Buick Regal Wagon Is Not Happening

[William Maley]

Regal Wagon Is Not Happening

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

September 8, 2011

Earlier in the year, spy shots floated around of a Buick Regal Wagon parked outside at one of GM's buildings. The pictures added fuel to an already lit fire about GM possibly doing a Regal Wagon since the Regal essentially shares everything with the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia Wagon.

Inside Line has gotten an answer on the record from a Buick spokesman on the Regal Wagon. The spokesman says,

"Absolutely not. There is no Regal Wagon in our future plans."

Source: Inside Line

[regfootball]

i liked the regal wagon but admit it probably would not sell much. and if this means we get the astra wagon here, then its not all bad. the astra wagon looked to be nicer looking and more space efficient. less pricey and better head to head vs. a jetta wagon

[hyperv6]

It would have been nice to have the option but it is better to not sell them than let them rot on dealer lots. I just did not see the sales being worth the investment. A coupe is a better choice and investment.

[Camino LS6]

Mistake.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Mistake.

+1

AGREE.

[riviera74]

Mistake.

+1

AGREE.

In the era of compact and midsize crossovers, who would buy a wagon in large enough quantities for it to be worthwhile in North America? Uh, nobody and not in large enough numbers for it to matter. The upcoming Encore (think baby Enclave) should take that role since it is a crossover.

[Robert Hall]

In the era of compact and midsize crossovers, who would buy a wagon in large enough quantities for it to be worthwhile in North America? Uh, nobody and not in large enough numbers for it to matter. The upcoming Encore (think baby Enclave) should take that role since it is a crossover.

Yes, reality. The US consumer today prefers crossovers to wagons. A CUV would outsell a wagon by a large margin. I'd prefer a wagon, but I'm not an average consumer.

Edited September 9, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[pow]

I like wagons, but GM probably looked at the limited sales of the TSX Wagon and decided it wasn't worth it. Volvo isn't selling the V60 or V70 in the US, and BMW won't sell the next-generation 3-series Touring there either.

[ZL-1]

I guess you guys in the US buy mid-sized CUVs instead of wagons, so...

[hyperv6]

That is just it people here no longer have great love for wagons and even then it is limited to German ones in limited numbers. The Asian companies have tired and failed to make a dent in the market.

If you give it a high roof and make it look like a truck it will sell in six figure numbers but sell it like a car it will sell less than 10,000 units at a discount. The HHR was nothing but a Cobalt wagon that sold in numbers that Cobalt wagons would have never reached. If it looks like a truck but even is still not a truck it will sell.

The Buick made a good looking wagon but it never would have done what they wanted or needed it to do. The Cadillac at the price they sell it at at least can make back more on lower volumes.

[PurdueGuy]

I think GM does need to occasionally test the wagon market, though. Eventually CUVs are going to become "uncool" and the popularity of wagons will come back. Of course, it might be an evolutionary thing, as CUVs get smaller & lower, and next thing you know you're looking at a CUV and realize it's just a wagon (not much of a difference as it is, just height essentially).

[Robert Hall]

I think GM does need to occasionally test the wagon market, though. Eventually CUVs are going to become "uncool" and the popularity of wagons will come back. Of course, it might be an evolutionary thing, as CUVs get smaller & lower, and next thing you know you're looking at a CUV and realize it's just a wagon (not much of a difference as it is, just height essentially).

Ford pretty much did that with the Freestyle/Taurus X...

[Camino LS6]

CUVs are all awful, just terrible-looking things - all of them. And, I think this wagon would have sold pretty well. But that isn't why I called this decision a mistake.

It's a mistake because the car is in production and all of the parts to make it happen here are in production. Anytime an opportunity like that exists, the bodystyle should be offered - even if on a limited basis. GM has been toying with the idea of creating families of cars (multiple bodystyles) on a single named model, and that's a great strategy. Every opportunity to re-introduce this concept should be taken to get folks used to it again. This approach is what made GM so successful in the past, and it will work again - if they commit to it.

So, boo to this decision.

[Drew Dowdell]

let them try the coupe here first, it's an easier sell to Americans than a wagon.

[ocnblu]

I sawr a TSX wagon the other day that was NOT rotting on a dealer lot and I was like WTF??? I was afraid this would happen.

A Regal coupe sounds like a good pacifier. So does a Verano wagon... but I'm not holding my breath. As has been said, Encore will probably be "it" for a small, uber-practical Buick.

[hyperv6]

I think GM does need to occasionally test the wagon market, though. Eventually CUVs are going to become "uncool" and the popularity of wagons will come back. Of course, it might be an evolutionary thing, as CUVs get smaller & lower, and next thing you know you're looking at a CUV and realize it's just a wagon (not much of a difference as it is, just height essentially).

Ford pretty much did that with the Freestyle/Taurus X...

Even it failed as the car it was based on was ugly too. The Flex has done better but the price kills it as it is just way too much for what you get and there are much better cars in that price range.

The fact remains that there have been many good wagons over the last 10 years that pop up here and there and most fail in a few years. Even if GM makes this car the cost to make sure it will be legal here still cost money. I also think the economy may have help stop this for now. It was a risk that even if it had worked was going to be a modest return anyways.

The Kingswood Estate days are long over and have been replaced by seveal different models. Like em or not the public does and most sell 10 times or more than any car based wagon would. Sad but reality sucks sometimes.

[regfootball]

Buick's priorities....

Smaller crossover

Astra coupe

Astra wagon (to compete with Jetta SW)

regal coupe?

I would put a Regal wagon after that, although i would like to see it here.

[Lamar]

Yeah, I could see a Regal coupe more easily than I could have pictured a Regal wagon.

Someone educate me... what was the last Buick wagon that wasn't the Roadmaster?

[Satty]

Off the top of my head, the Century

[ocnblu]

Estate Wagon came before Roadmaster Estate, the previous-design B-body. When was the last A-body Century Estate wagon made?

[balthazar]

^ Wiki says '96 was the last year for both the Century & Roadmonster wagons.

[balthazar]

CaminoLS6 was all for the Regal wagon; perhaps he'll wander back here to shout 'hurrah!'.

- - - - -

Anyway- we'l see how the Regal TourX does.  I wonder if the shift toward CUVs MAY create a slight uptick in interest in wagons/hatches, since the only advantage of CUVs over a same-size sedan is cargo space (and a higher seat position).