Innovation

“….If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward....”

Thomas Edison

While not the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison experimented with thousands of different filaments before he discovered that a carbon filament in an oxygen free bulb glowed for an extended period of time. This eventually led to the first bulb that could glow for over 1500 hours. He embodied the spirit of persistence and determination that leads to greatness. This same spirit, while not uniquely American, permeates our culture, and helps make us great as a people, and as a nation.

 

Here’s a quote that I’ve heard attributed to Henry Ford – “They can have a car in any color that they want as long as it’s black.” How things have changed, since these early innovators were on the scene. Now there are numerous auto manufacturers, forms of illumination; as well as options and choices once unimaginable for a myriad of products. The public has demanded improvements of existing products, while new technologies and those companies employing them have delivered on those demands.

The new Chevrolet Volt is one of General Motors’s answers to the quest for increasingly efficient and ecologically sound automobiles. Years of engineering, testing, and proving, are evident in the resulting automobile. One of the bylines for this entry in the industry is that it’s “More car than Electric”. Get behind the wheel and that becomes readily apparent. The first 35-38 miles are powered purely by electric batteries, and the next 375 miles are powered by the range extending generator which is gas powered.

To me one of the amazing characteristics of the car is the power! Hence the “More car than Electric” designation. Acceleration is instantaneous and the handling is impressive as well. Except for the quietness of the vehicle you would not imagine that you were driving an electric powered vehicle. The ride is stable and comfortable with plenty of room for driver and passengers. To view some excellent videos of the Volt and some of it’s features visit http://gm-volt.com/chevy-volt-videos/ To experience the Volt first-hand stop by and see it for yourself. Oh, did I mention the Apps? These are a see to believe feature as well!

 

See you soon!

Six Speeds of Sonic

Anyone remember telephone “party lines”? Not the looking for singles phone numbers. I’m talking about the early telephone lines where more than one customer shared a single line and each had a distinctive ring to let them know they were receiving a call. Someone told me about them – OK I actually remember when my family’s first phone was on a party line. If you picked up the receiver when the other person was on the phone you could hear both sides of the conversation and, of course, quickly hang up and wait until the line was clear to place your call.

How about before there was caller ID? Some kids would call the local store and ask if they had Prince Albert in a can. (An early tobacco product) When they responded yes, these kids would gleefully say “You better let him out!” Yeah, I was one of those kids….

We’ve come a long way since then. Communication and staying in touch have evolved to the degree that we are in “constant contact” with anyone and everyone that we want to be. We can now have distinctive rings for the people we know so that we know it’s them calling before we answer - or not. With the Smart Phones you can also do much more than simply stay in touch. The iPhone has an amazing 85,000 individual applications that can be downloaded, and the Android about 10,000.

You can now use your phone to receive and send e-mails; use it as a GPS device; download music – “is there an app for that” is now a common phrase. One of the Six Speeds of Sonic is “Social.” Your Smart Phone now lends it’s functionality to your new Sonic. You can utilize your Android or Blackberry, Bluetooth enabled phone, to stay connected, download music; and yes, there are a couple of new apps!

OnStar’s Remote Link allows you to lock and unlock your doors remotely; monitor fuel levels; oil life; tire pressure; and mileage, even start your Sonic. The My Chevrolet application allows you to locate the nearest dealer; schedule routine maintenance; and contact roadside assistance quickly and easily. Ever forget where you parked your car? Now you can mark where you parked and easily find it when you finish shopping; or set a reminder to “feed the meter”.

Read more about the Sonic and the “Six Speeds of Sonic” at www.chevrolet.com; even download a brochure. Visit “You Tube” to see some great videos and follow on Facebook as well. Better yet call or stop in for a demonstration and a test drive. You’ll be impressed I’m sure!

New for 2012 - Chevrolet Sonic

I recently enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a "Ride and Drive" featuring the all new 2012 Sonic. This is Chevrolet's newest offering in the compact car segment, and it promised to be an interesting day. We started at 5:30 A.M. leaving Edenton and traveling to the Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. If you've ever driven in the Norfolk, Hampton Roads area of Virginia, then you can understand how after several wrong turns, reversing direction at least once, and going completely in the wrong direction, we arrived with only 5 minutes to spare. (Forgot to take the Garmin!, and we weren't driving an OnStar equipped Chevrolet.)

The morning started with an introduction and orientation after which we were then divided into several breakout groups that would detail the "Six Speeds of Sonic". These are the major features and benefits of the new Sonic - more about those later. To me the highlight of the day was the Drive segment; where the rubber meets the road. For this portion we were led out to the huge parking lot which had been transformed with traffic cones into a mini performance drive course.

Finally behind the wheel!! We had the opportunity to drive a Sonic coupe with an automatic transmission as well as the hatchback with the manual transmission. It might not have been as convincing if all we did was drive our product, so we also drove the major competitors vehicles as well. These included the Ford Fiesta; Hyundai Accent; Nissan Versa; and Honda Fit.

The course started with a straight away to test the acceleration and power of each vehicle, then several "slow" curves and into a "slalom" of alternating sharp turns. From there to an "instant" stop to experience the vehicle response to a sudden stop. Finally, another acceleration and turn to return to the starting point. A professional driver accompanied each participant on the course and encouraged a maximum safe speed to fully appreciate the response of each vehicle.

I have been driving now for over 40 years and I have driven a variety of different vehicles from various manufacturers including trucks, midsized and full sized sedans, as well as a couple of compacts. I also must admit to a bias toward General Motors products, as the majority of the vehicles I have owned were GM's. Putting all of that aside, I was truly impressed with the Sonic, its ride, and overall performance. Part of the difference is the wider wheel base of the Sonic as well as the "body frame integral construction", which when combined allow for a much more solid stance, and a more stable ride.

One way for you to experience this awesome vehicle for yourself is to come in and take a test drive for yourself! Come visit me at Edenton Motors an see why we're "Simply the Best!"