Chevrolet Goes to Bat for Tigers Fans, Military Families, PAL

DETROIT, Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- For true baseball fans, January means a new season is near. Chevrolet will spread spring fever at the North American International Auto Show, the General Motors Heritage Center and GM's Renaissance Center headquarters when members of the American League Champion Detroit Tigers visit with fans, employees and customers this week.

The visits, part of the team's annual Winter Caravan, begin with an invitation-only stop on Thursday at the GM Heritage Center. Tigers players and members of the military and their families will be hosted by Metro Detroit Chevrolet dealers, tour the facility and see GM's classic and retired concept cars.

On Friday, the Caravan will stop at the North American International Auto Show, where players will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Chevrolet display.

Later that afternoon, the players will travel to the Wintergarden in the GM Renaissance Center where they will be introduced by Tigers broadcasters Mario Impemba and Rod Allen, be welcomed by a GM employee rally and host a question-and-answer session with fans. Employees will collect and donate gently used baseball and softball equipment to benefit Think Detroit PAL, which organizes youth sports programs in the city. Donations to Think Detroit PAL can be made by texting DPAL to 80888 or by visiting www.thinkdetroitpal.org.

"As the Official Vehicle of Major League Baseball, we began our countdown to Opening Day in Detroit right after the World Series ended last fall," said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet marketing. "We're glad to be able to share our love of baseball with fans and our customers as we launch our own all-star lineup of 13 new or significantly enhanced models in 2013."  

Chevrolet's participation in the Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan schedule for Jan. 24 and 25 is:

• Jan. 24: At 1 p.m., the Caravan kicks off with an invitation-only visit to the GM Heritage Center, where players will meet with service members from the Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the National Guard and their families
• Jan. 25: Two stops:
  • 11:30 a.m. at the North American International Auto Show, where players will answer fans' questions in the Chevy display (an auto show ticket is required for entry)
  • 2:30 p.m., GM employee rally at the GM Renaissance Center Wintergarden. Shannon Hogan of Fox Sports Detroit will host a "pre-game" show.

Chevrolet has been the official vehicle of Major League Baseball since 2005. Chevrolet also supports youth baseball across the country through two major programs: Diamonds & Dreams, an online promotion that has awarded more than 40 professional field makeovers to deserving youth baseball programs since 2010; and the Chevrolet Youth Baseball program, which has helped raise more than $13 million to aid local teams, affecting more than 2.7 million young people in communities across the country. In 2012, about 1,800 Chevrolet dealers participated.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year.  Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About The Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers, Inc., a charter member of the American League in 1901, have won four World Series and 11 American League pennants. The team is owned by Michael Ilitch who purchased the ballclub in 1992. Michael and his wife, Marian, jointly own other companies in the food, sports and entertainment industries include: Little Caesars Pizza, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, the Detroit Red Wings, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, Champion Foods, Uptown Entertainment and Ilitch Holdings, Inc.  Marian Ilitch is the sole owner of Motor City Casino Hotel. For more information, visit www.tigers.com.

SOURCE General Motors