Meet the 'Soul Sisters'!

(left to right, Karen Martin, Rosemary Johnson, Judy Placek)

Three sisters, three KIA Souls.  Meet the 'Soul Sisters'.

Last month, Rosemary Johnson stopped into our KIA dealership in West Salem and bought herself a 2013 KIA Soul.  A week later, her sister Judy liked Rosemary's Soul so much she bought one too.  Another week goes by and the third sister Karen, who lives an hour away, buys her KIA Soul!

The three use their vehicles for normal commutes and travel and say they love the look of the car and enjoy the ride and handling.

Congrats to the 'Soul Sisters' and thanks for the great story!

Be sure to check out the photo slideshow below.

Slideshow

Team Brenengen Steps Out in Pink!

(left to right, Karen Martin, Rosemary Johnson, Judy Placek)

'Team Brenengen' joined a record breaking 5,500 walkers who showed up for this year's Steppin' Out in Pink' event.  'Team Brenengen' included several of our employees, friends and relatives who joined together to support this important cause that touches so many people.

Included in the photo are (left to right) Judy Wylie, Gail Hemker, Angie Hemker, Andrea Hemker, Rich Wylie, (far right) Barb Hauke and (bottom left) Hannah and Brock Brenengen.

Great job Team Brenengen!

2012 Event results at Gundluth.org

Official 'Steppin' Out in Pink' Facebook page

Couple buys their 2nd Chevy VOLT!

Mike and Karen Keil just picked up their second Chevy VOLT.  In April of this year, they bought their first VOLT for Mike to drive.  They liked it so much they decided the car would be a good fit for Karen as well.

The fuel economy, features and value were a few of the reasons for their second purchase.  Mike says around town he can easily go 44 miles per charge, which for him means he can drive mostly on electric power.  By charging the battery during "Off Peak" hours and using the VOLT's programmable charging system, Mike's energy costs are less than 2 cents per mile!

They love the silent operation and spirited acceleration.  "The car is surprisingly quick" says Mike.  They also find the car very functional with the hatchback and fold down rear seats.  They can easily fit lots of cargo and are able to haul 4 adults and 4 sets of golf clubs.

The Keil's are a testament to the value, economy and functionality of the Chevy VOLT.  We thank them for letting us share their story.

Check out the links below for more information.

Official Chevy VOLT website
Our in-stock Chevy VOLT's
Chevy VOLT brochure pdf

The remodeling has begun!

Remodeling has just begun at our Onalaska Chevrolet dealership. The photo above is a mockup of the final look! Along with the exterior changes, the showroom, lounge and Service department are also being remodeled. We will be fully open during this remodel and have made sure you will have no trouble visiting us during this process.
Our Sparta Chevrolet Buick dealership will be remodeled this fall in a matching fashion and our West Salem Chevrolet dealership will follow. We are looking forward to the changes and think they will help us to better serve you!
Check out the link below to see a slideshow of our first steps!
Remodel slideshow

Bob Lachman retires after 38 years in auto industry

Bob Lachman, Sales Consultant at our Chevrolet dealership in West Salem is retiring after 38 years in the auto industry. Bob has been with Brenengen Chevrolet since the dealership opened 21 years ago.
Bob is moving to sunny Florida with his wife and plans to spend lots of time golfing and lounging by the pool.
You will be missed Bob and we wish you All the Best!

'Drive Away Hunger' food drive was a big success!

Our 2011 'Drive Away Hunger' food drive was a great success! Thanks to the generosity of the West Salem, La Crosse, Onalaska, Sparta and Tomah, WI area communities, over 5,000 pounds of food, $3,200 in cash donations from the community and $20,000 from the Brenengen Auto Group have been delivered to local food pantries.

Each of our 6 dealerships had a showroom vehicle for food drop-off throughout December. We also held a one day event on Saturday, Dec 17th at Festival Foods in Onalaska, Hansen's IGA in West Salem, Piggly Wiggly in Sparta and Burnstad's in Tomah, WI.

We would like to thank the participating grocery stores, radio stations, US Bank, Sparta Gundersen Clinic, La Grange Elementary School in Tomah and everyone who donated for their support and generosity.

Be sure to check out the link below for a photo slideshow!

Photo Slideshow

The Chevy VOLT has arrived!

The Chevy VOLT is finally here. It has been a long wait for us and we are very excited to be able to showcase this amazing vehicle. These first cars are for demonstration use only but will be followed by units that will be available for sale. See our salespeople for details.

The Chevy VOLT was Motor Trend's Car of the Year and for good reason. Be sure to check out the link below for the full article.

Stop by our West Salem or Onalaska Chevy dealerships to check out and test drive this game-changing car.

Great video presentation by our salesperson Jim Dolesy
Photo Slideshow
Motor Trend Car of the Year article
Chevy VOLT official site

Corvette & Custom Car Show was a blast!

The 2nd Annual River City Corvettes Custom Car show was a success despite some rain in the morning. Held at our West Salem Chevy store, we had lots of great Corvettes, Custom Rods, Stock cars and even the Festival hot rod shopping cart on display.

Contest winners were as follows:
GM--Cullen Harbaugh - 2011 Camaro SS
FORD--Del Schreck - 1970 Torino GT
OTHER--Doug Goukey - 1972 VW Bug
PEOPLES CHOICE--Del Schreck - 1970 Torino GT
DRIVERS CHOICE--Andy Konicheck - 1988 Camaro

Congrats to the winners and thanks to all who stopped by for the fun. See you all next year! Check out the links below for a great video of the entire show, photo slideshow and more.

Photo Slideshow
Car Show Video
River City Corvettes official website
River City Corvettes facebook page

Don and Cheryl appear with Boys & Girls Club in National Magazine!

Our owners, Don and Cheryl Brenengen have been featured with the Boys and Girls Club of the West Salem Area in the magazine 'Automotive News'.

This full page ad was sponsored by Ford Motor Company and was an unexpected addition to the Ford 'Salute to Dealers'. Earlier this year, Don and Cheryl were one of only 4 dealers in North America to receive the 'Salute to Dealers' National Community Service Award from Ford Motor Company for their outstanding corporate citizenship and contributions to the community (see blog post link below).

'Automotive News' is the leading magazine for the auto industry. Don and Cheryl are very excited to have this type of national exposure for Boys and Girls Clubs across the country.

View Full page ad (pdf)
Don and Cheryl Honored by Ford-original blog post
Automotive News website

1st Annual Poker Run for Charity a success!

Our 1st Annual Poker Run took place Saturday May 22nd and was a lot of fun for all who attended. This was one of many different events arranged by our Fundraiser 'Fun Committee'. All proceeds are matched by the Brenengen Auto Group and go towards various Charities.

A Poker Run is an event where attendees drive or ride any vehicle they choose (motorcycles, classics cars, trucks, SUV's, etc) along a chosen route and stop at predetermined locations for fun and food.

At the start, poker hands and raffle tickets were purchased for door prizes and other prizes along the route. Starting at Brenengen Chevrolet in West Salem, the stops were Billy's Lantern outside of La Crosse, Hideaway in Chaseburg, The Thirsty Turtle in Stoddard and ended at the Great River Roadhouse located just before DeSoto, WI.

Check out the slideshow for the pics!

Photo Slideshow

Tornado hits our Sparta Chevy Store!

The major storm that hit our area produced a tornado in Sparta that passed through our Chevrolet lot. Thankfully no one was injured. Several of our vehicles were damaged including one vehicle that was completely flipped onto it's roof. A few other vehicles were slid into each other and a few hoods were lifted. Numerous vehicles had their windows blown out.

A large billboard was blown on top of a new Silverado truck.

Check out the slideshow below for pics including our tow truck having a hard time flipping the one vehicle right side up.

Photo Slideshow

Our Onalaska store now OPEN for Sales and Service!

Our new Chevrolet dealership in Onalaska is now OPEN for Sales and Service! Located in the former Saturn building on Theatre Rd in Onalaska, our new Chevy store is ready for your business.

We have been busily preparing for this day and have lots of changes in store for our newest location. Over the coming months we will be making lots of improvements. In addition, new and used vehicles will continue to pour onto our lot for you to choose from.

Stop in and see our friendly Sales or Service staff today!

Onalaska Dealership Home Page
Map, Hours and Phone
Sales Staff

Lucky Chevy VOLT Owner Stops by!

Our Chevrolet store in West Salem had an unexpected visitor today. A Chevrolet VOLT! The proud new owner had just picked up his new car in Detroit and was on his way through our small town on his way home to Seattle. We are so glad he stopped by as this was the first time any of us had seen the car in person.

He also had an interesting story about how he came to purchase the car. The VOLT is almost impossible to purchase at this point in time. Orders for this car are far more than Chevrolet can produce.

While cruising his favorite Chevy VOLT forum on the internet, he heard about a fellow forum member who would not be able to take delivery of his VOLT. After calling the dealer and a few people falling out of line in front of him, the new owner had his car.

Chevy VOLT #1398 was his.

His impressions: "Extremely Solid Car. Has a low center of gravity and really hugs the road. It also gets up to speed quickly. I would say it's a 4 door sports car. While running on electric power, it was completely silent. After an imperceptible switch to Hybrid, the car was still extremely quiet."

Congratulations on your Chevy VOLT sir, thanks for stopping by and may you have a safe trip home!

Click the first link below for a great slideshow of his car.

Slideshow
GM VOLT Fan site with Forum
GM VOLT at Chevrolet.com

Don and Cheryl Honored by Ford

Pictured above with Edsel B. Ford II, our owners, Don and Cheryl Brenengen, were one of only 4 dealers in North America to receive the 'Salute to Dealers' National Community Service Award from Ford Motor Company for their outstanding corporate citizenship and contributions to the community.

Honorees were selected from among nearly 4,000 dealers across the United States and Canada.

Don and Cheryl have been involved in major contributions and grass roots efforts in the community. These include the Boys and Girls Club of West Salem, West Salem Village People fund raising, Bicycle Safety Fairs and local charities among many others.

Here is an excerpt from the Press Release:
"In the end, Don firmly believes in the power of selflessness. “We both came from modest backgrounds and have been fortunate as our lives have moved forward. That may have given us greater awareness to the need to give back to the communities around us.”

Congratulations Don and Cheryl!

Coulee News Article
Video from Ford Motor Company--Must SEE!
Full Press Release (Word document)
Article and video at WXOW.com

1959 Thunderbird flies in to our Sparta Ford store

A beautiful 1959 Ford Thunderbird was traded in along with a Ford Model A! This one is a 2 door hardtop with only 69,167 miles. It has the optional Lincoln 430 CID V8 engine rated at 350hp!, Fender Shields, Console Radio and Magicaire Heater. Wow, a heater, imagine that!

Stop on by our Sparta Ford store for a look.

Check out a photo slideshow