Hansel Auto Group

Santa Rosa, Calif. ? Hansel Auto Group, a mainstay in Santa Rosa's retail automotive community for more than 50 years, broke ground on a new 9.5-acre automotive complex at 2925 Corby Avenue in Santa Rosa on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Located at the former Hansel Cadillac-Pontiac-Mazda property, the campus will serve as the new home of Hansel BMW of Santa Rosa, Hansel Volkswagen, Hansel Subaru and Hansel Acura.

Included among the site's eight commercial buildings spanning 80,000-square-feet of new retail space are separate showrooms for each of the four automotive brands, a combined Volkswagen and Subaru service center, a comprehensive detail and carwash facility, and a robust parts center with retail space offering both factory and aftermarket parts and accessories for all four brands.

Construction of the new campus is expected to last 12 months. The first phase grand opening, which includes the Hansel Volkswagen showroom, is slated for May 2012. Once construction is finalized in early 2013, the campus will boast the North Bay area's newest and most state-of-the-art retail automotive sales and service facility featuring some of the world's most technologically-advanced vehicles, including many that average more than 40 miles per gallon.

"Hansel Auto Group has called Santa Rosa home since 1961," said Henry Hansel, president of Hansel Auto Group. "We first moved to Corby Avenue in the mid-1970s. Sadly, car dealerships have closed in record numbers in recent years. This groundbreaking solidifies our commitment to the city, to the North Bay business community and to the customers we have served for decades."

Based on industry projections, annual sales at the dealership are expected to increase from $67 million to $100 million. Such a boost would garner an additional $3 million annually in city, county and state sales tax revenue. The facility's economic impact also includes the addition of 30 full-time positions, increasing the dealership's staff from 150 to 180 employees.

Design and construction of the $21.3 million project will be managed by Whitfield Associates, Inc. of Dana Point, Calif., and McDevitt Construction Group of Petaluma, Calif, respectively.

The firms will focus on using green construction techniques and materials where possible. Plans call for high-efficiency and LED lighting, low water use plumbing fixtures and landscaping, and HVAC units. Construction also will entail on-site recycling of existing rock and asphalt for building pad development, recycling 70 percent or more of construction waste, and using an efficient foundation design that requires less earth work and less concrete for such things as curbs and gutters. An efficient storm water management system will be in place to capture silt onsite before it enters the public drain system.

Company officials, project leaders and other dignitaries scheduled to take part in the Jan. 12 groundbreaking ceremony include: Henry Hansel; Justin Hansel; Gary Whitfield of Whitfield Associates, Inc.; Santa Rosa City Councilman Jake Ours; and Santa Rosa Mayor Ernesto Olivares.

About Hansel Auto Group
Family owned and operated Hansel Auto Group represents "10 of the Most Popular Brands in the World" at six dealerships located in Petaluma and Santa Rosa, Calif. Our longstanding history in the transportation business began five generations ago in 1851. Today, we offer the most sought after new and used vehicles from such automotive brands as Acura, BMW, Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen. Professionalism, integrity and honesty are hallmarks of Hansel Auto Group. http://www.hanselauto.com/blog/2012/january/20/Hansel-Auto-Group-News--The-Official-Groundbreaking-of-The-Hansel-Auto-Campus.htm

2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Ford Fusion

The Comeback Kid: Do-it-All Sedan is Reborn for 2010 and is Better, Smarter, Nicer, Prettier, Comfier, Leaner, Meaner, and Greener in Every Way

November 17, 2009 By Matt Stone

In 1964, Motor Trend's Car of the Year award went to the entire Ford lineup, recognizing its combination of design, engineering excellence, and performance. In 1970, we gave the nod to the Ford Torino, which could be ordered in a wide variety of configurations. Forty years ago, buyers could choose from economical, six-cylinder-powered sedans to the dragstrip-ready 429 Super Cobra Jet fastback. These legendary winners had one thing in common: bandwidth. In the 1960s and '70s, this term wasn't yet part of popular lexicon. Today, the 2010 Ford Fusions impressive bandwidth as a model range was one of the many factors that helped it earn the 2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year award.

Want an economical midsize sedan that doesn't cost much, yet won't bore you to tears? Need to please your greener side with a high-tech hybrid? Fancy a near-sport sedan with AWD, 18-inch rolling stock, and the latest infotainment and electronics? Depending on which model you choose and how many option boxes you tick, the Fusion can be any of the above. Arthur St. Antoine calls the Fusion "a compelling sweep across one of the market's most hotly contested segments."

The original Ford Fusion came to market for the 2006 model year. The basics were there, but the car wasn't fully baked. For 2010, Ford's product teams gave the lineup a soup-to-nuts redevelopment so thorough, it's as if the first-generation car never existed. Only the passenger-shell sheetmetal and other basic architectural elements escaped being redesigned, upgraded, or replaced. Although a four-door sedan is the only body style offered, powertrain choices expand from two to four, and each is new or substantially revised. There are several trim levels offered as well: base S, upmarket SE, luxurious SEL, a separate Sport model, and a Hybrid. Early in this year's COTY program, there were quiet whispers, while heads nodded, about how the Fusion looked, felt, and drove like an entirely new machine.