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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Northridge Dealership Gets First 2011 ChevyVolts in State

Rydell Automotive Group in Northridge was the first dealership in California to receive the 2011 Chevrolet Volt electric cars as the new vehicles were delivered to a select number of dealerships nationwide for the model’s initial launch. Six already-purchased Volts arrived on Dec. 17 at the Northridge dealership, which had the highest number of customers who purchased the vehicles early enough to receive them before the end of the year, said Shad Balch, GM environment and energy spokesman. The buyers, which included Jay Leno, had been given the opportunity to watch their cars being built online and track their deliveries. The new Volt model is chargeable from any household outlet and has a range extender, meaning it has a backup gasoline-fueled generator that kicks in if the vehicles runs out of battery charge on a longer trip. After the Northridge shipment was delivered, other Southern California dealerships also received pre-purchased Volts for their customers. Those dealerships included Keyes Chevrolet in Van Nuys, Community Chevrolet in Burbank and Power Chevrolet Valencia. Meanwhile, a total of 300 2011 Volts were rolled out across the nation for the initial launch, which included deliveries in California, Michigan, Texas, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, Balch said. More of the Volts are expected to be delivered to the rest of the Chevrolet dealerships in the coming weeks, with many of the cars also being pre-sold. The automaker has committed to building 10,000 and had announced that the cars would be available for purchase by the end of 2010. “We wanted to make sure that we stuck to our promise,” Balch said. He added that the San Fernando Valley plays a vital role in introducing the new car to the market. “The Valley is one of the most, if not the most, important market for us as part of the Volt’s initial launch,” he said. “We have to win back those customers in order for this car to be successful nationally. There are a lot of early adopters here who are willing to be the first to buy new technology, and so we want them to look at Chevrolet, look at the Volt, and become advocates for the car.”

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