2010 Buick LaCrosse Spied, Inside and Out

[The O.C.]

If you don't see this as a ES competitor then your a dumass.

No....it WILL BE an ES competitor.....

The problem is.....will the buying public CONSIDER it as an ES competitor? That's the million-dollar question......

[enzl]

No....it WILL BE an ES competitor.....

The problem is.....will the buying public CONSIDER it as an ES competitor? That's the million-dollar question......

All is really has to do is sell at a dramatically higher transaction price than the LaCrosse. That shouldn't be too difficult.

Gotta believe $28-32 is a sweet spot for this car...just higher than the 'Bu--with a goal of 75k, it should be uplevel trim--TSX/ES killer at a discount.

If They can't do that, it doesn't make sense to even try--the G6, Aura & 'bu could sell in this space with SE models...

[Robert Hall]

I would have rather seen this car, as it is, a RWD version of Sigma! Did anyone consider that? I think a CTS-sized RWD Buick, with Buick styling and luxury (compared to the sportier CTS) would have been a winner......

That would have been nice, but I suspect Cadillac would have prevented Buick from having anything that would intrude on it's turf..strong, RWD models from Buick can only hurt Cadillac.

[balthazar]

Why, because Buick & Cadillac have the same parent corporation?

[Robert Hall]

Why, because Buick & Cadillac have the same parent corporation?

I would think within GM, Cadillac wants to maintain a certain distance between itself and the other brands...i.e. don't let Buick or SAAB get too close.

(just pure speculation, of course. I do wonder what Cadillac insiders think of Buick and it's positioning relative to Cadillac...Buick certainly at one time overlapped with Cadillac as far as cushy, old style luxury cars..)

Edited April 21, 2008 by moltar

[The O.C.]

I would think within GM, Cadillac wants to maintain a certain distance between itself and the other brands...i.e. don't let Buick or SAAB get too close.

(just pure speculation, of course. I do wonder what Cadillac insiders think of Buick and it's positioning relative to Cadillac...Buick certainly at one time overlapped with Cadillac as far as cushy, old style luxury cars..)

If the two divisions were properly branded and positioned, then it wouldn't be a problem.

Remember at one time, Lutz suggested that Cadillac should move upwards to take on BMW and Benz.......leaving Buick to tackle Lexus, Acura, and the other, let's call them "B" tier luxury makers......

[The O.C.]

That would have been nice, but I suspect Cadillac would have prevented Buick from having anything that would intrude on it's turf..strong, RWD models from Buick can only hurt Cadillac.

Possibly agreed.......then the age-old question arises.....why do we have both divisions?

[Northstar]

Buick should be FWD and RWD (and AWD)... Cadillac should be RWD/AWD only. The LaCrosse being FWD is fine, and it targets a market that Cadillac doesn't need to. Cadillac should pretty much be a direct competitor to BMW and Benz, and neither has a FWD model. Buick can have a bigger RWD model as well that's more of a value buy like the current Lucerne or like the DTS... a luxury car but not a sporty car like a Cadillac should be, IMO.

[91z4me]

Remember at one time, Lutz suggested that Cadillac should move upwards to take on BMW and Benz.......leaving Buick to tackle Lexus, Acura, and the other, let's call them "B" tier luxury makers......

I would imagine that that suggestion has come up many, many times before Lutz mentioned it to the press.

[ZL-1]

If the two divisions were properly branded and positioned, then it wouldn't be a problem.

Remember at one time, Lutz suggested that Cadillac should move upwards to take on BMW and Benz.......leaving Buick to tackle Lexus, Acura, and the other, let's call them "B" tier luxury makers......

I think that's the plan. Buick and Saab will be sort of parallel below Cadillac: one Euro-flavoured, the other American-flavoured. Different design languages, different dynamics, different engines.

[Drew Dowdell]

No....it WILL BE an ES competitor.....

The problem is.....will the buying public CONSIDER it as an ES competitor? That's the million-dollar question......

If it's equal to or better... then yes. See Enclave v. RX350.

[Drew Dowdell]

I would have rather seen this car, as it is, a RWD version of Sigma! Did anyone consider that? I think a CTS-sized RWD Buick, with Buick styling and luxury (compared to the sportier CTS) would have been a winner......

Only if they went the Lexus route and partnered it with a FWD model ala ES/IS

If you think about the demographic of your typical ES consumer, the car almost has to be FWD. I know that no one here likes to hear it, but the ES segment is the segment I'd most likely to expect to insist on FWD. They are the 1985 Riviera drivers of yore... middle aged, upper middle class women with cushy jobs. I hate to keep using my mother as an example, but she is a good one for it. Once she gave up on the station wagons, she moved to an SSEi Bonneville in '94 then to an Aurora in '01. She looked at the '03 CTS but wouldn't buy it because it was RWD even though she loves the styling. Instead of the Aurora, she very likely would have ended up in an ES or S60 if I had allowed it. She has an aversion to RWD even though she lives in Miami. At this point there is nothing in GM's stable for her. Lucerne is too "old" and I can't in good conscious recommend a Lacrosse. I'm half considering a Saab 9-5 because it's premium enough for her but has a 4-cylinder and gets decent gas mileage. The Invicta is hot looking, but if it only comes with the 3.6 I'll steer her to the 9-5 out of fuel economy concerns. She is a very frugal person and justifies buying premium cars by keeping them till 160,000 miles or so.

Back on point. This car would be excellent with a turbo-4 cylinder. If Chevy can make the Malibu 4-banger rival Honda in NHV than imagine what Buick could do by throwing Quiet Tuning in there.

[Drew Dowdell]

If the two divisions were properly branded and positioned, then it wouldn't be a problem.

Remember at one time, Lutz suggested that Cadillac should move upwards to take on BMW and Benz.......leaving Buick to tackle Lexus, Acura, and the other, let's call them "B" tier luxury makers......

It's a nice thought but one that isn't done cooking. Lexus is well above Acura in prestige, however Lexus has two faces. Should Lexus tackle the ES or the IS? What about the GS and LX? If Buick tackles the IS, where does that leave Cadillac?

Lexus is having trouble gaining performance cred to compete with BMW. Nissan....*cough*... Infiniti has better performance cred because they dropped all the floaty models. Sure the IS has all the makings of a BMW buster, but Lexus is still fielding vehicles like the ES, RX, and LS. Lexus doesn't have a firm definition because it's vehicles are all over the map.

There is no problem having both Cadillac and Buick in the same price tier. Cadillac goes more euro-sport and Buick goes more traditional luxury. It makes the brands much more focused than the muddle that is going on over at Lexus. GM is in a unique position by having all of these brands.... if they succeed at tightening each brand's definition there is no reason at all that Saab, Pontiac, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Saab, and Hummer couldn't all occupy the same showroom. By doing so, they'll make Toyota/Scion/Lexus even more "just a Toyota".

The definitions are there... we can all see them... we just have to squint a little...

[Paolino]

If it's equal to or better... then yes. See Enclave v. RX350.

Not always. People want the name. When I worked in a hospital years ago, a doctor proudly told me he just purchased with slight hesitation, an Acura Pilot. Was he simply mistaken? Or did he want to say he got an Acura because he felt they were both Hondas but people know Acura as a "luxury" nametag?

[The O.C.]

If it's equal to or better... then yes. See Enclave v. RX350.

Oh, certainly the Enclave is a great CUV......but how many actual RXs have been traded in on Enclaves? OR, how many Enclaves have actually been cross-shopped with RXs....?

I'd LOVE to see those numbers (and I KNOW GM tracks them religiously.)

I STILL bet those numbers are far lower than any of us would like to believe.

[Drew Dowdell]

Oh, certainly the Enclave is a great CUV......but how many actual RXs have been traded in on Enclaves? OR, how many Enclaves have actually been cross-shopped with RXs....?

I'd LOVE to see those numbers (and I KNOW GM tracks them religiously.)

I STILL bet those numbers are far lower than any of us would like to believe.

Well the buyers are coming from somewhere else in the CUV market most likely. I doubt there is a rash of Cobalts being traded in on loyalty programs for the Enclave.

The RX has been the best selling in the Lux CUV market for a while now... it has the most to lose.

[Paolino]

Look, I won't deny there isn't SOME cross-shopping between the Enclave and RX... I'm going to say it's low at this point. However, I do imagine when people get into the Enclave, they will be persuaded to stay with it. Someone at work bought one a couple of months ago... dark blue, ebony interior. GORGEOUS. This thing is class inside and out. Forgive me for this, but I just wish the abundant plood was just a little nicer--but if it's fake, it's tolerable, partly because the design in the interior is just so beautiful. And boy does it wear its tri-shields proudly on that beautiful, classy and aggressive grille, and on its tailgate.

The next LaCrosse will experience a similar fate... it's going to get just a few cross shoppers. But hey, once word of mouth gets around, and people start hearing "Buick" again in conversations and seeing them on the road, it's only a matter of time before we start seeing Buick pick up and take of--just if the product stays fresh, classy, and put well together.