As we reported a few weeks ago, Pat McGrath Chevyland in Cedar Rapids, Iowa was recognized by General Motors as one of the elite dealerships in our respective region, performing at a level that places us amongst the top 2% of all dealerships! Chevyland was awarded the 2011 Chevrolet Dealer of the Year award, as well as the 2011 Mark of Excellence award, for exemplary performance in sales and customer service.

Thursday, April 26th, District Sales Manager for General Motors Chevrolet Division, Pete Finzel, General Motors Zone Manager, Luke May, and representatives from the Chevy Service and Fleet divisions were on hand to present Pat McGrath with the awards.  Along with the presentation ceremony, Chevyland hosted a luncheon for the staff with some amazing food provided by Katering Kitchen and Slice Design!

Enjoy our photos from the event!

Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s own Chevrolet dealership, Pat McGrath Chevyland, announced today that General Motors has named the dealership as one of GM’s Dealers of the Year!

In 2000, General Motors started a program to recognize dealerships in the United States who prove themselves to be a top performer in sales and customer service within their brand. The honor, given only to the top 2 percent of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers in their respective regions, requires dealers to show a commitment to customer service on a long term basis by retaining customers and providing them with exceptional vehicle service using Genuine GM and AC Delco Parts.

By participating in the Standards for Excellence, maintaining compliance with the Essential Brand Elements program, and continuing to strive for higher satisfaction ratings, Pat McGrath Chevyland has worked hard to prove their dedication to their customers.

“I am proud of the team we have here at Pat McGrath Chevyland. It takes to efforts and dedication of everyone to be a top performer in this industry,” said Pat McGrath, President.

Pat, and the entire staff here at Pat McGrath Chevyland, are extremely proud of this recognition and would like to thank YOU, our loyal customer for helping us achieve this honor! We will be working hard to provide you with the best car buying experience in the business and hope to duplicate this honor next year!

The award recognition ceremony will take place in Detroit, Michigan on May 2nd & 3rd, 2012.

We have some new photos of the Marion Used Car Superstore staff working hard to save you money! Check out the photos below!

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Last Thursday, April 12th, McGrath Automotive Group hosted a small company cookout to help benefit the American Cancer Society Relay for Life! Mr. Big Volume himself, Pat McGrath, was on hand to man the grill and serve up some delicious grilled entrées.

Thank you to all who attended, as well as those who could donate! Check out some photos of the staff enjoying the spread!

Expected for release summer 2012, Cadillac has an all new compact luxury sports sedan set to take the BMW 3-Series head on with the built-from-the-ground-up 2013 Cadillac ATS. Even better, the 2013 Cadillac ATS will be available at the Cedar Rapids area’s new home of Cadillac vehicles, McGrath Buick GMC Cadillac in Hiawatha, Iowa! For more information, use contact us here.

The all-new RWD, 4-door, 5-passenger 2013 Cadillac ATS is new in every sense of the word. With a design style reflecting Cadillac’s Art & Science philosophy, its striking, elegant appearance is perhaps less conservative than Cadillac models currently on the road. The Cadillac ATS rides on GM’s newly designed lightweight Alpha architecture, allowing the ATS to weigh in at less than 3,400 pounds, which is as light or lighter than its German and Japanese competitors. The ATS also features Cadillac’s first five-link independent rear suspension as well as multi-link double-pivot MacPherson strut front suspension with direct-acting stabilizer bar, driver-adjustable sport suspension with Magnetic Ride Control damping originating from the Corvette ZR1 and four-channel ABS with optional Brembo brakes. The chassis has been fine tuned to deliver precise steering and handling and has been optimized around available 17″ and 18″ wheels.

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The 2013 Cadillac ATS looks to compete in the power department as well, with three available powertrain options. The base ATS will feature a 2.5-liter, 200 horsepower inline four-cylinder engine. The second available option makes its debut on the Cadillac ATS and is an all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged Gen II Ecotec four-cylinder motor with 270 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torgue, besting the 240 horsepower 2.0-liter found in the base 3 Series. Third is a 3.6-liter DI v6 option that GM estimates at an impressive 318 horsepower. A six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic transmission will be available with the ATS, but Cadillac hasn’t revealed the specific configurations.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

DETROIT – Jeneise and Talfred Hunt of Romeoville, Ill. took their 2009 Malibu Hybrid to Advantage Chevrolet in Bolingbrook for an oil change this week and instead became the first customers to purchase the all-new 2013 Malibu Eco midsize sedan.

The new Malibu Eco is priced less than a full hybrid vehicle with a suggested retail price of $25,995, including a $760 destination charge.

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The heart of the Malibu Eco is its segment-exclusive, fuel-saving eAssist™ technology, which provides GM-estimated 25 mpg city and 37 mpg highway fuel economy. It combines start-stop technology with regenerative braking and a lightweight lithium-ion battery to provide an electric boost in certain conditions, improving fuel economy by 12 percent over today’s four-cylinder engine – and delivering better fuel economy than any non-hybrid midsize sedan currently available.

[ READ FULL ARTICLE HERE ]

DETROIT – Advertising experts say more people are interested in buying Chevrolet cars and trucks due to clever and targeted advertising and innovative digital campaigns tied to Super Bowl XLVI.

According to the CNBC/Collective Intellect Super Sunday Ad Tracker research conducted before, during and after the game, Chevrolet came in first in purchase language – language that suggests a consumers’ intent to purchase a product based on the advertising. Chevrolet beat out all of the other brands that also advertised during the Super Bowl by a comfortable margin.

“Our strategy was to reach far beyond the in-game spots, and extend the conversation about Chevy cars and trucks through multiple digital efforts before, during and, importantly, after the game,” said General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. “In the end, brand exposure and purchase consideration is what this is all about, and these results show Chevrolet nailed it.

To view all of Chevrolet’s Super Bowl ads visit: http://www.youtube.com/Chevrolet

[ READ FULL ARTICLE HERE ]

DETROIT – General Motors remains the No. 1 innovator for the fourth-consecutive quarter among 183 companies ranked by The Patent Board in its quarterly automotive and transportation industry scorecard.

GM was granted 1,123 U.S. patents in 2011 applied to global product engineering, global powertrain engineering, global research and development and OnStar organizations.

The Patent Board is the leading independent provider of best practices research tools and metrics for patent analysis and intellectual property investment. It tracks and analyzes innovation and patents across 17 industries on a global basis.

[ READ FULL ARTICLE HERE ]

With new features, new special edition models and an incredible new eight-speed automatic transmission, the 2012 Dodge Charger powers past its competitors to the top of the performance sedan food chain.

Is it possible to be thick and thin at the same time? Well, if so, the Charger’s aggressive design epitomizes lean muscle. Long, dramatic lines stretch the sedan’s frame while features like the dual-scalloped hood, iconic crosshair grille and deeply-slashed side panels deliver inherent brawn. In a model lineup that spans the value-packed SE through the high-performance SRT8, the Charger integrates available high-intensity SmartBeam® Intelligent Headlamps, foglamps, trapezoidal dual-chrome exhaust tips, 20-inch wheels and signature “racetrack” LED taillights.

New for 2012 is a revised SRT8, as well as an imposing new Blacktop Edition, a sleek, street-savvy take on the Charger’s SXT model. Like an invigorating shot of nitrous to the lineup, the Blacktop integrates aggressive styling cues like 20-inch gloss black aluminum wheels, sport seats, paddleshifters, a nine-speaker premium audio system and a performance-tuned suspension system with sport mode. The brand new 2012 SRT8 gets special model badging, along with 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, athletic front and rear fascia updates, a black honeycomb grille, spoiler and air-gulping hood scoop.

The Charger attacks 2012 with the same series of engines made popular last year, starting with the impressively efficient 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which makes 292 hp and 260 lb/ft of torque, and delivers up to 27 highway mpg, through its standard five-speed transmission. Next, a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 brings 370 hp and 395 lb/ft of torque to the sedan; at the top of the food chain, the new 6.4-liter HEMI V8 delivers a staggering 470 hp and 470 lb/ft of torque, and a 25 percent boost in efficiency thanks to an active valve exhaust system and Fuel Saver Technology (an innovative mode that allows the engine to shift from eight cylinders to four for improved fuel economy).

Are you interested in the new 2011 Dodge Charger? If so, feel free to email us at sales@mcgrathauto.com or call us at 319-393-4610! Our helpful and friendly sales staff is ready and eager to assist you in your search for a new vehicle!

The Charger’s most impressive advancement for 2012 comes in the form of a new eight-speed automatic transmission, making it the first Dodge ever to offer one. Standard on the 3.6-liter (and available on the entry model SE), the sophisticated and refined new eight-speed shifts quicker, making noticeably better use of the V6’s ample power, and improves acceleration and fuel efficiency up to 10 percent over last year’s five-speed (when equipped, the V6 returns an EPA-estimated 31 highway mpg).

V6 models equipped with the new transmission also get the superior traction of the available automatic All-Wheel Drive system, formerly reserved solely for V8 models. Suspension improvements – particularly the new two-mode adaptive damping on the SRT8 – ensure optimal control and comfort over differing road conditions. Finally, available two-mode Electronic Stability Control and advanced, water-wicking braking systems deliver an additional layer of protection to a vehicle that defines “controlled chaos.”

Behind tightly sealed doors and double-laminated glass, the Charger features premium interior amenities and sophisticated styling. The driver-oriented cockpit offers available French-stitched, Nappa leather-trimmed sport seats (bolstered on the SRT8), and the cabin itself sports more interior room than the Nissan Maxima or Ford Taurus.

Luxury gets a boost with available heated and ventilated seats and cupholders and dual-zone automatic climate control, and, new this year, the in-dash touchscreen of the available uUconnect® navigation and infotainment system gets a dash of color for easy readability. Also new for 2012, in the SRT8, is a 19-speaker harman/kardon® premium audio system, specially tuned to deliver 900 watts of outstanding acoustics to the newest Charger.

With a starting MSRP of just $25,495, the 2012 Charger brings impressive value and a slew of new features to the muscle sedan segment.

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The Chevrolet Tahoe is a spacious powerhouse with confident handling and superb ride quality. Since its introduction in the 1990s, the Tahoe has improved on its predecessors in every way, and Chevrolet shows no signs of slowing progress. For 2012, the new Tahoe is full of improvements ranging from new comfort and entertainment options to new colors and safety systems.

The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe (MSRP starting at $38,450) seats up to nine (yes, nine) and is available in LS, LT and LTZ trims (plus a Hybrid, a topic for a separate article), each available with either rear-wheel drive or 4WD. Every Tahoe is equipped with an E85 FlexFuel-capable 5.3-liter Vortec™ V8 and a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission. That V8 is capable of 320 hp and 335 lb/ft of torque and, in combination with the Tahoe’s fully boxed frame, provides a generous towing capacity of up to 8,500 pounds. That impressive power and tow rating comes with an EPA-estimated 21 mpg highway (2WD models), thanks in part to Active Fuel Management (AFM), which can deactivate as many as four cylinders during light driving conditions. This transition is seamless and takes less than 20 milliseconds, meaning you feel virtually nothing.

While the interior of Tahoe has always been a comfortable place to spend time, Chevrolet has graced the 2012 model with various improvements including a leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel that’s standard on the LTZ. New for 2012, previously optional heated seats are now standard on the LT trim level. To enhance Tahoe entertainment credentials, the 2012 model offers a new hard-drive navigation radio with USB port, Time Shift Recording capability and available SiriusXM Weather Service. Side Blind Zone Alert is now standard on LTZ trims, and LT and LTZ trims offer an available rear-seat entertainment system that includes a DVD player with remote control and overhead display. The DVD entertainment system comes with two sets of wireless headphones, so drivers won’t be distracted on those long family trips and passengers won’t get on each other’s nerves. To make trips even more comfortable, Tahoe LT and LTZ trims are available with heated and cooled leather-appointed front seats, second-row power-release fold-and-tumble seats and heated second-row seats, depending on trim.

When you make it to your destination, everyone will be impressed with the look of your new Tahoe. Features like the optional power-retractable assist steps and available chrome recovery hooks on 4WD models (standard on LTZ 4WD, black recovery hooks are standard on LS and LT 4WD) give the Tahoe an undeniable presence. For even more visual punch, the LT trim is available with the Z71 Off-Road Appearance Package. The package adds 18-inch all-terrain tires, color-keyed wheel flares, satin chrome tubular assist steps and an aggressive front fascia with a bright chrome grille insert. The Tahoe is available in 10 exterior colors including the new-for-2012 Crystal Red Tintcoat, Silver Ice Metallic and Blue Topaz Metallic (late availability).

Keeping your family safe is just as important as keeping them comfortable. This is why every Chevrolet Tahoe comes equipped with a large array of active and passive safety equipment that includes features like the LATCH child seat attachment system to safely secure little ones, and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes. The Tahoe also features StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control with Traction Control, and Proactive Roll Avoidance to help reduce rollover risk. The standard StabiliTrak system has been upgraded for 2012 to include Electronic Trailer Sway Control and Hill-Start Assist as well.

The Tahoe is equipped with an advanced system of airbags including standard head-curtain side airbags for rollover protection and standard seat-mounted side-impact airbags for driver and front passengers. All 2012 Tahoe models are also equipped with OnStar. OnStar is the leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and information services in the United States, and will call for help automatically when a collision is detected.

The Chevy Tahoe just keeps getting better. Each improvement helps keep the Tahoe at the head of the segment. With an astounding set of comfort features, multiple entertainment options, modern looks, a powerful, yet frugal drivetrain and an impressive list of safety features, including the industry-leading OnStar system, it is easy to see why the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe is the perfect choice.

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