ORDER NOW  The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E has been reining in the accolades! The all-electric SUV was named the 2021 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year and Cars.com’s Best Eco-Friendly Car of the Year! The vehicle, which can be ordered here, has five trim levels available as well as a standard or extended-range battery. It comes in rear or all-wheel drive. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill EV. True to its Mustang-inspired roots, the GT model can go 0-60mph as quickly as 3.5 seconds! GT also boasts 480 horsepower and up to 634 pound-feet of torque. “We’re pushing the boundaries of what an electric vehicle can offer,” said Dave Pericak, vehicle program director, in a press release. “These Mustang Mach-E models not only give customers the added capability expected from the GT name, but the responsiveness of their electric powertrains will ensure they have a thrilling experience behind the wheel.” It features fun [...]

Runde Auto Group is pleased to announce that Aaron Young has been named the General Manager of Runde Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Manchester. Young, of Delhi, IA, has worked at the dealership for nine years. He began his career as a salesperson, and then worked as the dealership’s sales manager. He will continue to sell vehicles, along with his new duties of overseeing sales and service operations at the dealership. “I’m so honored to take on this leadership role,” Aaron said. “We’ve got a really great group of people here and I’m excited to really hit the ground running.” In his spare time, Aaron enjoys writing, cooking, working on motorcycles, and doing random acts of kindness, as well as hanging out with his daughter, Josie, who is currently attending college. “A [...]

The 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV made its debut during the NCAA’s Final Four telecast recently. The vehicle boasts many of the features of the Hummer EV pickup, but in an SUV body.   “The GMC Hummer EVs were envisioned to be the most capable and compelling electric supertrucks ever,” said Duncan Aldred, global vice president of Buick and GMC. “The new Hummer EV SUV is the next chapter, which will offer many options for customers to tailor the truck to their lifestyles, while continuing to encourage them to forge new paths with zero emissions.” Edition 1 will start at $105,595 (or $110,595 with the available Extreme Off-Road Pack) and will have an expected 300 miles on a full charge (280 with the off-road package). Future editions of the Hummer SUV will start at a lower price: a Hummer EV SUV Edition 2, 2x and 3x will

This is the second installment of our #RundeMomReviews series. If you would like to contribute a vehicle review, email marketing@rundeautogroup.com. Molly and Ryan Wernimont’s 2021 Chevy Blazer RS AWD has a head-turning sleek and sporty exterior, plus a roomy interior perfect for cargo and their son Ryder’s car seat. Here’s Molly’s Chevy Blazer review: Working at the dealership as a Finance & Insurance Manager, I see all the new incoming units all the time. Ever since I heard the all-new Chevy Blazer was coming back out, I’ve had my eye on it. Growing up, my parents used to have a Blazer so it is kind of special to me. I finally pulled the trigger and traded my Equinox for the 2021 Chevy Blazer RS, and I am so glad that I [...]

Buick is envisioning a stylish new version of the Buick Envision for the 2021 model year. “The 2021 Envision will be lower and wider, with premium proportions and striking styling designed to combine the expressiveness of a car with the practicality of an SUV,” said Helen Emsley, executive director of Global Buick and GMC Design, in a press release. The fresh SUV is debuting not only a new look, but also a premium Avenir trim for the first time, as well as Buick’s first available 10-inch diagonal touchscreen infotainment system. The infotainment system will include useful in-vehicle apps, such as Amazon Alexa built-in, Spotify, Pandora, Fox Sports, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The 2021 Buick Envision comes with a laundry list of standard safety features, including: Automatic Emergency [...]

Are your Illinois license plates expiring? All Illinois Secretary of State offices and Driver Services facilities are closed to the public until Dec. 7. “After careful consideration, we have decided to close all Driver Services facilities until December 7, due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic,” said White, in a press release. “The health and safety of employees and the public remains paramount and face-to-face transactions potentially increase the further spread of the virus. We have extended expiration dates to assist people during this difficult time.” While facilities are closed, White is encouraging residents to take advantage of many online services – such as renewing vehicle registration stickers – from the comfort of their own home. People who conduct online transactions will further help to reduce the number of transactions that will occur at Driver [...]

The 2020 Chevy Silverado HD is coming! The most capable and advanced Silverado ever, it will also be the third all-new Silverado model from Chevy in just 18 months. “We know the needs and priorities of heavy-duty customers are different than those of either light-duty or medium-duty customers,” said Jaclyn McQuaid, chief engineer, Silverado HD, in a press release. “As such, we built a heavy-duty truck tailor-made for them that has more differentiation than ever before from light-duty models, offers advanced towing technologies to improve towing confidence, and includes new features such as the integrated Bedstep, which makes it easier to access the bed while pulling a fifth-wheel trailer.” Built in Flint, Michigan, the 2020 Chevy Silverado HD exterior shares only the roof with the Silverado 1500 – every other [...]

Runde Chevrolet got a blast from the past when Bob Kinsella pulled into the lot in his 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS with a 396. The vehicle, with its frost green exterior and dark green vinyl top and interior, was purchased from Paul Runde at Runde Chevrolet back in 1968. The cost for the special order at the time was just $4,165.90. Its original receipt itemizes features the vehicle included, like a clock for $15, the vinyl top for $89, the rear window defroster for $22 and bucket seats for $121. The 375 horsepower 396 engine, which [...]

Needless to say that this new design for the new Ford Fusion has been very well received at the Chicago Auto Show this week and people’s comments have been very favorable toward it.  The video below was shot by Runde Auto Group  — The noise in the background of the vid was coming from the new Shelby Mustang presentation across the room and we’ll post the video of that soon.  People were definitely all a-buzz about the Shelby, but this new Fusion is definitely gorgeous. The new Ford Fusion design is only about 1 inch longer and 1/2 inch wider than the previous Fusion, but it looks a lot longer than its predecessor mainly due to an extended wheelbase that’s almost 5 inches longer than the 2012 version.  A new inline 4-cylinder 1.6 Liter EcoBoost engine will be available on the all-new Fusion.  And this optional turbo engine will produce 179 horsepower and 172 lb-ft [...]

Jordan Frakes & Lindsey Rossow from Iowa City visited the Runde used car dealership near Dubuque today to pick up Jordan’s new ride.  He was forced to find a replacement for his previous car that was totaled after someone pulled out in from of him.  Jordan and Lindsey are currently students at the University of Iowa and they kindly gave me a few minutes of their time before making the trek back to Iowa City. What Brought you into Runde’s?    Jordan: I saw the car online at Cars.com and I liked what I saw so I called you guys up and scheduled a time to drive it and then we talked about the price for awhile. What car was it?   Jordan: It was a 2006 Pontiac G6 [...]

If you weren’t able to check out the latest edition of Her magazine in Dubuque’s Telegraph Herald this past Sunday, then you may have missed that Runde’s was voted as their readers’ favorite Auto Dealer. We were thrilled to learn that Runde Auto Group had been voted #1 out of all the local car dealers, but we’re definitely not going to walk around with over-inflated egos.  We’ll continue to strive to make the car buying experience here as easy and as transparent as possible for our buyers. A big shout of “Thanks” goes out to Megan Gloss and all the folks at Her Magazine for taking the time to put the contest together and publish the results.   We’d also like to thank all of the Her readers who took the time to participate in the voting.  Muchas Gracias!!!

One of Runde’s newest customers is Ricardo Matthews, who currently plays noseguard on the defensive line of the Indianapolis Colts.  Ricardo purchased a new Jeep Grand Cherokee from Runde’s last week and was thoroughly pleased with everything.  As you can imagine, with the NFL season in full swing, Ricardo didn’t have time to come all the way to Runde Auto Group in Manchester, IA to pick up his new SUV … so Runde’s delivered it right to his doorstep in Indianapolis. You may recall that we’ve sold a couple of vehicles to Mardy Gilyard of the St. Louis Rams.  Well it turns out that Ricardo and Mardy (both rookies in the NFL this year) were teammates last year at the University of Cincinnati.  The two teammates still keep in touch and Mardy let Ricardo know where he could find a great deal on a new vehicle and door-to-door service on top of that. Ricardo Matthews attended high school in [...]

Want a good indication that the future is here? How about the fact that the products currently in the works make the things that we could have only imagined “to be the future” look primitive and obsolete?   The EN-V Prototype (Electric Networked-Vehicle) manufactured by General Motors plans to be hitting the streets as the new “Urban Mobility Vehicle” (think along the lines of a Segway, but not nearly as basic and lame). Tired? Drunk? Hurt or just lazy? The EN-V has you covered as it works autonomously, meaning that it can drive itself with the integrated GPS. In addition to an array of safety features and smart programming for heavy traffic, sudden reaction sensing, and the like,  the EN-V is an electric vehicle. It will plug into a [...]

TESTIMONIALS FROM RUNDE’S CUSTOMERS We are very very pleased with our Chevy Traverse that we recently purchased from Runde Auto Group. It is by far one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ever driven. We have been on 3 road trips and love how it handles the road!! Sure hope this Traverse lasts us a long time! We love it!!!! Thank you for making it possible when we came to see you!! I also want you to know how impressed we are with Runde’s! Awesome people and awesome service! Keep it up! Take care! Paul and Ellen S. of Dubuque, IA We still have the Jeep Commander and all is well with it. Best vehicle and experience we’ve [...]

Ed Whitacre, the CEO of General Motors, announced that GM has paid back all of the borrowed money in full to the government with interest. This gigantic announcement demonstrates a level of confidence within the company that has surfaced mainly due to a slimmed down product line, a more refined company focus, and exciting new products like the Chevy Equinox, the Chevy Camaro, and the Buick LaCrosse that are selling almost as quickly as they arrive on dealers’ lots. With this move, they are basically saying that they wholeheartedly believe GM is now on the right track to profitability. And here at Runde Auto Group, we know without-a-doubt that GM is back on track and ready for the road ahead. The tank is full, the engine is humming, and the GPS is set … Destination … Success.  It’s full speed ahead for Chevrolet, Buick and GMC.  

I was up at the Runde PreDriven store the other day and I was informed by one of the salesmen that Sammy Hagar was in the house. I thought, ”What an opportunity … we can get a interview with Sammy for the blog … I wonder what he’s looking to purchase?  A Camaro?  A Vette?” I asked where he was.   Chris pointed to Johnny Kramer, who works up at that store and was sportin’ a new hairdo.  It wasn’t the actual Red Rocker, but it was an uncanny resemblance. I took some quick photos of Johnny … errr, I mean Sammy Hagar (You may recall that Johnny was featured previous in a Runde Auto Chat interview back in 2009) and then I went about my business.  A few minutes later there was a big [...]

There’s a new taxi in town … and it looks a lot like a Ford Transit Connect.  Taxi cabs are a huge part of big city life. Those of us from the Tri-States have probably been, at some point or another, to downtown Chicago (or another big city – if not you should really get out more…). Walking down the sidewalk and glancing at the traffic on big city streets, you probably think “glad I’m not driving in that mess of cars.” Chances are that you have experienced crazy taxi drivers — I know I have.  Several taxi drivers that I’ve witnessed don’t much care for the laws of the road as they almost hit pedestrians.  Since when does a red light mean go anyway?  Just as 30 is the new 20, red must be the new yellow in Metropolis. If you’re thinking about going back to Chicago in the near future, you’d better be [...]

If you are in touch with our blog you will remember a post about Jay Leno owning the first ZR1 Corvette. In the video (below) you can see Jay absolutely raving the marvelous machine. Hearing so much praise about a car from someone who knows a lot about the automotive world really stamps “this car must really be something special” in your head. It was just another cold winter day, the office was pretty warm and I was finishing up some routine tasks when I faintly heard “Hey did you see that ZR1 out there” from the hallway. “Huh?” I wondered to myself… “a ZR1? did they mean Z06?… it couldn’t be…” Dashing outside I saw several figures surrounding a vehicle – none of them were moving. As I came closer, it seemed [...]

One of the Runde Mascot Monkeys escaped and turned up at the Orange Bowl in Miami last night just in time to see the Iowa Hawkeyes football team finish up their 11-2 season by beating Georgia Tech 24-14.  He flew back today and described the game to all of us who caught the game on television.  Don’t worry Wisconsin and Illini football fans — you’ll have another shot at the Hawks next fall!!!  

John Riley, who manages our Chevy Sales Department, received the following email message from the husband of Kathie Thor this week.  Hi John: Here’s a few photos for your scrap book. Thanks for all your help with Kathie’s Christmas Surprise. She had no idea I had made a deal with you for a new vehicle. There was a lot of excitement at the Thor household Christmas morning. Thanks again, Randy Randy Thor of Cuba City, WI surprised his better half, Kathie Thor, with a sophisticated new set of wheels.  He grabbed some quick photos of Kathie beside her new ride (my guess is that he didn’t have to ask her to smile).  Kathie was completely caught off guard by the new Chevy Equinox that was waiting for her at home and the Thor’s had a very Merry X-Mas.  [...]

We sat down for a few minutes and did a customer interview with Dan Schaefer from Dubuque, IA.   Dan serves in the Air Force and is now the proud owner of a Chevy Malibu and he bought the car from Runde PreDriven while he was on paid leave from his base in Texas! Enjoy the video!  

Customers often come in after Christmas and ask our Runde Chevrolet Sales Staff how their Christmas celebration was or what they did during the holidays.  Well you don’t have to wonder what our Salesmen did this year.  This year our sales staff put in a lot of extra rehearsal hours during the holidays trying to get this Christmas dance just right and we shot this video on location up at the North Pole.   We hope everyone out there has a safe & happy holiday season!!!

Here’s what some recent customers of Runde Auto Group has to say about their experiences at Runde Auto Group – a dealership located near Dubuque. We had shopped around a lot for a vehicle.  Of all the dealerships we visited, Runde Chevrolet treated us the best and worked the hardest for us.  I have already recommended this dealership to other people.  Runde was a very pleasant experience for purchasing a car. The whole time was very professional, caring and easy people to work with through the whole process. Steve Kness – Pearl City, IL   First class operation.  Enjoy doing business with them in all departments. John Roeder – Roeder Implement Inc. – Dubuque, IA    I am very pleased with my purchase from Runde Chevrolet. Gary Bonnet [...]

Mike Lawler worked for Runde’s full-time while he went to East Dubuque high school.  After graduating, Mike went off to college, but he still comes back to work here when he comes back home.  While Mike was here for the Thanksgiving weekend, we took a few minutes to chat with him and find out what college life is like. RAC: Where are you going to college? ML: Western Illinois University — It’s about two and a half hours away. RAC: And do you have your own car? ML: Yeah, a 2000 Cavalier Z24. RAC: Nice.  Aluminum wheels?  Air Conditioning?  Cruise Control? ML: Yes sir. RAC: Sounds like a great car!  Do you like college so far? You’re going to the school in Macomb, IL right? ML: Yeah the school’s nice.  Macomb’s a smaller town – I think it’s about 20,000 people.   RAC: Runde’s sells a lot of vehicles to people from Macomb.  Do you [...]

The 2010 Ford Raptor was build for the true off-road enthusiast.  Check out this video that shows the dynamic capabilities of the truck.  Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer of the Ford SVT comments on the truck’s ability to jump (the truck was actually built to jump) and he also touches on the trucks Hill Descent Mode.   Runde Auto Group’s customer, Brian Hauber, took this footage of his new 2010 Ford Raptor going down a hill in the Hill Descent Mode. I think it’s safe to say that he loves his new Raptor so far.     If you’d like to check out a new Ford truck in person, please give our sales staff at our Ford store a call at 888-927-2630. If you’d like to check out our entire inventory, go to www.RundeAutoGroup.com — Or call us at 866-735-5200.