Buick's "Thuper" Cars
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And now that Buick and Pontiac are in the same dealership, a new Grand National really doesn't make any sense.
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Just to add a little fuel to the Buick discussion fire:
http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums...howtopic=16463
And notice the post by thegriffon
http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums...howtopic=16463
And notice the post by thegriffon
Originally Posted by thegriffon
You can also expect the new Buick Park Avenue to make its first appearance. So far only a preview video with a brief silhouette of the WM Statesman derivative is available.
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Popular is a relative term, and Buick's sales have been steadily falling for years now. GM hasn't seem overly interested in investing real money to fix this situation either; while cars like the Enclave will probably sell well to Buick customers, the long term plan seems to be to keep Buick focused on it's loyalists until they (and it) dies off.
And now that Buick and Pontiac are in the same dealership, a new Grand National really doesn't make any sense.
And now that Buick and Pontiac are in the same dealership, a new Grand National really doesn't make any sense.
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I hope China sales can keep Buick profitable in the lond term then b/c as flowmotion stated they don't seem to have a 'good' long term plan here in the US.
Last edited by toegead93; Apr 2, 2007 at 09:28 PM.
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Originally Posted by toegead93:
Yes, we all have different taste, but the Buick hasn't been redesigned since the Geico cavemen got their first driver's licenses.
Yes, we all have different taste, but the Buick hasn't been redesigned since the Geico cavemen got their first driver's licenses.
what do they call that? Product Identity?...Buicks have been at the TOP of US brand reliabilty for some time now.
Originally Posted by flowmotion:
Popular is a relative term, and Buick's sales have been steadily falling for years now. GM hasn't seem overly interested in investing real money to fix this situation either; while cars like the Enclave will probably sell well to Buick customers, the long term plan seems to be to keep Buick focused on it's loyalists until they (and it) dies off.
Popular is a relative term, and Buick's sales have been steadily falling for years now. GM hasn't seem overly interested in investing real money to fix this situation either; while cars like the Enclave will probably sell well to Buick customers, the long term plan seems to be to keep Buick focused on it's loyalists until they (and it) dies off.
Just b/c you don't want to buy one, doesn't mean the won't be popular, it sometimes takes a year or two for people to warm up to drastic changes.
I'd buy a Lucerne in a second...if I weren't waiting for another GM vehicle
And there's still a lot of perception issues that need to be overcome for sales to pick up, just as we had the "foreign is better" one, there's a "Buick is a granny mobile" one...both are false, but you need to drive one a couple of days to find that out.
One BIG thing was/is to give them a readily idenifiable, good looking, set of wheels/tires..the "Hub-Caps" no matter how well made, do anything but perpetuate a grandpa image.
I was looking at Bonnevilles and Gran Prix's when I came across the Ultra, now I wouldn't trade it for both.
Lucerne amenities:
http://www.buick.com/lucerne/specs_all.jsp
Last edited by 90rocz; Apr 3, 2007 at 01:17 PM.
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I'm not really arguing whether Buick is good/bad or who buys them -- just point out that they are in a long sales decline so it's hard to call their products "popular". I hope GM carves out a profitable niche in the US for Buick too.
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Maybe sales have been "declining", but they are adding new and exciting product, investing in Buick's future. The Lucerne is a good start, and the Enclave will give them a big boost.
My point is their new designs ARE appealing, and not just to "Old-Timers"...
But they do need to go back and redifine what Buick was and needs to become again:
.
My point is their new designs ARE appealing, and not just to "Old-Timers"...
But they do need to go back and redifine what Buick was and needs to become again:
Not One Step Back
Jerry Flint, 01.04.05, 6:00 AM ET :
dazzling styling, lots of chrome(elagance), hot engines and a soft but comfortable ride
Jerry Flint, 01.04.05, 6:00 AM ET :
dazzling styling, lots of chrome(elagance), hot engines and a soft but comfortable ride
Lucerne, Buick’s all-new luxury sedan, posted its best total and retail sales since its introduction in October 2005. March retail deliveries were 73 percent greater than year-ago LeSabre retail sales. Through the first quarter, Lucerne’s retail sales account for more than 40 percent of Buick’s total retail deliveries.
Last edited by 90rocz; Apr 4, 2007 at 11:42 AM.
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Best of luck to GM with their endeavours with the "Super" naming convention.
As far as I'm concerned, this is just prolonged Hospice treatment for a brand that is terminal.
GM seems to be holding its hand, like a dying relative, to give it a dignified death by remembering the glory days. We can hope for a miracle...but more likely, we should enjoy the time that we have left with the brand.
As far as I'm concerned, this is just prolonged Hospice treatment for a brand that is terminal.
GM seems to be holding its hand, like a dying relative, to give it a dignified death by remembering the glory days. We can hope for a miracle...but more likely, we should enjoy the time that we have left with the brand.
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Buick Lives Still
Steve Shannon, Buick general manager, 07.01.05,
I want to address Jerry Flint's concern over the future of Buick, "Death By Starvation," and specifically his comment that there is not "a single Buick man standing up" for the division.
We do have a strategy that speaks to Buick being a vital part of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel and of General Motors's (nyse: GM - news - people ) overall product portfolio.
Over the past several months, GM has been proactive with the media about the positive future of all of its brands, including Buick. What has been said is that we have no plans to cancel the Buick brand.
In fact, we plan to grow the brand, building on a foundation of producing some of the highest-quality cars in America and selling them to some of the most satisfied owners in America. Recent 2005 J.D. Power results confirm this. Future Buicks will be built with premium quality, style and technical sophistication, and will be sold increasingly through a strong Buick-Pontiac-GMC retail channel. That channel will offer three strong, highly differentiated brands and will rank in the top five automotive channels in the U.S.
No doubt there are challenges in our future, but in the words of Mark Twain, rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated. We're looking forward to our second 100 years.
Steve Shannon, Buick general manager, 07.01.05,
I want to address Jerry Flint's concern over the future of Buick, "Death By Starvation," and specifically his comment that there is not "a single Buick man standing up" for the division.
We do have a strategy that speaks to Buick being a vital part of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel and of General Motors's (nyse: GM - news - people ) overall product portfolio.
Over the past several months, GM has been proactive with the media about the positive future of all of its brands, including Buick. What has been said is that we have no plans to cancel the Buick brand.
In fact, we plan to grow the brand, building on a foundation of producing some of the highest-quality cars in America and selling them to some of the most satisfied owners in America. Recent 2005 J.D. Power results confirm this. Future Buicks will be built with premium quality, style and technical sophistication, and will be sold increasingly through a strong Buick-Pontiac-GMC retail channel. That channel will offer three strong, highly differentiated brands and will rank in the top five automotive channels in the U.S.
No doubt there are challenges in our future, but in the words of Mark Twain, rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated. We're looking forward to our second 100 years.
http://www.forbesautos.com/showroom/buick/
http://www.forbesautos.com/gallery/2...slide=4&play=t
http://www.forbesautos.com/gallery/2...slide=5&play=t
http://www.forbesautos.com/gallery/2...slide=5&play=t
Last edited by 90rocz; Apr 4, 2007 at 10:32 PM.
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Some Buick History:
http://www.friendsofbuick.com/power.html
...just scroll down.
My fav:
http://www.friendsofbuick.com/power.html
...just scroll down.
My fav:
Said Car and Driver of the supercharged 1998 Buick Park Avenue Ultra, "a power curve that arcs upward as smoothly as a Ken Griffey, Jr. home run" (Car and Driver, February 1997).
Last edited by 90rocz; Apr 4, 2007 at 10:58 PM.
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Gunna be hard to exist if the best car you can come up with is a 10 year old chassis, with a 15 year old engine and trans with amenities that fall behind lower priced vehicles from not only other companies, but from within GM itself.
Enclave is all you have, and lets hope its the CTS/Escalade for Buick.
Enclave is all you have, and lets hope its the CTS/Escalade for Buick.
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In a 2006 Buick, roll-formed and hydro-formed reinforcement rails create the most efficient body structure possible. Closed sections specified for the upper engine compartment rails and the top radiator support help optimize the front-end structure, and significantly lessen road-induced noise and vibration.
The 2000, supercharged Regal GS boasted the most power in its class. "Plenty more involving to drive than a top-line Camry," wrote Ward's Engine Update.
Most recently, Buick showed its Velite Concept at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, with a 400 horsepower @ 6,200rpm, twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter motor with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) under its forward-folding hood, putting out 400 foot-pounds of torque (at an accessible 3,200rpm) through a six-speed automatic.
Today, every 2006 Buick offers at least two hundred brake horsepower. The 2006 Lucerne and 2006 Rainier offer eight-cylinder power, with Rainier mustering three hundred horsepower.
Most recently, Buick showed its Velite Concept at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, with a 400 horsepower @ 6,200rpm, twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter motor with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) under its forward-folding hood, putting out 400 foot-pounds of torque (at an accessible 3,200rpm) through a six-speed automatic.
Today, every 2006 Buick offers at least two hundred brake horsepower. The 2006 Lucerne and 2006 Rainier offer eight-cylinder power, with Rainier mustering three hundred horsepower.
For 1995, and the introduction of the 3800 Series II to the Park Avenue, Buick gave its engine a redesign, with lower deck height (reducing size and weight); cross-bolted main caps that stiffened the bottom end (reducing noise and improving durability); new cylinder heads with symmetrical combustion chambers (for a smoother idle and lower exhaust emissions), and larger valves and more efficient ports for improved flow. "This is an excellent powerplant for GM's large cars, especially when mated to the refined four-speed automatic... call it the Extreme Street Machine," wrote Car and Driver's Don Schroeder, impressed with that year's Buick Park Avenue Ultra, which in his hands cracked 60mph from rest barely a step behind BMW's (twice as expensive) V8-powered 740i.
But..
Today, more than half of Buick's 2006 range offers you the choice of overhead-valve or dual-overhead-cam configurations. It is a choice that no other premium automaker makes available today.
Last edited by 90rocz; Apr 4, 2007 at 11:17 PM.
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You wont break any ground or gain any market share with 3800 and 4spd autos, not in a 30-40k car. The Lucerne should have the 3.6 as the BASE engine, with 6spd auto.
The 26k Aura XR has more to offer then a 35k LaX CXS 3.6 or a 44k Lucern CXL 3.8.
The 26k Aura XR has more to offer then a 35k LaX CXS 3.6 or a 44k Lucern CXL 3.8.
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If you do a comparison on either Buick's or Saturn's site, you'll see that's simply NOT the case.
While the NEW V6 does make "slightly" more power and does offer a 6spd Auto, the "optional" items on the XR, equiv to the $27K CXS Lacrosse, is Standard.
Those 2 items I'm sure will translate into Buick shortly.
Likewise for the $28K Lucerne CXL V6.
The Aura IS and should be cheaper though...
The lack of the Supercharger on all 3800 models is my only complaint.
While the NEW V6 does make "slightly" more power and does offer a 6spd Auto, the "optional" items on the XR, equiv to the $27K CXS Lacrosse, is Standard.
Those 2 items I'm sure will translate into Buick shortly.
Likewise for the $28K Lucerne CXL V6.
The Aura IS and should be cheaper though...
The lack of the Supercharger on all 3800 models is my only complaint.
Last edited by 90rocz; Apr 4, 2007 at 11:52 PM.
