RMAP likes Bronco, Maverick, Civic; 7 added to auto hall
Two new Fords, the Bronco and Maverick, were voted RMAP SUV of the Year and RMAP Truck of the Year, respectively, by members of the Rockymountain Automotive Press for 2022. Rounding out the honors was the Honda Civic as RMAP Car of the Year.
The Bronco, after an almost-25year hiatus, showed up a year ago as competitor to the hot-selling Jeep Wrangler, and edged the Genesis GV70 for SUV honors. The Maverick, a light-size, front-wheeldrive pickup available as either a gas-electric hybrid or with a 4-cylinder gas engine, was a solid winner among trucks. The Civic continued its strong popularity in a narrowwin over the BMW M240i xdrive Coupe.
The three winners will be displayed on Sunday, June 5, at the Colorado Concours d’elegance at Arapahoe
Community College in Littleton. Hours for the charity event will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Last year’s RMAP winners were Mazda3 Turbo all-wheel drive, Gmcyukon Denali and the Ram1500 TRX.
GMC tailgate loads speakers by Kicker
Two speakers by Kicker are an audio-system feature built into the Multipro tailgate of the ’22 GMC Sierra AT4X 1500 I reviewed last Saturday. It provides three source modes for audio – Bluetooth,
AUX or USB – by pushing a power button to toggle through the options. The tailgate remote also allows control of the volume, as well as pause, skip or rewind of songs. GMC’S “Kicker” tailgate is designed for outdoor gatherings, picnics, tailgating, etc.
Auto fame adds 7 at Broadmoor fete
Attendance of 350 is expected for a dinner Thursday night at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs to honor the second class of inductees into the Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame. It will be a highlight of the annual convention of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association at the Broadmoor, according to Tim Jackson, who heads the dealer group.
Six successful and widely known car dealers and an industry-leading supporter will be inducted. They include Bill Barrow, who served as head of the auto dealers association for almost 30 years; Bill Crouch, former Chrysler Plymouth dealer on South Broadway in Englewood; A.J. Guanella, who over a span of 70 years served
Burt Chevrolet and became partowner, then continued on as an ambassador after Burt was sold and the dealership became known as Elway Chevrolet; Larry H. Miller, who left Denver 40 years ago and built a business empire of dealerships in Utah (his widow, Gail Miller, will be included in his induction); Alfred M. O’meara, who opened O’meara Ford in Denver in 1913 from Detroit; Leo Payne, Denver’s largest car dealer in the 1970s and‘80s; Phil Winslow, a Colorado Springs BMW dealer who is Colorado’s Time Dealer of the Year. Barrow, Crouch, Miller and O’meara are being honored posthumously.
Fifty initial inductees into the Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame were honored last September as part of the Denver Auto Show at Elitch Gardens.