

If you’ve been wanting a great deal on a truck or SUV lately, your local GMC truck dealer can help you out. With the company’s 72-hour sale going on right now, you can save thousands on a number of models that are sure to please your driving taste buds.

The sale is actually longer than 72 hours. It started June 24 and isn’t over until June 30. If you visit a GMC lot during this time, qualified buyers can expect zero percent financing for 72 months on many Pontiac, GMC, Buick and Chevrolet vehicles. That’s including the new HHR which everybody is talking about lately.

If you’re a qualified buyer, you’re also eligible for an extra $500 in bonus cash if you choose to buy a vehicle instead of leasing one. Below is a list of the makes and models included in this sale.

Hummer
H2 and H3

Buick
Lucerne and Lacrosse

Pontiac
Torrent, G6, Grand Prix, Solstice

Saab
9-7X and 9-3 Convertible

Saturn
Vue, Aura and Sky

Cadillac
All Escalade Models, SRX, DTS, STS

GMC
Yukon, Yukon XL, Envoy, Canyon and Sierra

Chevrolet
Avalanche, Equinox, Suburban, Colorado, Tahoe, Trailblazer, Uplander, HHR, Impala and Silverado

Of course, you might be able to find deals on premium models as well, including the Corvette and others. Run, don’t walk to your nearest dealer today while you can still take your pick of the inventory.

Recently, I read an article written by someone who was involved in a rollover accident. It was titled, “I’d Rather be Driving a Hummer” and it was written by a victim of a rollover accident. As a result of the accident, she and her husband had the chance to drive several different types of vehicles while waiting for their Envoy to get repaired.

The result?

After driving everything from a “bright red Dodge Neon” to a GMC Yukon, they both preferred the larger SUVs because they made them feel safe and secure. It wasn’t just the size of the SUVs that made a difference. After being in a rollover, the writer of the article couldn’t help but notice “escape routes” in every car she drove thereafter. Upon entering one vehicle, she immediately noticed that the windows weren’t large enough to crawl through in an emergency.

But another factor she considered was the way the different vehicles handled in a variety of driving conditions. Luckily, she experienced fog, hail, rain and snow during the time their Envoy was getting repaired. What she found is that the larger SUVs handled much better in some of the worst road conditions that Milwaukee had to offer. In addition, she also noticed the hauling power of the larger vehicles when they went to the home improvement store to buy decorative bricks for their landscaping efforts.

Do you feel more comfortable in a larger truck or SUV? I know I do. Call me a gas-guzzler. Call me unpatriotic. You can call me anything but “late for dinner” and I still want to drive my SUV. If you’re like me, visit your local GMC truck dealer and get a great deal on one today. With the unbelievable incentives, you can save thousands of dollars without even trying!

If you just purchased a vehicle from your local GMC truck dealer, there’s no better way to finish off the look than to get a tonneau cover. These accessories serve three purposes.

1. Tonneau covers are stylish
You can get a simple tonneau cover that matches your truck or get on with a design that expresses your personality. My uncle had a canvas tonneau cover years ago and I painted a scene with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote on it. It was a great conversation piece and it showcased a piece of his personality as well.

2. Tonneau covers protect your cargo.
You can get a tonneau cover that locks. As such, you can store some of your tools in the bed of your truck without worrying about them getting stolen. Or you can even carry your groceries and other goods in the back of your truck without them blowing out when you’re on the expressway.

3. Tonneau covers save gas.
In recent studies, tonneau covers have increased a truck’s fuel economy by as much as two percent. That might not seem like much at first, but it adds up over a period of weeks or months. The new research actually placed trucks inside wind tunnels and experimented with their efficiency with and without tonneau covers at different speeds. The results showed that trucks without covers incurred more drag and, as a result, decreased gas mileage.

Transit officials in southern California encouraged people last week to “Dump the Pump” and use mass transportation for one day. The third annual “Dump the Pump” day occurred on June 19. It’s an effort to protest rising gas prices and make people aware of transportation alternatives besides their personal vehicle.

Unfortunately, some mass transit riders are using the buses and other forms of transportation because that’s the only choice they have. Bob Gooian, a local resident, uses mass transportation about four days a week now that prices in the region average around $4.62 a gallon. Transit officials are seeing more and more people like Gooian who want to save on gas. “Just in this last May, May 2007, when we compare that to 2008, our ridership is up six percent on our rail lines over what it was last year,” said MTA CEO Roger Snoble. He also said that ridership on the area’s subways and Metro Rapid buses have increased since last year as well.

But saving money on gas prices isn’t the only benefit transit riders enjoy. They also save money on parking. That’s not to mention the amount of frustration they usually deal with in southern California traffic.

By making the switch to mass transit, you can afford to get a truck at your local GMC truck dealer. That way, you can use your full-size truck for pleasure without needing to commute to work with it every day. Think of the money you’ll save while still having the truck or SUV you’ve always wanted!

The hip hop culture’s SUV-of-choice now features some of the latest hybrid technology available. The 2009 Cadillac Escalade was unveiled to the public earlier this month and has the same look that SUV lovers have come to know and love. But underneath the hood is where it’s different.

One of the most notable features is the fact that many components of the exclusive vehicle were made in and around Baltimore where the Escalade is manufactured. Actually, it’s in White Marsh, but that’s just a stone’s throw away from the popular Maryland city. What these new features mean, though, is that the Escalade now gets 50 percent more miles per gallon than its non-hybrid brother. It also joins GM’s Tahoe and Yukon models as the latest hybrid to enter the automaker’s hybrid lineup.

The new hybrid Escalade comes just days after GM announced that it was closing down some of its truck plants in order to make smaller cars. Instead of a complete lineup that includes 50 percent cars and 50 percent trucks and SUVs, GM plans to cut back production of trucks by about 10 percent. That will make the mixture closer to 60/40.

You won’t see the hybrid Cadillac Escalade at your local GMC truck dealer until August, but it sounds like they’re definitely worth the wait. Some dealers are reporting waiting lists with at least a dozen people already anxiously awaiting their release. I know I can’t wait to take one for a test drive!

If you’ve ever wanted to buy a Hummer made by GMC, you should probably act fast. The automaker is considering selling the brand to the highest bidder in upcoming months.

There’s not a darn thing wrong with the Hummer. It’s just that rising gas prices have made them in such low demand that GMC has decided to cut its losses. It doesn’t look like prices at the pump are going to go down any time soon. And as long as they stay around $4 a gallon, there just aren’t that many people in the market for a Hummer.

One major prospect for buying the brand is China. The nation is selling millions of vehicles lately and they’re going to be selling millions more. The Buick brand already has created a reputation in the region and one company in the region has expressed interest in bringing the Hummer brand over there, too.

What does that mean for you?

If you visit your local GMC truck dealer and purchase a Hummer, it could be one of the last ones made by the domestic automaker. That makes it unique. And imagine how popular it would be if gas prices get back down to what they used to be and everybody wants a big truck again! Besides, with the slow sales of trucks, GMC is likely offering a number of incentives that make the Hummer more affordable. Take one for a drive today!

Does anybody really carry around enough cash to fill their cars up at the pump nowadays? In fact, it’s getting to the point to where you have to take out a loan just to get a full tank of gas. Many people use their credit cards at the pump because it’s just quicker and easier. But some stations are starting to pull the plug on that idea.

In Charleston, West Virginia, Roger Randolph, a gas station manager, isn’t allowing his customers to use their plastic any longer when buying gas. In fact, he’s even hung at his station that reads, “No more credit cards.”

He isn’t the first to speak out against credit cards in recent months. Since prices have topped $4 a gallon everywhere, gas station owners are noticing that it’s actually costing them money to accept credit cards.

Without getting into the complicated math of a credit transaction, the basic idea is that gas station owners are required to pay a percentage of each sale to the credit card companies in order to process the transaction. That’s called an “interchange fee.” Although the percentage is fixed at less than two percent, the more gas a person buys with credit, the higher the amount the station owner has to pay. And since stations only mark up their gas by about 11 or 12 cents per gallon, that two percent (which comes out to about 10 cents per gallon) has become a real burden on many stations’ profits.

I’ve always wondered why some gas stations charge extra to use a credit card. Now I can see why. Instead of paying the extra fee, just pay in cash and save your money to put towards a purchase at your local GMC truck dealer. With great deals and incentives on trucks nowadays, it should take long to save up a great down payment!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have a four-day work week instead of the normal five or six days you work now? With rising gas prices, that’s exactly what some companies are offering to their employees.

At Ohio’s Kent State University, officials offered the schools custodial staff an option of working a longer day for four days a week or staying with their normal five days a week. Most of the 94 employees who had the opportunity jumped at the chance.

The university’s spokesperson – Scott Rainone – said the offer has a twofold advantage: It saves employees fuel and it adds to their morale. This, in turn, helps the school keep the good employees that it already has.

Although the option is only available for the custodial staff at the university, Rainone is hoping the school will offer it to other departments as well. “In our office,” he said, “we have people who travel anywhere from five or six miles to a couple who are on the road 45 to 50 minutes.” A four-day work week would certainly be a help for those who drive those long distances.

The trend is starting to spread across the nation. The federal government has offered a similar option to some employees while giving them a chance to telecommute as well. Private companies are also starting to follow the trend, especially ones in rural areas. Dave Vaughn, executive director of a company in rural northeastern Ohio, is offering the option to employees simply so he can hold on to them. Where his company is located, his employees “can jump on a bus or take a train.”

Maybe this trend will spread and your company will allow this, too. When it does, make the most of your longer weekends with a new or certified pre-owned vehicle from your local GMC truck dealer. How much more pleasant will everybody be when we all get three days off each week instead of two?

You can’t look at any automotive blog lately without reading the praises of hybrids. In fact, some even treat it as sacrilege if you say something negative about these new vehicles. But that’s okay with me. I’m not a big fan of hybrids and I don’t mind saying it.

One of the reasons why I don’t like hybrids is because they’re too quiet. This story talks about a mom blaming a hybrid’s quietness for her son’s death. I think that’s a little extreme, but it does point to a type of danger that hybrids cause. Her argument was that her eight-year-old son rode his bike into the middle of the street because he couldn’t hear any cars coming. Unfortunately, a Prius was right there and it hit the kid before it had a chance to stop.

I’m not so sure the hybrid can be blamed for that incident. But with their quiet nature, many people are concerned for pedestrian safety. For instance, members of the National Federation of the Blind are concerned that blind pedestrians may be in more danger due to the lack of noise. They are trying to convince lawmakers in Maryland to pass guidelines calling for a minimum level of noise on vehicles.

In addition to that, the House of Representatives is studying the effects of these quiet cars and how sound adds to pedestrian safety.

I’m sure we’re still going to hear more about this argument from both sides. But you can avoid this problem by getting a good ol’ full-size truck from your local GMC truck dealer. You’re sure to hear the roar of the engine when one of those monsters is going down the road. Who knew you were contributing to public safety when you’re driving a big truck?