wildcat

Has this been confirmed? Various GM officials have sent some mixed messages lately. Of course, in this forum, PCS predicted that Saturn would become part of the B-P-G channel (replacing Pontiac). Is that not still a possibility, if not the likely scenario?

I think I just remembered another former Buick tagline. Didn't they use "It's All Good" for maybe one year (or less)?

GM China took the Sail away from Buick and gave it to Chevy. Also, I don't consider the Buick Excelle or the GL8 to be on the level of quality and refinement and style of these latest Buicks. They need to improve them.

So judge Buick by its latest products, not what they did X years ago.

moltar: I had to laugh at that one! cire: Oh no, another one! I forgot about that one tagline!

Was it "Premium American Motorcars"? Gosh, there were a lot! ("Time for a Real Car," "Dream Up," et al)

moltar: ( Moe of the Three Stooges' voice ) "Oh, another weisenheimer!" ( eye-poke sound effects ) balthazar: You mean "The Spirit of American Style"? Or the Harley Earl campaign?

Thanks, Paulie. But "The Craft of Modern Luxury" wasn't my idea... they've used it already on Buick's website. I think they were trying it out

According to the January 8, 2009 Detroit Free Press, "the average age of a U.S. Buick buyer is 63." Guess we'll have to begin by changing YOUR wrong perception, smk4565 ( Soup Nazi's voice: "No soup for you! Next!")

Yep, Northstar, if the market is shifting to smaller and more fuel-efficient cars, then I suppose the Lucerne has received its last investment. (But why do many here keep asking for the Buick Statesman to come here as a Roadmaster or whatever? Yes, the interior was nice at the time... but look how nice these latest GM interiors seem to be. Besides, it'd be TOO BIG, IMHO.) Meanwhile, on the forum of CamaroZ28.com, a knowledgeable poster, guion ("Guy") says the Lucerne and DTS RWD replacements are really on hold, rather than canceled, that GM "kicked the can down the road" on those two. Anyway, to get back to the premise of this thread, if Buick needs a perception-changing tagline, "The Craft of Modern Luxury" sounds good to me.

I'm imagining that the Lucerne evidently will stay around as long as 1) it brings in some money ; 2) is given minimal if any investment ; and 3) if one goes by Mark LaNeve's latest comments from the Auto Show, what the final CAFE policies will be. Probably it'll just fade into the sunset in a number of years (around the same time as the Pontiac G8?). If Buick would stick the Regal in its showrooms, that would be another "punch" to help change perception. Personally, I liked the Lucerne better without the "Super" grille.

Satty and balthazar: Are you having fun? I was trying to have a serious discussion (and have NEVER pooped on your posts) . GM, which has access to the company's financials, knows the profit margins, sees the sales figures, fully understands the costs, and holds the future product plans in its hand, seems to think Buick is worth keeping and hasn't given up on it.

Oldsmoboi: "Drive Beautiful" wasn't bad. Northstar: Points well-taken. What do you think of "The Craft of Modern Luxury"? It's classy and aspirational, don't you think?

Yes, you're right Northstar. But what if -- this time -- GM takes specific steps to really change the perception of Buick?

According to Automotive News, Buick is to get a new tag line and an ad campaign to change perception of its vehicles. AN's website states, "Buick will get a new advertising campaign for the brand and the new LaCrosse sedan this summer. The campaign will have a different tag line, too, from Buick's current 'Drive Beautiful.' Buick chief Susan Docherty said General Motors realizes the brand suffers from a consumer perception that its vehicles are for elderly, conservative buyers. That perception has contributed to a sharp sales slide for Buick from its glory years." My guess would be "The Craft of Modern Luxury." What do YOU think?

Another website, GM Inside News, today reported that the Buick Regal (a rebadged Opel Insignia now sold in China as a Buick Regal) will be available in NA as of 2011. GMI says that it was officially greenlighted yesterday. According to GMI, it's possible the car could come earlier than 2011 but it's expected the vehicle will look very similar, if not exact, to the Chinese Regal - possibly with some different engine choices.

I didn't see that one, but I did catch a TV commercial for the Chevrolet Traverse, in which a, I think it was, Toyota SUV was parked nearby and the premise of the spot was that some little girl wanted a "grown-up" or "big girl" vehicle... the Traverse. It was better than I'm able to describe it

And, I believe that PCS told us that Buick will become something different, not defined how it was in the past.

My guess... and that's all that it is... is that it will be a (hopefully heavily-reworked) Cruze, since GMNA is playing up "the Cruze this, the Cruze that, blah-blah-blah." I also suspect they won't give every Opel to Buick but may save some for Saturn (the smaller, cheaper models) as part of a B-P-G channel. Of course, we all read Fritz Henderson's comments that, to the effect of, Saturn just wasn't successful. So who knows?

And, after the vehicle which moltar said, probably a Delta Buick.

I'm not so sure that Saturn will be "history." GM sends mixed, confusing, and confounding signals, especially with its present financial crisis. What LaNeve said (there are options for Saturn) most recently contradicts what Lutz said (too many brands, inferior marketing). At the same time, what PCS predicted still seems plausible (Pontiac eventually out, Saturn in its place in the B-P-G channel). What I'd like to know is has GM officially announced that future Buicks will share design language with Opel, or has someone assumed this because of the Chinese Regal? If it is official, will Buicks adopt Opel's design cues or vice-versa, or do they mean, more generally, that each will stem from a "flowing" and "beautiful" idea? It wouldn't be appropriate to, for instance, give Buick's sweepspear to Opel. Will Buicks be blatant rebadges of Opels, or only on selected models? What does that say for brand definition if a car can be one brand in one country and one brand in another? How can GM not build a new Buick Riviera? If GM claims to - finally - "get it," how could they continue with the name "LaCrosse"? Are they still going to call it "Allure" in Canada? I never heard or saw one person asking that the "LaCrosse" name be retained, rather that "Invicta" should be used. Why does GM ignore what people are asking? Further, GM supposedly was going to align Buick NA product with Buick China product, yet, despite the passage of time and the fact that Buick NA has but three models ( ! ), they haven't even accomplished that yet. GM seems to change plans on a whim and/or be caught flat-footed time after time. So, you see, I've got lots of questions but no answers.

You're right, moltar! Although I like how on Mercury's website, when one goes from left to right and rolls the mouse over the different model names, it makes each of them zoom onto the screen and then zoom off when you choose a different model. But the Grand Marquis looks hideous (old and plain from the side, especially when wearing blackwalls).

Ever since the Buick Enclave and its predominant cocoa metallic color seemed to gain attention, that has been about all that Buick seems to know anymore. Presently, Buick's website homepage shows not only the Enclave but the Lucerne and LaCrosse in cocoa brown, too. And I noticed Buick's logo even has a cocoa brown backing. Overkill! (Though I'm happy that the Invicta Concept and the Riviera Concept cars were done in different colors.)

Possibly plus a Delta Buick and an Alpha Buick.

I find it curious that Buick.com lists on its homepage the following, in this order, under "Vehicles": Enclave LaCrosse Lucerne Invicta Super Series On that screen, they make no distinction between models currently in production and Invicta, other than there are prices shown for everything but Invicta. (It's only when one actually clicks on Invicta that it says "Concept.") Maybe it means nothing. Does anyone think they might use the name "Invicta" on an Alpha or Delta Buick? GM had to realize that the name Invicta was received very positively.