VenSeattle

Yes. I would.

 

All Over the Map: Buick Rainier SUV named by noted GM designer - Article at MyNorthWest.com

8 hours ago, Cmicasa the Great said:

The profits go back to Fiat in Italy. Won't touch it. 

Actually, FCA is headquartered in the UK, not Italy.

https://www.autonews.com/article/20140801/COPY01/308019978/fiat-says-ciao-to-italy-headquarters-as-chrysler-merger-is-approved

On 3/13/2018 at 12:55 PM, ocnblu said:

Oldsmobile tried this just before they keeled over for the last time.  Lamebrains at GM management, trying to save 50c per unit.

Yeah... But remember GM did this while changing Oldsmobile's styling to something unrecognizable to the brand, and at the same time GM replaced the Oldsmobile emblem to a completely different emblem/badge (a monochromatic and overly simplified side profile of a (not a) Rocket launching.) the combination of all three at the same time lead potential customers and existing Oldsmobile drivers wondering who made the vehicle and unable to determine which dealership to visit for more information. 

I would be concerned if Buick was also completely changing their badge but the article clearly indicates GM and Buick recognize the value and brand equity in the tri-shield. This is amplified by the fact Buick is in the process of phasing their tri-colored tri-shield badge back into their lineup as they renew their lifecycle.

 

 

Welcome back Ven!

Thank you! I'm regaining my sea legs. Plenty of new features and forum categories. I intend to stick around. I'm tired of my sabbatical. :-)

I never saw the 200 as anything special. It's not an appropriate sibling to the 300. They look like they're built by two completely different manufacturers. One is a generic jelly bean and the other is a brick. And for the price, you can get a well equipped 300 for the price of a well equipped 200. The lower trim levels of the 200 have this dull charcoal colored interior and matte finished plastic where the wood would be surrounding the instrument pod on the upper trim levels. It just looked low rent. I saw several 200s at AVIS, Hertz, and Enterprise. I can believe the dealers' argument that FCA were inflating sales numbers. For comparison, the current Regal is nicer than the 200 and it's about to be replaced.

 

There has never been a 3800 2014 Regal built by GM, Buick period no matter how much money you have.

 

Now if there is some idiot who has more money than sense out there that paid someone to do it then that is another story but this guy is full of BS and nothing more. But as we know everything on the web is true.

​I also know the 90 Degree v6 would never fit in that car. The Opel I believe is a 60 degree V6 and it was also never used in the Regal as it was not US certified and it would have run the cost up too high on a Regal.

 

China has no V6.

 

This guy was just another idiot on the road of life.

​I would bet he has done a wheelie with his car too even with FWD.

 

​We had a guy in collage with a 6 cylinder Duster and he made all sorts of crazy claims. We would BS him up and he would top any wild story we told him. I think he was a little unstable.

 

Drew did GM still even build the 3800 in 2014. I thought it went out with the Impala when they changed to the 3600 DOHC.

 

Nope, the Impala was 3400 and 3900 by then.  The last year of the 3800 was the 2008 Lucerne... that was the last North American vehicle to carry it. Impala dropped the 3800 after 2005.

 

 

 

There has never been a 3800 2014 Regal built by GM, Buick period no matter how much money you have.

 

Now if there is some idiot who has more money than sense out there that paid someone to do it then that is another story but this guy is full of BS and nothing more. But as we know everything on the web is true.

​I also know the 90 Degree v6 would never fit in that car. The Opel I believe is a 60 degree V6 and it was also never used in the Regal as it was not US certified and it would have run the cost up too high on a Regal.

 

China has no V6.

 

This guy was just another idiot on the road of life.

​I would bet he has done a wheelie with his car too even with FWD.

 

​We had a guy in collage with a 6 cylinder Duster and he made all sorts of crazy claims. We would BS him up and he would top any wild story we told him. I think he was a little unstable.

 

Drew did GM still even build the 3800 in 2014. I thought it went out with the Impala when they changed to the 3600 DOHC.

 

Nope, the Impala was 3400 and 3900 by then.  The last year of the 3800 was the 2008 Lucerne... that was the last North American vehicle to carry it. Impala dropped the 3800 after 2005.

 

That's the first thing I thought of. The 3800 has been out of production for years. It was also never offered in China AFAIK.

Never allow this person to present another product to the public, again. 

 

I think the "exclusive leather" comment was the pattern of the perforation of the leather. 

 

The comment he made about haven't been in the back seat yet threw my patience with his stammering over its limit. 

 

Overall, it's a very nice vehicle. Small market though. I like the folding rear seats, interior color choice, the quality of the execution and follow through. 

 

The buttons don't bother me much. 

Don't forget Buick was just assigned a new chief stylist, Bryan Nesbitt.... He's arguably GM's highest profile designer. Buick's directions with be international and not just for one market. I personally think GM wouldn't have placed Bryan in this position if Buick had already peaked in target markets. With a dedicated team focused on Buick's lineup and design strategy, I can see Buick being reintroduced to Australia and Europe. I personally believe Chevrolet should be reintroduced to Europe. Vauxhall and Opel should be absorbed by Buick. The European Dealer network should convert to Chevrolet and Buick dealers. One of the main reasons why Buick continues to survive in the US is because it can demand a higher purchase price than Saturn and Pontiac could with similar product. Chevrolet would cover mainstream pricing in Europe and Buick would be able to price itself towards the premium and luxury markets which Vauxhall and Opel continue failing to penetrate.

I have to agree with Cmicasa with both Buick and GMC. Buick needs to grow in the premium segments that are on fire. The Verano, Encore, and Envision are perfect products for Buick at the perfect time. Buick needs to be easily comparable to the premium competition and seen as a legitimate player.

 

Buick and GMC do not and will not overlap with their CUV offerings. I do not foresee a person cross-shopping the Terrain and Envision. They're just completely different, even in Denali garb. It's the same reason Acadia and Enclave are successful while sharing the same showroom floor. GMC and Buick are both premium brands but their products target completely different markets. Buick and GMC combined are on target to sell over 700k vehicles a year through their dealer chain. That’s amazing for two brands that don’t make a lot of PR noise. If anything, GMC needs to continue differentiating itself from Chevrolet's offerings. Buick could use coupes (Cascada is coming, but a Regal sedan and coupe and/or Riviera coupe based on alpha would be excellent) and a proper flagship sedan positioned above LaCrosse (based on Omega to share cost development as has been rumored in the past) to properly compete against the Hyundai Genesis, Kia K900, and other Non-Cadillac segment contenders. Buick needs a proper replacement for the Park Avenue in China. We need one here too. 

Congrats to the Encore being a runaway success! It looks like Enclave is on pace to beat last year's sales total. Ther Verano is outselling the Acura ILX more than 2to1. I look forward to see how the Envision is received here in the US. It's not official yet, but it'd be crazy for GM not to sell it here in the US. 

Very beautiful Regal. Looks great in black.

Almost a year past and I'm just now seeing this very kind and thoughtful post. I humbly thank all of you for remembering my birthday last year. I'm sorry for my absence. It's been a rather tumultuous 12-18 months. I'm intact for the most part.

I will say that GM has definitely seen a worse 12-18 months. Now, If I can just rebound as well as GM has (so far). Yes, I've been following GM and the industry even while I've been away from C&G. I don't think I'll ever quit. I was initially excited about the IPO, but that was silenced by the report on ineffective reporting practices. I'll need to read up to see what all of you have said about this issue.

I'll see you guys in the forums and hope to visit more regularly going forward.

Thank you again for the kind wishes. They are most appreciated.

VenSeattle

I'm with Verizon and have the Blackberry Tour... Absolutely love it! I'm also signed up for their HP mini with built-in VPN/wifi/etc... great alternative to the smallish tour screen and perfectly sized when a full laptop isn't required. Service has been perfect in the PacNW over the past 4 years that we've been with Verizon. I'll report on coverage with the new BB on the East Coast and in Europe after the next few months testing it out.

Seriously though... if you don't need to instantly manage a dozen email accounts, web identities, etc while having 24/7 uninterrupted access to company db's, crm's, etc then a BlackBerry really is overkill. It's perfect because I use it for work and personal, but many may find it tech-heavy. Honestly, I'd probably have an enV3 if it wasn't for work.

My dom partner has the enV Touch. He loves it and hates my BB. My business partner is about ready to convert to the Tour. hehehe....

oh... I can't use touch screens... they have problems detecting my fingertips. No big loss IMO.

I'll be the first to say the 200C concept is very attractive. The first thing that popped into my mind was a 1995 Chrysler Cirrus brought into the 21st Century. That's not a bad thing. I loved the original 1995 Cirrus.

It looks like a Chrysler that would have been designed by the former 1990's management. A step in the right direction.

in disbelief you may be, now you will see

the angle creted by the C-pillar's flowing and the upkick of the rear deck is exactly the same. the whole darn shape of the rear deck, bumper shape, and dominant themes of the rear very similar. on the sides, if it weren't for the sweepspear or whatever that line on the Buick is called then the camry sides would be exactly the same.

no need to fret, the camry has some charm, okay maybe not, BUT that's cause the front end is merely pleasant and not fun or understanding, just reliable and there like a secretary who does the work efficiently. but body-wise, it's very elegant, understated, refined, and even athletic.

but this is all nitpicking. this car won't sell on the merits of how many Japanese or European cars it looks like. at the very least the front end is very attractive and distinctive. and the rest of the car is also very desirable. that's what we should be focused on./

Turbo, I just don't see it. I don't think anyone will ever confuse a LaCrosse as a Camry... ever. If this looks like a Camry then the ES350 is definitely a badge-job because they have more in common (style-wise) than the LaCrosse and Camry.

1st, the LaCrosse has a lot more chrome than every Camry generation combined.

2nd, the LaCrosse is larger than the Camry.

3rd, their profiles are not similar at all, even without the sweepspear:

- Greenhouses are shaped differently

- LaCrosse's fenders are flared

- The rocker panel area on the LaCrosse is indented and more pronounced

- C-pillars are shaped differently

4th, the rear - The Camry's trunk has hips similar to the last gen BMW 7-series. The LaCrosse's trunk sides don't. The sides of the LaCrosse's trunk flow smoothly into the flared fenders. LaCrosse has a body crease down the middle of the bumper. Camry taillights are mostly horizontal and overlap into the trunk deck lid where the LaCrosse taillights have an exaggerated slant and hug the trunk lid.

5th - there's no way to compare the front as you've already mentioned.

Hands down, the LaCrosse is unique with far more character and much more upscale in appearance than a Camry could every wish for. The ONLY similarity is that they both have a high beltline but that's it.

--------------------

Besides, the LaCrosse is far better equipped than the Accord, Camry, and Maxima. This is not just a "chromed up" Malibu. There's no confusion between the missions of the two vehicles. There's plenty of room for a mainstream Malibu underneath LaCrosse without any fear of overlap. The LaCrosse is clearly targeting a higher class of car carrying a dose of aspirational appeal mainstream sedans lack. It'll hold its own sitting next to an ES350 and the Acura TL. As for the MKZ/MKS debate... I think the LaCrosse slots in between them. It'll probably do the same in price too (when loaded.) I plan to cross shop the LaCrosse against the MKS and Volvo S80.

Rumor is, Toyota is dropping the Avalon and is considering dropping the ES350 with the 2010 refresh being the last update. We'll see but the death of either (or both) can only help with the LaCrosse's success.

Ven,

How many underwears have you changed so far after looking at this thing?

I have to ask the same question to Pauli too.

Haha! I'm very pleased with the 2010 LaCrosse. It has pretty much everything I've been asking for.

So many people keep trying to pinpoint which vehicles individual characteristics were stolen from. If you have to list a half dozen vehicles (or more) to complete the LaCrosse picture then clearly there isn't an actual vehicle on the market that's similar.

Link to GM's press release for those who haven't seen it already.

Buick LaCrosse = A+

Is Acura in trouble? The premium brand only sold 144,504 vehicles in 2008 with a fairly fresh 5-vehicle lineup:

MDX & RDX new for MY2007

TSX new for MY2009

TL new for MY2009

RL refreshed for MY2009

------------------------

Current & Future?

RSX gone.

NSX RIP.

The future Acura RWD flagship, RWD platform, & V8 are gone.

The RL (Honda Legend) may not be replaced.

The TSX (Euro Accord) may be a goner too.

That leaves Acura with the new (homely) TL, successful MDX... oh and the sales dud RDX (the more expensive MDX outsells the RDX 3 to 1.)

Axing the NA-only Acura brand could be in the cards with no new platforms in the works and cost cutting all around.

Honda's attempt to right-size its development schedule and cope with the economic downturn apparently extends beyond the cancellation of the next NSX. According to Autocar, HoMoCo is right-sizing its plans for the next two years, and that includes rethinking the development of a range of rear-wheel-drive Acuras, a new V8, a convertible based on the CR-Z and the S2000's successor.

Acura seems to be carrying the weight of the bad news, with its RWD 7-series rival, originally due out in 2015, cancelled indefinitely, along with development of a V8 engine that would allow the brand to compete with the best and brightest from Germany. The Euro-market Legend (Acura RL) could also be on the block and there's a chance that Honda will stop developing two separate Accord models (Acura TSX) for sale in the U.S. and abroad, instead opting for one mid-size sedan to be sold worldwide.

Unfortunately, the development cease-fire also extends to Honda's smaller offerings. Honda planned to release a drop-top version of its CR-Z after the hybrid goes on sale next year, but that model has been nixed. Even more disturbingly, 2009 will be the last year of production for the S2000, with no heir apparent waiting in the wings.

We're hoping to get more details on the cut-backs as the week progresses, but needless to say, there's more than enough disappointment to go around.

Scion seems to be going in the toilet sales wise as well...

Chris

Yep... So much for the need of a "150,000 annual production cap" to keep the brand as a niche player.

Ven, I am very politically aware--I follow that stuff far more closely than most people do, and know full well that "black and white" doesn't really fit in anywhere.

I don't recall if I've mentioned this on here or not, but I'm an urban planner--I'm very well aware of the general attitude trends of homeowners vs. renters. But as an urban planner, I'm already far more invested than the vast majority of renters. Because it's my career to be.

Then why in the world would you quote CA property tax law when referring to voting trends between renters and homeowners? (which was what I originally referred to - You might change your mind once you become a home owner....)

Also, in CA, the Propositions allow Californians to vote on individual ballot initiatives. And we do it. A lot. It's a nice sidestep to a two-party system, where I can vote D and still vote for a tax cut to eliminate something truly stupid, or my good friend--a prominent republican--can vote straight R and still vote "No" on Prop 8. We get to eat our cake, so to speak.

We do similar here in WA... thankfully.

I actually prefer Lincoln's website over most. I'm mixed on Lexus.

Buick's could be improved a lot, but the basic layout is fine.

Well, in CA property taxes are capped at 1% of the assessed value, starting at the sales price, and may rise by no more than 2% of that annually thereafter. I don't see a problem with that, and honestly taxes are not a big enough deal for me to vote for everything else the GOP stands for.

Well, politics are not that black in white. You don't sell your soul to the GOP for voting for or against tax increases. Besides, the amount of tax you pay isn't as important as what the taxes are funding. You become much more invested in the development, preservation, improvement, etc of your neighborhood, community, city, and county as a homeowner. Potential long-term and short-term projects begin to impact you a lot differently than as a renter. I could provide examples to explain myself better, but let's just agree to disagree for now.