Fields Volvo in Northfield, Ill., has become the first Volvo store in the country to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, according to TriplePundit.com .
General manager Pat Hubert said that in order to meet LEED certification, the old building had to be 90 percent recycled. (Fields bought the property and building that was on the site.) In addition, a new building had to be constructed of locally sourced materials (within 500 miles).
Not only is there much natural light, but there are also five windmills and five solar panels (with 124 more on the roof), along with two 2,500-gallon water-retention barrels (and there are 10,000 more gallons of water storage underground).
Auto news
You auto know: As people can imagine, Florida's Flamingo Auto Group South has an intriguing acronym. However, according to SouthFloridaGayNews.com, the club is for gays and lesbians. This year, Flamingo Auto Group celebrated its 12th anniversary. It is a regional chapter of Lambda Car Club International, which has more than 2,200 members in 33 regions.
New Alfa Romeo: Mazda and Fiat are collaborating on a new Alfa Romeo roadster off he forthcoming Mazda MX-5 platform, according to Wired.com . The two companies signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to further the development and production of two new roadsters, both based on the next-generation MX-5. The first cars will be available in 2015.