Interesting May Sales Figures

[InvictaMan]

Link to Leftlane Article

The ugly

Acura, down 34 percent to 9,469

Audi, down 12.1 percent to 7,503

Buick, down 17.1 percent to 9,160

BMW, down 27.8 percent to 18,383

Cadillac, down 39.9 percent to 8,027

Chevrolet, down 23.7 percent to 127,510

Chrysler, down 51 percent to 15,987

Dodge, down 48 percent to 41,399

Ford, down 25.5 percent to 137,167

GMC, down 22.1 percent to 23,926

Honda, down 39.7 percent to 88,875

Hummer, down 40.6 percent to 1,094

Hyundai, down 20 percent to 36,937

Infiniti, down 38.1 percent to 6,496

Jeep, down 40 percent to 21,624

Kia, down 16.1 percent to 26,060

Lincoln, up 2.4 percent to 8,566

Lexus, down 33.9 percent to 16,922

Maserati, down 55.2 percent to 128

Mazda, down 40.1 percent to 16,718

Mercedes-Benz, down 30.5 percent to 15,134

Mercury, down 24.8 percent to 10,221

Mini, down 27 percent to 4,610

Mitsubishi, down 58.3 percent to 4,352

Nissan, down 32.5 percent to 60,993

Pontiac, down 52.3 percent to 13,329

Porsche, down 29.2 percent to 1,979

Saab, down 63.5 percent to 783

Saturn, down 55.5 percent to 8,046

Subaru, down 5 percent to 17,505

Suzuki, down 75.1 percent to 2,585

Toyota, down 39 percent to 135,661

Volvo, down 22.9 percent to 5,577

Volkswagen, down 12.4 percent to 19,568

[CaddyXLR-V]

All but 3 GM divisions you mean. Chevy, GMC, and Pontiac

[Robert Hall]

All but 3 GM divisions you mean. Chevy, GMC, and Pontiac

He probably meant core divisions (CGBC). Pontiac is a non-core, now cancelled brand.

[PurdueGuy]

That buick outsold Hummer and Saab is duh, and it's not really surprising that they outsold Saturn. The only one that kinda surprised me is that they outsold Cadillac.

[CaddyXLR-V]

That buick outsold Hummer and Saab is duh, and it's not really surprising that they outsold Saturn. The only one that kinda surprised me is that they outsold Cadillac.

It does seem like luxury brands were hit the hardest, the only exception being Audi. Mercury, Lincoln, and Buick weren't down as much. Maybe some buyers that would have bought luxury cars bought mid level brands instead?

[InvictaMan]

All but 3 GM divisions you mean. Chevy, GMC, and Pontiac

Oops, thanks for the oversight correction, technically you are correct for the month of May. Pontiac's sales were surprisingly good for a division that was threatened. I want them to go out with a blaze of glory.

Edited June 3, 2009 by InvictaMan

[InvictaMan]

The interesting part of these totals is that they did so well against competitive brands with only three models. Anybody have the model breakdown to see which is the breadwinner?

[CaddyXLR-V]

Oops, thanks for the oversight correction, technically you are correct for the month of May. Pontiac's sales were surprisingly good for a division that was threatened. I want them to go out with a blaze of glory.

At least the G8 is doing good, with over 3000 sales in May. The rest of Pontiac, not so good.

[buyacargetacheck]

The Enclave is carrying Buick. It's sales were up 40% to 4,103 from last May. The LaX was down 49% and the Lucerne down 28%. For year-to-date the sedans are down 57% and 43% respectively. Overall, the trend is still down like it has been for years.

GM has GOT to do something about regaining Buick's mojo, its public perception. Same for Cadillac. One way would be to combine the two lineups, call it Cadillac or Buick, and then promote the heck out of it. Otherwise, even with the benefits of bankruptcy, we're looking at both brands fading away for good.

[InvictaMan]

One way would be to combine the two lineups, call it Cadillac or Buick, and then promote the heck out of it. Otherwise, even with the benefits of bankruptcy, we're looking at both brands fading away for good.

I agree with you partially. The two brands should have always been in the same dealership, that way they could both benefit from respective marketing and floor traffic. With the demise of Pontiac, it makes sense to roll GMC into Chevy and let the luxury and near luxury divisions share the same channel. Buick has always suffered from being in dealerships that did not reflect their market; that is especially true now that Buick is regaining their image in vehicle design and quality. The biggest problem I see is the lack of advertising. In the South, all we are seeing right now are sporadic GM bankruptcy commercials, very few brand ads. Saturn ads are running, I guess to clear out some of that inventory before they loose it. Buick needs to be utilizing their new upmarket advertising now, in anticipation of the arrival of the LaX. Don't wait, and hopefully, don't do adds that say we are changing, do ones that say we are already there.

Edited June 4, 2009 by InvictaMan

[Robert Hall]

The Enclave is carrying Buick. It's sales were up 40% to 4,103 from last May. The LaX was down 49% and the Lucerne down 28%. For year-to-date the sedans are down 57% and 43% respectively. Overall, the trend is still down like it has been for years.

Well, the current LaX and Lucerne are pretty old and outdated, esp. the LaX..the new LaX is coming out for '10, so that should definitely help with the sedan sales. And if they add the Insignia-based Regal and a compact sedan on Delta within the next 2-3 years, that should help.

I've wondered if GM has considered a midsize crossover for Buick, but maybe that niche is too full with the new Equinox, Terrain, and SRX coming..

Edited June 4, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[A Horse With No Name]

(off topic)

Wow, Suzuki down 75 percent...OUCH!\

(back on topic)

Buick does need to get its mojo back.

Chris

[Z-06]

Caddy is lacking a second solid product after the CTS to shore its line. Escalade trio is shrinking in volume. Alpha could not have come fast enough.

Buick will get a nice bump once Lacrosse hits the deck.

[InvictaMan]

I've wondered if GM has considered a midsize crossover for Buick, but maybe that niche is too full with the new Equinox, Terrain, and SRX coming..

The Enclave is mid-size, what they need is a compact CUV. I'm thinking the new Delta II hatch will be the one they slot into that position. Buick needs it, the compact sedan, and equally important, a compact coupe. I think the coupe market is rising fast, Buick could be the near luxury contender if it does it well. Could lead to an IS convertible fighter.

[Robert Hall]

The Enclave is mid-size, what they need is a compact CUV. I'm thinking the new Delta II hatch will be the one they slot into that position. Buick needs it, the compact sedan, and equally important, a compact coupe. I think the coupe market is rising fast, Buick could be the near luxury contender if it does it well. Could lead to an IS convertible fighter.

The Enclave is full size, it's huge. An IS convertible fighter is where Cadillac should be at with the CTS or a smaller model eventually. (I can't see Buick having a $40-50k RWD luxury convertible).

Edited June 4, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[MRDETROITMETAL]

So, the 2 horse race continues unabated...CHEVY vs Toyopet. Of course if you add ALL the GM division sales toyo is the LOSER...again....LMAO with a BK ch 11,...GM STILL outsells them !!!...& LOOK at that...FORD outsold toyo too !!!!...LMFAO.

Edited June 4, 2009 by MRDETROITMETAL

[InvictaMan]

The Enclave is full size, it's huge. An IS convertible fighter is where Cadillac should be at with the CTS or a smaller model eventually. (I can't see Buick having a $40-50k RWD luxury convertible).

I don't disagree with you that the Enclave is large for its segment; however, it is officially listed as a mid-size SUV, as are all Lambdas. Do a search on GM.com or Google for mid-size SUVs and it will appear.

[Robert Hall]

I don't disagree with you that the Enclave is large for its segment; however, it is officially listed as a mid-size SUV, as are all Lambdas. Do a search on GM.com or Google for mid-size SUVs and it will appear.

First I've ever heard that...I've always read of the Lambdas described as full-size, everything from Autoblog to Car & Driver to Wikipedia. The Equinox, Torrent and upcoming Terrain and SRX are the GM mid-sizers, GM has nothing in NA that really is a compact CUV/SUV, even the Vue is more of a small midsizer.

Edited June 4, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[regfootball]

picked up a 2010 lacrosse brochure yesterday.

i think the lax will help buick immensely as will the srx cadillac.

still, it really hurts it all when the g8 is going away. that car alone with the vibe is sustaining pontiac right now. and the vibe is barf.