New York, July 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- If you can park in New York City, you can park anywhere. Today Chevrolet and a panel of parking experts crowned Nick Kurczewski, New York Daily News' Auto Editor, the city's top parallel parker after he was put to the test in the first ever "Park A Spark" challenge. From dodging traffic to finding places to park, getting around urban cities is intimidating - and parallel parking can put even the best drivers in tight situations. Chevrolet replicated a few of those challenging moments drivers face on a daily basis in one of the toughest neighborhoods to park - West Village.
See video from General Motors and Synaptic Digital at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/gm/parkaspark/
Set on Washington and West 13th street, four participants were tasked with parking a Chevrolet Spark between a series of props - including construction signs, yellow cabs, and bike racks- in record time, without a bump. With the added pressure of Larry Kallman, a professional transportation engineer and local traffic expert, and Gerry Valenzuela, Manager/Instructor at Professional Driving School of the Americas, as judges and a swarm of spectators that gathered when the contest started, Nick did just that, walking away with a prize package any NYC commuter would appreciate - three months of free parking at a city parking garage of his choice and his very own bronzed parking cone.
"I find that parallel parking is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for student drivers as they prepare for road tests," said Gerry Valenzuela, Manager/Instructor at Professional Driving School of the Americas. "Parallel parking can be difficult on its own; combine that with the aggressive nature of NYC drivers, the lack of available street parking and the fact that this is the densest city in the US, and the challenge is exacerbated."
In order to compete in the challenge, NYC residents were asked to share their parking triumphs via Twitter and Instagram and tag their entries with #NYDistrict and #ParkASpark. A challenge was also put out to NYC based auto editors to put their knowledge to the test.
"Chevrolet understands the parking frustrations associated with any major city, and wanted to reward the best parkers who could successfully Park A Spark," said Annalisa Bluhm, Chevrolet Communications Manager. "The Chevy Spark was built to conquer city streets, like the Big Apple, and its compact design gives drivers the confidence they need to maneuver into any parking spot."The Spark is a sporty, fuel-efficient, four-passenger, five-door hatch designed to excite first-time car buyers and city dwellers with bold styling, attention-grabbing colors - including Salsa, Jalapeno, Denim, Lemonade and Techno Pink - engaging driving dynamics, the personalized connectivity of MyLink, and the safety of 10 standard air bags.
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