Buicks Bright Future

[buickguy]

The picture at Buick is much brighter than the sales numbers indicate. Buick numbers did drop last year, roughly the same plunge Pontiac took, but the brand had fewer models than in 2004. It also went nearly 2 months without a full-size model offering during the LeSabre/Lucerne switchover.

Optimism is high at GM for Buick for the following reasons:

1. Retail sales are up from 2004 as fleet sales are reduced.

2. Lucerne sales are off to a good start. In the month of December, the first full month of Lucerne production, more people bought Buick Lucernes than bought all 6 models from the entire Saab Division.

3. Despite nearing the end of its run, Rendezvous sales figures were up.

4. Buick was the only GM division whose truck sales were up in 2005, with the exception of Hummer.

5. LaCrosse outsold both vehicles it replaced, Century and Regal. In some monthly head to head sales, it outsold the Chrysler 300, America's best selling luxury sedan. While LaCrosse sales continue to grow, sales of both LaCrosse's sister vehicles the Gran Prix and the Impala fell in 2005.

6. Buick garnered more quality awards in 2005. It is GM's highest ranked quality brand beating out everybody but Lexus, BMW and Porsche.

7. Buick continues to outsell competing premium brands in the U-S, such as Acura, Infiniti, Jaguar, Volvo, Mercedes, Saab, Lincoln, and was just barely eclipsed by Lexus, which has more models.

8. The average age of the Buick buyer is falling, partly due to sales of the Rendezvous and Terrazza.

9. RWD is on the way at GM. Buick is likely to get a version, that could be a Velite or other halo car.

10. The Enclave was a huge hit at NAIAS Detroit, and hits showrooms next year. People have written on this site and others that this is the first Buick that has appealed to them in a long time.

11. Buick is a huge hit in China, the world's fastest growing nation. The Chinese think it is cool to drive an American icon. As a global brand, Buick outsells Saab and is a bigger name globally.

12. The LaCrosse and Lucerne, as has been reported on this site, are due for "Super" or "Reserve" versions in the not so distant future.

[z28luvr01]

I wish we were sure about #9.

Regardless, I don't see Buick going anywhere anytime soon, mainly because of #11. If they killed Buick in the US, they'd take with it any cache that the name has overseas. I say, let Buick continue to grow as a global presence. #10 doesn't hurt either. If future Buicks look anything like this, then Buick is in for a styling renaissance.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

Century was the best or second-best-selling Buick though-it fell in sales probably because of expectations of a new model-ditto that for the 2005 Chevy Impala. And from what I saw, the Regal in this generation never sold all that well anyway.

[buickguy]

Styling renaissance indeed.

[buickguy]

Great Lucerne Review!

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/review...6-lucerne_x.htm

[Matt276]

Great Lucerne Review!

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/review...6-lucerne_x.htm

Indeed surprising.

[Paolino]

Wow, that really was a damn good review!

[Paolino]

I wouldn't say Buick has a bright future yet, only the Enclave and next LaCrosse are on the books.  The above stats may seems good, but of course truck sales would be up, they added the Terraza that didn't exist before.  Even then both the Terraza and Rainier are history.  Don't jump the gun yet, Buick's future is still in the air.

You're right... I'd say we really won't know where Buick sits until 2010/2011. We need these great vehicles to be out for a while, and the mediocre ones to be trashed.

The image is going to take years to untarnish.

[Imaj]

the Lucerne got a good review on msn

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/jedlicka...e&src=reviewers

[Cananopie]

If Buick doesn't survive past the next LaCrosse I am going to be positive that this was the plan all along- to kill Buick. Only because there is NOTHING Buick has done to deserve anything less. Everything has exceeded or met expectations to date.

[Flybrian]

To say the Buick image is 'tarnished' is an inaccurate statement. Buick has never really had a truly lousy vehicle in either quality (Cavalier), execution (Catera), or image (Aztek). Just about the worst you can say about any given Buick is that its a good car, but boring and conservative, which is coincidently what you'd say about your average Lexus or Acura.

No doubt in even the most critical driver's mind that the W- and G-bodies of the mid- to late-1990s were truly fine cars, but nothing that captured the heart or the eye with a few exceptions (Ultra, GS, Riviera). There's a big difference among bad, mediocre, good, and exceptional. In all honestly, no Buick lately has been worse than good. All that's needed is to take the very good vehicles Buick has and move it to the exceptional level, something I feel confident will happen.

Call me an optimist, but I prefer to be called a Buick fan and one that will very likely have a Buick sitting in the driveway among our other two sedans in the coming years.

[Drew Dowdell]

Call me an optimist, but I prefer to be called a Buick fan and one that will very likely have a Buick sitting in the driveway among our other two sedans in the coming years.

You'd have a G-body Trifecta!

[Paolino]

the Lucerne got a good review on msn

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/jedlicka...e&src=reviewers

Interesting... yet another comment on the gauges being difficult to read and "should be backlit as in Lexus".

Well, they are backlit, but they should be LED, you know, to give the crisp/sharp-looking gauges that say, a COROLLA has.

[Cananopie]

In contrast to these reviews I checked out Motor Trends car of the year award and it went to the Civic, which is fine, I didn't expect Buick to really win... but what gets me is that they rate the Lucerne lesser than or equal to all of the Avalon ratings in every department giving the Lucerne almost no credit at all.

In fact the Avalon says for its title "The Buick GM never built" as if it was leaps and bounds better than the Lucerne. If they're supposed to be a respectable magazine they'd know Buick far outsells the Avalon with its full size car and in fact the Avalon does not set the standard. I'm not saying the Avalon is crappy either, but I don't think the Avalon just outshines the Lucerne completely as they suggest. People have been preferring the LeSabre far more than the Avalon in recent years so how can they even justify it?

[Flybrian]

Interesting... yet another comment on the gauges being difficult to read and "should be backlit as in Lexus".

Well, they are backlit, but they should be LED, you know, to give the crisp/sharp-looking gauges that say, a COROLLA has. 

You say that, then you realize Toyota cannot for the life of them coordinate their dash lights with other panel lights in most of their cars. I don't understand why a $64,000 Lexus has white Optitron gauges and pea-green radio displays when a $11,500 Sunfire coupe had all-red coordinated lights.

Heck, I've got a non-standard Buick Concert II radio head unit in my Olds and those colors look 97% the same...from two different brands!

You can match up body panels but not COLORS? C'mon, Toyota.

[Paolino]

You say that, then you realize Toyota cannot for the life of them coordinate their dash lights with other panel lights in most of their cars. I don't understand why a $64,000 Lexus has white Optitron gauges and pea-green radio displays when a $11,500 Sunfire coupe had all-red coordinated lights.

Heck, I've got a non-standard Buick Concert II radio head unit in my Olds and those colors look 97% the same...from two different brands!

You can match up body panels but not COLORS? C'mon, Toyota.

Maybe they keep them pea-green to remind you how much money you've spent on the car

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

The only single standout and key as of right now to whether or not Buick has a future is not the Lucerne and certainly not LaCrosse, but the Enclave. Its stylish, and it'll have all the right stuff-as long as GM can get it right-something that worries me at times.

[thegriffon]

Could be there will be a Lucerne replacement, but never a new program to replace the Lucerne. Really too early to say. The same thing could happen to the LaCrosse. Terraza and Rainier go, replaced by the Enclave and a pair of GMCs. As for a new midsize crossover, that could go to a new Buick, or one or two GMCs. The only other really feasible addition is a lower-midsize sedan, currently not planned, but which I have suggested before. Something like the BLS or a replacement for the Chinese Excelle.

[wildcat]

Are we anticipating that the Buick Enclave will ONLY be offered in the Cocoa color, or will there be different colors available?

[buickguy]

I'm sure there will be other colors available. Probably a similar palette to other Buicks. Maybe a few colors unique to Enclave.

[Cananopie]

Are we anticipating that the Buick Enclave will ONLY be offered in the Cocoa color, or will there be different colors available?

Just because a vehicle debuts in one color doesn't mean that is going to be the solid production color. It just means they didn't build a whole vehicle for each color. Aside from the Grand National I don't think Buick has ever offered only one color for a whole vehicle. That's murder to sales, especially since it's a shade of brown... yea, it's classy but it's still brown.

[The O.C.]

7. Buick continues to outsell competing premium brands in the U-S, such as Acura, Infiniti, Jaguar, Volvo, Mercedes, Saab, Lincoln, and was just barely eclipsed by Lexus, which has more models.

Sadly, the vast majority of consumers out there don't consider Buick a "premium" brand......certainly not in the same light as Acura, Infiniti, Jaguar, Volvo, M-Benz, Lexus, or even Saab I'd garner....

Let's back out all of the fleet vehicles that Buick sells (specifially LaCrosse and Rendezvous) and then lets take another look at how Buick sales compare to the above.

Let's also take a look at average transaction price.....let's see how big the rebates and discounts are on most Buicks sold retail....and ALSO compare that to the average transaction prices of the above.

Your post is encouraging and supportive.....but Buick has a long way to go before we can "let them off the hook...."

Lucerne was a START.....(and only a start) but it will be Enclave that will truly be the first Buick that can be compared honestly in the same light as its rivals at Acura, Infiniti, Volvo, and Lexus. (IF it comes to market close to the concept.)