GM exec says to expect BOTH a Velite convert and sedan for Buick!
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GM exec says to expect BOTH a Velite convert and sedan for Buick!
http://www.automochatter.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=1302
Velite Coming for Buick -
Fourth model due the end of the decade.
May 30, 2007
BY ALISA PRIDDLE, May 2007
The Buick brand will not get its fourth product, likely a large rear-wheel-drive sedan and/or convertible based on the Velite concept, until the end of the decade, Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, tells CARandDRIVER.com.
The brand has two choices for growth: above the Lucerne sedan, or below the LaCrosse sedan, the latter a move Clarke says would be more difficult.
The expectation is a production version of the Buick Velite that was shown as a convertible concept at the 2004 New York auto show. It hails from GM’s Global Rear Wheel Drive Architecture, also known as Zeta, which also underpins the Pontiac G8 and pending Chevy Camaro. The sleek, 400-horsepower four-passenger convertible concept was said to have product guru Bob Lutz’s blessing from the outset.
Clarke says the name Velite has some panache, but it must be weighed against the challenge of gaining name recognition with a new vehicle.
The Velite would be Buick’s only RWD vehicle—Clarke sees no need to switch the front-wheel-drive LaCrosse and Lucerne sedans or the Enclave crossover. They are the only three products in the Buick portfolio. The Rainier mid-size SUV and Terraza minivan were built out at the end of the 2007 model year—neither saw their contract renewed for a next-generation. The Rendezvous, Buick’s first foray into crossover territory, also was recently discontinued.
GM officials downplay the meager offerings, arguing the focus on the BPG (Buick, Pontiac, and GMC in a single dealership) channel means Buick doesn’t have to be everything to everyone. “Don’t think of Buick as a brand of only three vehicles,” Clarke says. “Think of BPG with 24 vehicles, three of them Buick.” Officials say 72 percent of total Buick volume is in a BPG showroom today.
But, within BPG, each brand must be distinctive. Pontiac must stand for performance but that does not mean the whole lineup will go RWD, Clarke says. The G8 is, but the Vibe (which is essentially a Toyota Matrix and based on the Corolla) will remain front-wheel drive. Contrary to speculation that the Vibe’s days are numbered, Clarke says the next generation will be shown and produced soon. We expect fall delivery. And it will keep the Vibe name.
For Buick, the Enclave was designed to work in concert with the Lucerne and LaCrosse so that when people look at the trio, they will say ‘I get what Buick is again’ and identify with the brand, says Mark LaNeve, vice president of North American sales, service and marketing.
The Enclave also is supposed to pull in buyers aged 35 to 55 to bring the median age of Buick buyers down. The brand needs buyers of all ages, from older loyalists who pay cash, to new young buyers, LaNeve says.
Meanwhile, Buick’s strategy going forward is to have vehicles for China and North America, its two biggest markets, share platforms and design efforts, beginning with the next-generation LaCrosse, debuting in 2009. The current LaCrosse sold in China is different than the one sold in the U.S.
Velite Coming for Buick -
Fourth model due the end of the decade.
May 30, 2007
BY ALISA PRIDDLE, May 2007
The Buick brand will not get its fourth product, likely a large rear-wheel-drive sedan and/or convertible based on the Velite concept, until the end of the decade, Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, tells CARandDRIVER.com.
The brand has two choices for growth: above the Lucerne sedan, or below the LaCrosse sedan, the latter a move Clarke says would be more difficult.
The expectation is a production version of the Buick Velite that was shown as a convertible concept at the 2004 New York auto show. It hails from GM’s Global Rear Wheel Drive Architecture, also known as Zeta, which also underpins the Pontiac G8 and pending Chevy Camaro. The sleek, 400-horsepower four-passenger convertible concept was said to have product guru Bob Lutz’s blessing from the outset.
Clarke says the name Velite has some panache, but it must be weighed against the challenge of gaining name recognition with a new vehicle.
The Velite would be Buick’s only RWD vehicle—Clarke sees no need to switch the front-wheel-drive LaCrosse and Lucerne sedans or the Enclave crossover. They are the only three products in the Buick portfolio. The Rainier mid-size SUV and Terraza minivan were built out at the end of the 2007 model year—neither saw their contract renewed for a next-generation. The Rendezvous, Buick’s first foray into crossover territory, also was recently discontinued.
GM officials downplay the meager offerings, arguing the focus on the BPG (Buick, Pontiac, and GMC in a single dealership) channel means Buick doesn’t have to be everything to everyone. “Don’t think of Buick as a brand of only three vehicles,” Clarke says. “Think of BPG with 24 vehicles, three of them Buick.” Officials say 72 percent of total Buick volume is in a BPG showroom today.
But, within BPG, each brand must be distinctive. Pontiac must stand for performance but that does not mean the whole lineup will go RWD, Clarke says. The G8 is, but the Vibe (which is essentially a Toyota Matrix and based on the Corolla) will remain front-wheel drive. Contrary to speculation that the Vibe’s days are numbered, Clarke says the next generation will be shown and produced soon. We expect fall delivery. And it will keep the Vibe name.
For Buick, the Enclave was designed to work in concert with the Lucerne and LaCrosse so that when people look at the trio, they will say ‘I get what Buick is again’ and identify with the brand, says Mark LaNeve, vice president of North American sales, service and marketing.
The Enclave also is supposed to pull in buyers aged 35 to 55 to bring the median age of Buick buyers down. The brand needs buyers of all ages, from older loyalists who pay cash, to new young buyers, LaNeve says.
Meanwhile, Buick’s strategy going forward is to have vehicles for China and North America, its two biggest markets, share platforms and design efforts, beginning with the next-generation LaCrosse, debuting in 2009. The current LaCrosse sold in China is different than the one sold in the U.S.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,165
From: Sterling Heights, MI
It's so horrible that the Buicks in China are light years ahead of the Buicks here. I would think that just selling Chinese Buicks here ala Opel Saturns would put them back on the right track. Then the Velite would be the flagship.
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 664
From: Hanford, CA, USA
So The Velite Is Destined For Zeta? I Would THINK, Depending On Timing, That "alpha" Would Be Better. I Don't Expect Them To Put A High Displacement High Output Engine In It, But Is That The Plan?
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE VELITE WOULD BE A GOOD LUCKING SMOOTH RIDING 'VERT, NOT SLOW, BUT NOT BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF PERFORMANCE EITHER. THEN AGAIN I SUPPOSE THAT IS WHAT I HAVE COME TO EXPECT FROM MODERN BUICKS.
Apologize For The Caps, Phone Is Stuck On Caps For SomE Reason....
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE VELITE WOULD BE A GOOD LUCKING SMOOTH RIDING 'VERT, NOT SLOW, BUT NOT BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF PERFORMANCE EITHER. THEN AGAIN I SUPPOSE THAT IS WHAT I HAVE COME TO EXPECT FROM MODERN BUICKS.
Apologize For The Caps, Phone Is Stuck On Caps For SomE Reason....
Last edited by JB'z 94; Jun 3, 2007 at 03:24 AM.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,748
From: New England
hmmm..wait wait wait then decide if to build it AFTER the hype is gone.
GM get out of the slow lane and make that 2 year of concept to production punch you said was the timeline the solstice was to start.
GM get out of the slow lane and make that 2 year of concept to production punch you said was the timeline the solstice was to start.
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