Fred Beans Dodge
858 N. Easton Road Doylestown, PA 18902Sales: 800.518.3834
- Service: 888.842.4638
- Parts: 888.842.4425
News
Fred Beans Family of Dealerships Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day
| n e w s r e l e a s e For Immediate Release 4 May 2007 For More Information, contact Barbara Beans, Fred Beans Fleet Group, 215.489.1000 x155, bbeans@fredbeans.com Jen Keiser, Autorent of Doylestown, 215. 348.5151, jkeiser@fredbeans.com For background information: www.ms.foundation.org | |
| Local Children’s Illustrator and Author Peter Catalanotto Wows Families at Fred Beans Family of Dealerships’ Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day® | |
| It isn’t easy to keep close to 100 youngsters and their adults engaged and entertained for nearly an hour. But Peter Catalanotto, award-winning local children’s author and illustrator, did it easily. He spoke enthusiastically about his work as a professional artist and writer, about creating art—or anything you feel passionate about—and how he gets his ideas. The program was part of Take Our Daughters And Sons to Work Day® at Fred Beans Family of Dealerships in Doylestown, held April 26. For the tenth year, the Beans family invited the youngsters who came to work with their adults to come over to the Ford store for a catered lunch and crafts. This year, the event included the presentation and one of Catalanotto’s books, inscribed by the author. |  |
| Peter Catalanotto, left, demonstrates drawing and storytelling techniques while his audience sketches and listens. | |
 | Catalanotto has written and illustrated such beloved children’s books as Dylan’s Day Out, Mr. Mumble, Christmas Always and Matthew’s ABC. A popular presenter for school programs, he passionately encourages young people to think of themselves as artists, even if they aren’t grown up and aren’t getting paid for their work. “If you draw, you are an artist now.” |
| Hailey Brown, 9, of Lansdale with her dad, Matt Brown, IT administrator | |
| He told them to use the two words writers love: “what” and “if.” “What if” something in your life happened a little differently? How could you use that to make a story more interesting for others? |  |
| Artist Tricia Shepard, 5, of Doylestown, is the daughter of Jim Shepard, Saturn parts manager. | |
 | “Try new things, new ideas, new techniques,” he urged his listeners. Catalanotto takes many of his stories and beautiful watercolor illustrations from his own life, tapping memories from the time he was little and observations of his interaction with his own daughter over her lifetime. |
| Jim Duncan, Fred Beans Parts Warehouse, of Doylestown and his 11-year-old twins, Nick and Jake | |
| About Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day: Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day program was founded by the Ms. Foundation for Women to create an opportunity for girls and boys to share and communicate their expectations for the future. For more information, log on to www.daughtersandsonstowork.org. About Fred Beans Automotive Group: The Doylestown-based Fred Beans “Everything Automotive” Family of Dealerships includes 19 different auto makes. In Doylestown, the company also owns and operates Fred Beans Collision Center, Detail & Accessory Center, NAPA of Doylestown, Autorent of Doylestown and Fred Beans Parts. The organization includes dealerships and subsidiaries in Boyertown, Devon, Limerick and West Chester. | |
Look What's New for Dodge in 2007...
The Dodge Nitro enters the compact sport utility vehicle market aiming to round out the automaker's lineup of cars and larger SUVs. It will slot below the Durango SUV and offer a step up from the smaller Caliber hatchback. The Nitro will compete with the BMW X3, Nissan Xterra and Saturn Vue. Of those, the Nitro offers the largest maximum cargo capacity — 75.6 cubic feet with folding seats in their lowered position. At 178.9 inches from bumper to bumper, the Nitro is on par with the BMW X3 (179.7 inches) and Nissan Xterra (178.9 inches), but more than 2 inches shorter than the 181.3-inch Saturn Vue.
The Nitro, based on the Jeep Liberty, features Dodge's distinctive crosshair grille and comes in base, SLT and high-performance R/T versions. All come with a standard electronic stability system with rollover mitigation.
Exterior
Stylists apparently were aiming at a burly image for this SUV, as the wheels, grille, hood and even door handles appear almost one size too large for the rest of the body. Sharp, angular lines give the vehicle a muscular, chiseled look. A high beltline makes the greenhouse area seem smaller than on other SUVs, a feature fans of the Dodge Magnum might find to their liking.
The Nitro, which has a 108.8-inch wheelbase, rides on 16-inch wheels, with 17-inchers optional. The Nitro R/T comes with 20-inch wheels, which are an option on the SLT trim level.
Interior
The Nitro's seats are billed as supportive and firm — a feature Dodge says makes them more comfortable on long trips. Vinyl, cloth or leather seat upholstery is available, depending on the trim level. The Nitro seats five in two rows, and brushed-metal-look accents are used on the gearshift, door handles, climate controls and center console.
Both the front passenger seat and backseat fold flat for storage. On the Nitro SLT and R/T, a sliding cargo floor is standard to aid in loading packages.
Options include a navigation system with real-time traffic update, a backseat DVD video system, a six-CD changer and remote start.
Under the Hood
Dodge offers a choice of engines and transmissions on the Nitro. The base model carries a 210-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6. That engine offers a choice of six-speed-manual or four-speed-automatic transmissions and produces 235 pounds-feet of torque. The R/T model comes with a 255-hp, 4.0-liter V-6 and a five-speed-automatic transmission; it produces 275 pounds-feet of torque. A part-time four-wheel-drive system is standard with the manual transmissions; full-time all-wheel drive is standard on automatic models.
The suspension is a new independent design up front and a new five-link, solid-axle rear arrangement. Dodge says it's tuned to provide a level ride when loaded or towing. As a performance driver would expect, the R/T version features firmer springs, shocks and other items to improve its cornering and traction.
Safety
Four-wheel antilock brakes are standard. The Nitro adds a traction control system that applies those brakes to wheels that slip during acceleration to get them grabbing the road again. An electronic stability system with rollover mitigation is also standard, as are side curtain-type airbags.