On behalf of the Classic Chevrolet dealership, I attended the “Epic Earth Day” event in Grapevine, Texas. We had both a Chevy Volt and a Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel on hand. I thought this gave us the ability to have high-mileage, ecologically-friendly vehicle both for those who had a place to charge and for those who don’t, like apartment residents. I positioned the Volt at the rear entrance to the festival so I could provide test drives. As usual, people experiencing the Volt for the first time were blown away, several saying they’d like to get one in the near future. One guy from California was in town for the NCAA Final Four and asked if I could sell him a Volt and ship it to him! I guess I could, but we don’t have any Volts set up for California emissions requirements.
The festival had a rough start, with many vendors showing up late, which necessitated me moving the Volt away from the entrance so they could bring their stuff in. The weather was not the best either. Unlike my recent stint at the AltCar Conference, it was windy, chilly and threatened rain most of the day. In fact, we got a little rain but it dissipated quickly. Situated next to our display was the Nissan Leaf display. They were not conducting test drives and their sales reps and I shot the breeze between visitors. Their representatives got swapped out, around the middle of the festival hours. Sewell Cadillac had originally been signed up to have a display where our Cruze was parked, but apparently they cancelled. I was hoping to see people’s reaction to the Cadillac ELR and was disappointed they were not present.
It was a good event for the Volt, as the attendees and vendors were mostly of an ecological bent. After I got set up, a gentleman who had a display called the “Eco House,” asked if I had a Volt we could park in his Garage. His display mimicked a home full of ecologically friendly and energy efficient appliances. He was set up to give presentations, including bleachers for attendees to sit during his talks. I was a bit nervous about someone possibly misrepresenting the Volt’s features/capabilities. However, he had done his homework and had a very good understanding of the Volt. I texted the dealership and had another Volt delivered.
Near the end of the day, the sun finally started shining down on all of us, the live music got cranked up and it really became a festive festival!
