Thank You!

As 2010 draws to a close, we'd like to take this opportunity to wish our customers a very happy and healthy 2011. At Raymond Chevrolet Kia we have many things to be thankful for, but we are most thankful for our loyal customers whom have helped us become one of the best Chevrolet and Kia dealers in Lake County, IL. We could not have done it without you!

We're gearing up to have an excellent 2011 and looking forward to serving our customers in Lake County, Kenosha County, Racine County and McHenry County. Remember to look to the Raymond Autogroup for all of your automotive needs in 2011.

Thank you!!!

Jay Leno picked up his new Chevy Volt yesterday

At a Northridge, CA Chevrolet Dealer. He's a huge Volt fan and as a car buff, he's got a lot to say about it. Watch him take delivery of his Volt here.

We should be getting Volts in soon at Raymond Chevrolet, your Lake County Illinois Chevrolet dealer. Do you think that electric cars are the wave of the future? Do you like the Volt? Will you buy or lease one?

Shop with a Cop makes a stop at Raymond Chevrolet

The Holiday spirt is in the air everywhere you turn. There's snow on the ground, the weather is cold, and holiday lights dot the landscape. Well at Raymond Chevrolet Kia, your Lake County Illinois Chevrolet Kia dealer, the Holiday spirit is in full effect. Tonight, together with the Antioch Police Department, 40 children received Christmas presents courtesy of Raymond Chevrolet an their generous employees.

The children were brought to Raymond Chevrolet on Route 173 in Antioch, IL by police escort in "Santa's Sleigh". (Really Chevrolet Suburbans courtesy of Raymond Chevrolet.) Their arrival could not have been missed, as the motorcade included police vehicles and SUVs complete with lights and sirens. It was certainly a site to be seen.

The children were greeted by Raymond employees, who escorted them to Santa's bag of toys. (A Chevrolet Silverado pick-up loaded with presents in the truck bed.) Mark Scarpelli, owner of Raymond Chevrolet Kia, welcomed the children and proceeded to hand out presents to each child. The children opened their presents and thanked Mr. Scarpelli and his employees. The air of excitement and the smiles on the faces of all the children made this event a sure hit!

After unwrapping presents, the children were off to Antioch Walmart to "Shop with a Cop." Each left with money from Raymond Chevrolet, in addition to their cop money, to spend how they pleased at Walmart.

We'll have video and pictures on our website and our facebook page, so if you'd like to see all of the excitement, take a peek!

Perfect Holiday Gifts

It’s hard to believe that it’s THAT time of year again. The time of year when we’re all hustling and bustling into stores only trying hard to find the perfect gift for that car buff on your list. Well your trusty Lake County Chevrolet dealer is here to help. After much thought and research. Here is our gift guide for the car lover in your life:

Plantronics Voyager PRO+ Bluetooth HeadsetIn reference to our blog post yesterday, it’s always a good idea to go hands-free if you’re driving, Try the Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth headset! Listed for $77.91 on amazon.com

Flash Rods' "Back to the Future" Delorean Hard DriveAs our computers become more and more bogged down with photos, videos, MP3, it’s more important than ever to back our files up on an external hard drive. This hard drive combines functionality with fun. The Delorean from Back to the Future helps you go back in time to retrieve those files on this external hard drive. $250 on Flash Rods website.

Lee Friedlander: AmericaDo you have a car finatic that also loves to read or travel? Then the Lee Friedlander: America book is the find for you. The photos, all taken from a vehicle as it travels around the country, incorporate various views from the car and how it would look to travel places. $32.97 on amazon.com

Custom vehicle graphics
this is a great gift for that 20-something in your life who wants to customize that first new car of theirs. At Raymond Chevrolet in Antioch, IL, we help you get an appointment set up and issue you a certificate to get those custom graphics complete!


Breathalyzer Keychain with Parking Meter TimerOkay this one might indicate to someone that you think they ***might*** have a slight drinking problem, but could be a fun gift too! Blow into the keychain and it will tell you what your blood alcohol level is at. It also doubles as a parking meter timer to avoid those pesky parking tickets.


A New Car or TruckWell you knew we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have you to come into Raymond Chevrolet and pick up a new 2011 Chevrolet Camaro or a 2011 Chevrolet Corvette for that special someone. Imagine finding that under your tree on Christmas Morning!

Thanks to our buddies at thecarconnection.com for helping us with the list!

In any case, we wish you all happy shopping and we’ll have more tips to come.

7 Dangerous Things To Do While You're Driving

We're all guilty of it. We all do dangerous things while driving. Some things are obvious, like texting while driving, which is illegal in Illinois and Wisconsin, while others on the list might surprise you. CarConnection.com recently published a list of things that you SHOULDN'T do while driving. These things include:

Eat and Drink
Drinking caffeine
Let your pets ride shotgun
Text Tweet or Facebook
Make Phone Calls
Read billboards
Get Comfortable

I, personally, never thought about letting your pet ride shotgun or getting comfortable. If you're on a long road trip, wouldn't you want to be comfortable while driving? Well if anything, the article is worth the read and worth some thought. You can read the article by clicking here.

Car Care Clinic and Customer Appreciation Saturday, October 9, 2010

Come and stop by Raymond Chevrolet on Saturday, October 9th. From 9:30 am - 10:30 am there will be a car care clinic. Stop in to learn how to take the best care of your vehicle and get tips and pointers from the experts.

After the car care clinic, Raymond Chevrolet will be hosting a customer appreciation event open to all! There will be pumpkins, face painting, battery checks, a petting zoo, food and more! We hope to see you at Raymond Chevrolet on Route 173 in Antioch, IL!

The Cruze is here!

The all new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze arrived yesterday at Raymond Chevrolet on Route 173 in Antioch, IL. Raymond is one of the first dealers in the area to receive the Cruze, which wasn’t expected to hit showrooms until the last week of September. The Cruze represents a new era for Chevrolet in the compact car segment. Chevrolet is determined to bring midsized car amenities to the compact car market. The Cruze boasts key features that it’s competitors, namely the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic, don’t offer. 10 standard air bags, larger passenger and trunk volume 94.6 cubic feet and 15.4 cubic feet respectively, On-star turn-by-turn navigation, remote keyless entry, and Chevrolet’s exceptional 5 year/100,000 mile power train warranty. The 1.4 liter turbo engine gets an estimated 36 miles per gallon highway. The 40 mile per gallon 1.8 liter Ecotec model will be in showrooms near the end of 2010. The Cruze is replaces the outgoing Chevrolet Cobalt produced from 2005 to 2010. “This car is a homerun for Chevrolet,” said Mark Scarpelli, President of Raymond Chevrolet. “The European styling, the handling, the ride, the interior, Chevrolet thought of everything and brought a car that will redefine the compact market,” said Scarpelli. The LS model of the Cruze comes standard with all of the aforementioned features and starts at $16,297. LT and LTZ models include additional features that are not seen in the compact car segment such as Bluetooth, heated seats, remote start, Pioneer premium audio and navigation. Raymond Chevrolet has the Cruze in-stock and ready for delivery. More Cruzes will be arriving daily, as this is expected to be a fast moving vehicle for Chevrolet.

Chevrolet on HGTV????

Those of you who have HGTV programmed into your DVR or Tivo, have probably seen or watched the show House Hunters. This fall Chevrolet will be showing several vingnettes asking everyday consumers to pick between several competive model vehicles. The match-ups will include:

Mid-sized: Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord
CUV: Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV
Large CUV: Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot.

Of the 70 people who took the challenge, and did not know it was sponsored by Chevrolet, 43 chose the Chevrolet.

Watch for the vingettes to air during House Hunters or on the HGTV website.

Or view the trailer below!

The New Kid on the Block

Another great spot from Chevrolet. We're very excited to have the 2011 Cruze comming to our line-up here at Raymond Chevrolet in Antioch IL.

All New Cruze Commercial - Just Aired tonight

Awesome commercial. Let us know what you think.





2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Tim Allen to Voice new Chevrolet Commercials

Starting today, September 7, 2010, you'll be hearing the familiar voice of Tim Allen voicing commercials for the all new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze.

As the spots come out, we'll post them to our facebook page and our website. Let us know what you think of Tim Allen and the new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze.

NADA names the 2010 Chevrolet Impala best cost of ownership

NADA has put out their list of vehicles that have a low cost of ownership over 5 years. The 2010 Chevrolet Impala is among the vehicles chosen with the lowest cost of ownership over 5 years. Congratudations Impala!!! View the inventory of new 2010 Chevrolet Impalas on the Raymond Chevrolet website.

GM's High Performance Department is Back to Work

That's right, GM's storied high performance division is back at work. They've stated that the performance division is Does this mean that an that the all new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, scheduled to arrive in dealership sometime in the next few weeks, will have an SS model?

This is excellent news to us in the dealership community. It means several things:
1) GM is committing itself to make exciting performance cars again.
2) The US Automarket is rebounding back.
3) GM is serious about appealing to a younger demographic that buys based on emotions.

Here at Raymond Chevrolet in Antioch, IL, we welcome this and can't wait to see what GM comes up with.

Do you know what Gap insurance is? Do you have it?

That's always a question that non-car people look at you in wonder and might pretend that they know what Gap insurance is. Gap insurance is kind of what it sounds like. It bridges the gap between what you owe on your vehicle and what it would actually be worth should the vehicle be stolen, in an accident, or what have you.

When buying a new vehicle, it's always good practice to put Gap insurance on your vehicle. As most of us know, the first year of new vehicle ownership is when you take your biggest hit on depreciation. With Gap insurance, which normally costs between $10 and $20 per month, you're loan will be paid off regardless if you put 100,000 miles or 10,000 miles during that year.

When purchasing your vehicle, ask the Finance and Insurance manager about putting Gap insurance on your new vehicle. It's good "what if" insurance and well worth the money.