Apple Auto Group App IPad Giveaway

Apple Auto Group launched a new App available on Android and Apple products!  Download our App for a chance to win an iPad on August 1st, 2012.  Benefits to you include exclusive specials, schedule service, and all Apple Auto Group inventory right from your home screen.  On August 1st, 2012, the Apple Auto Group App will send our a Notification Containing the Winning Code.  The first person to post the code to our Facebook Page wins the Apple iPad.  Be sure to remember to allow push notifications and Like Us on Facebook-facebook.com/appleautogroup before the winning code is sent on August 1st.. 

 Rules:
-One Ipad 2, 16GB will be given away on August 1. 1 Ipad giveaway for entire Apple Auto Group. The 1st person to post the winning code, provided in the App Notification to the user’s mobile phone, to Facebook.com/Apple Auto Group, will win the IPad. The App notification will be sent at any time during the 24 hour period on August 1. Notifications must be allowed on user device to receive the notification successfully. Apple Auto Group is not responsible for any technology error in receipt of notification on August 1. Employees and directly family members of employees (eligible for D Plan) are not eligible to win the Ipad.

Apple Auto Group sponsors Pan-O-Prog in Lakeville

Apple Valley Ford and Apple Auto Group are proud to sponsor Lakeville’s 2012 Pan-O-Prog Events. Pan O’Prog (short for Panorama of Progress) is an annual event held in the City of Lakeville since 1967 celebrating the success of its development and progress. Sensing the future growth of the city, community leaders looked for a way to observe these milestones, beginning with the development of the Lakeville Airlake Industrial Park. City wide volunteers give their time and effort to making each year’s event greater than the last.

Since 2006, Apple Valley Ford has sponsored this local event in support of its great surrounding communities. Over 50 celebrations, events and activities take place during the week of July 4 for young and old alike. By the masses, residents line up to watch the grand parade, classic car cruise and 4th of July fireworks! Each year Apple Auto Group sponsors and staff commit time to participating at the Annual Thursday Night Beers, Brats and Bingo, Friday Night Cruise Night  and Grand Parade. This year Apple Valley Ford is a Platinum Sponsor of the Grand Parade on Saturday, July 7^th at 5:30 p.m. Come on out and join us as we shower onlookers with over 300 pound of candy!



2013 Ford Escape: Compact Crossover SUV Comparison

*Escape Wins!  Great article in Motor Trend Magazine. 

Stroller Battle: Fresh Crop of Crossovers Wrestles for the Family Dollar

1ST PLACE: 2013 Ford Escape
Doing It Right
By: Kirill Ougarov

 

By its nature, this segment doesn't really have room for greatness. That said, the new Ford Escape is about as close to being great as a compact CUV is going to get. While not at the top of the pack in every aspect, the Escape does almost everything right.

Take the powertrain, for example. The 1.6-liter turbo-four is one reason Ford beat Mazda for the gold medal. Evans found it a "strong little engine," while Kiino noted that it has "great power from 2000 to 5000 rpm." More important, unlike with the Mazda, nobody felt the Ford was low on power or struggled to accelerate. The six-speed automatic worked well, providing smooth though not particularly quick shifts. The knob-based manual shift buttons discourage the use of the manual mode, but are better than nothing at all. The Escape also impressed us with its ride, both on the freeway and on the back roads. Kiino noted that the chassis "has a sporty edge to it that makes it feel light and lively," while Febbo said it was the "best in the canyon." Evans chose to dissent slightly by noting that the Escape had slightly too much body roll for his taste.

Feelings about the sheetmetal were generally positive, especially compared with the previous Escape, which looked like a shrunken Explorer. This one, bearing fresh European styling, is actually pleasing to the eye, though Lieberman described it best by saying it "looks like a pumped-up Focus," which is accurate even if it can be taken as a backhanded compliment.

 

Inside, the revolution is equally dramatic. The old Escape's slabby and trucky design makes way for a futuristic setup based on that of the Focus, though it's been considerably toned down. Everyone loved the Sync system and the big high-resolution navigation screen. The Escape was also the only one of the five to come with a power tailgate: Step up to an SEL and for an extra $1895, the tailgate becomes "hands free," meaning it'll open when you wave a foot under the rear bumper. Further, the Escape had the second-biggest cargo area of the bunch, giving up ground only to the expertly packaged Honda. Some concerns were voiced about backseat legroom and the general comfort level of the rear bench. Both were partly alleviated by the rear seat's ability to recline, greatly improving comfort. The only other knock against the Escape is the lack of a backup camera in the SE trim; you'd have to move up to an SEL to get it.

A perfect vehicle the Escape is not, but it is a big leap forward for Ford and the segment as a whole, because it proves you can get style, function, and fun in one well-priced package. Best of all, this one's from the home team.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/1209_2012_2013_compact_crossover_suv_comparison/viewall.html#ixzz1zZUe24d4

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY EVENT

Apple Chevrolet Buick Northfield is celebrating its 1 Year Anniversary during the month of June. Since opening our doors, Apple Chevrolet Buick Northfield has maintained a solid commitment to our customers, offering a wide selection of cars and trucks and ease of purchase.

Our event kicks off June 1^st by hosting a weekly Friday “Ladies Day” event in our Service Department. Each Lady will receive a bag filled with fragrant gifts as an appreciation from us for being our customer. This day also kicks off our month long service specials in honor of our 1 Year Anniversary.  All service guests can enjoy $1 Car Washes and $1 Wiper Blades (on select wipers).

We also have some great giveaways scheduled. Any guest can register to win a free gas grill; entry boxes are located in our service and sales departments. The kids can join in the fun as well by entering our coloring contest! Our coloring contest picture will be printed in the Northfield News throughout the month of June. Kids can enter their colored picture for a chance to win a Chevy Camaro 12 V Ride-On Car. Both these drawings will be held on Saturday, June 30^{th at} 1 p.m.  

 Saturday’s are fun filled days at Apple Chevrolet Buick Northfield this month. Each Saturday we will have free pony rides for the kids and free hot dogs for all from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. On display each Saturday are Donny and Ted Reuvers race cars. Also on Saturday, June 23^rd a Jaws of Life demonstration will be displayed at 2 p.m. by the Northfield Public Safety Department.

For the car enthusiasts on Tuesday, June 12^th Southern Cruzers Car Club will hold a car show from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Free hot dogs will be served during this event as well.

So, come on out to Apple Chevrolet Buick Northfield and visit our newly renovated, state of the art facility and join in on the many fun events we have planned throughout this month. We appreciate your business and being a part of the great community of Northfield.

Apple Chevrolet Buick Northfield has a professionally managed Service and Parts Departments open extended hours to accommodate our customers' busy schedules; and, as always, Apple Chevrolet Buick Northfield offers competitive pricing for your automotive maintenance needs. Please feel free to contact us at (507) 645-5619 if you have any questions or comments.



Apple Auto Group: 2013 Ford Escape and 2013 Ford Mustang

2013 Ford Escape

The new 2013 Escape has arrived at the Apple Auto Group. The Escape now features a best in class automatic highway fuel economy of 33MPG. New technologies have been tightly packed into the new SUV. The new technology not normally seen in this class, like forward sensing system or hands free lift gate are now optional. This is truly a new and exciting product from Ford to continue with the One Ford global plan for excellence.

2013 Ford Mustang

The 2013 Mustang has arrived at Apple Valley Ford Lincoln and Apple Ford Shakopee. With a new face the Mustang returns with a new presence. The new led rope lighting lets you see from a far that it’s a Mustang. The new GT gets additional power to the 5.0 bringing it to 420 horsepower. Also,  HID headlamps are now standard on all models. A new productivity screen is also available for 2013 bringing the muscle car experience that much closer to your customers.

 

Apple Auto Group New Vehicle Highlights

An Article in the USA today talked about Top 10 under-appreciated cars and trucks that are a great deal.  4 of those amazing models are available at Apple Auto Group, http://www.appleautos.com/.  The Ford Flex, Suzuki Kizashi, Chevrolet Avalanche, and Chevrolet Volt are all great vehicles that need consideration while researching for a new vehicle.  The content below was written by Joe Wiesenfelder from Cars.com.

 

CAPTION

Ford Motor via Wieck

Good products usually sell themselves … but not always. And that could mean a good deal for you on a fine vehicle that hasn't been feeling the love on the dealer's sales floor.

Shopping site Cars.com has assembled here a list of the Top 10 cars and trucks that should be more popular than they are.
In some cases the sales figures aren't terrible -- but in none of the cases below do the sales match our assessment of the cars' relevance or excellence. But the good news about that for you is that it usually means car shoppers can find a bit of a deal.

Ford Flex

CAPTION

By Ford, Wieck

The Flex tops our list because this underappreciated seven-seat gem is terrific yet outsold, five-to-one, by a similarly priced seven-seater found at the same dealership: the Ford Explorer. Sure, the Explorer name is better known and it looks more like an SUV than a shipping container, but the Flex is easier to get in and out of and has more overall passenger and cargo volume, especially in the dimensions that matter most, such as headroom and legroom. Driving cross-country? Go with the Flex.

CAPTION

By suziki

Suzuki Kizashi

For a good vehicle to get its due in the market, both the make and model have to be known, and that's why the excellent Suzuki Kizashi is seldom seen. Anyone who bothers to look will find an efficient sedan at the smaller end of the midsize car class that's fun to drive and has a stunningly high-quality interior. It comes with front- or all-wheel drive and such bonus options as a stick-shift and a great premium stereo.

CAPTION

By GM, Wieck

Chevrolet Avalanche

Truck buyers are a tough crowd. For example, in sales, the nifty Honda Ridgeline pickup consistently gets its clock cleaned by every recognizable brand, possibly because brand is more important than anything in this realm. Or perhaps because the Ridgeline's work capabilities are legitimately limited. So, why isn't the Chevrolet Avalanche a bigger hit? It can do the work, towing up to 8,100 pounds; it serves as a five-seat SUV or a full-length pickup truck, and it comes from a truck brand. Sadly, the 2013 model year will be the Avalanche's last.

CAPTION

By GM, Wieck

Chevrolet Volt

All plug-in cars are expensive, but so are luxury vehicles, and the reasons for driving both prove to be surprisingly similar. As owners, we know the Volt has downsides, as all cars do, and we accept that they're deal-breakers for some shoppers. But Volt resistance seems to be more about partisan pretzel logic and safety misperceptions than about the car itself. GM's sales expectations were too high, but the Volt definitely deserves more success than it's seen so far especially with the savings at the pump.

-- By Joe Wiesenfelder, Cars.com's Kicking Tires

Oil Change for Hope at Apple Auto Group

The Apple Auto Group has partnered with Hope Chest for Breast Cancer for the 2^nd year to raise money to support breast cancer patients and their families.  For every oil change we perform during the month of May at Apple Valley Ford Lincoln, Apple Ford Shakopee, Apple Chevrolet Buick of Northfield and Apple Suzuki of Shakopee we’ll donate one dollar to Hope Chest for Breast Cancer.  We will also donate $10 for each set of 4 tires we sell in May.

  The Hope Chest for Breast Cancer was founded in 2001.  They are celebrating over a decade of providing support to more than 2000 breast cancer patients and their families in the Twin Cities area. They have raised over $1,000,000 in the past 11 years.  Hope Chest’s guiding philosophy is to ensure that their funding is disbursed locally to provide the most effective support to those directly touched by breast cancer at a time when they need hope. The Apple Auto Group is proud to support this worthy cause.  In 2011, Apple Auto Group raised over $5,000 for Hope Chest and the goal this year is to more than double that. 

  Visit us online at http://www.appleautos.com/ or the Apple Auto Group Facebook page, www.facebook.com/appleautogroup to view Oil Change for Hope updates.