formula79

So..here is what the crystal ball is telling me...

Buick is going to fail..much like Old's and Saturn have failed in the role of import fighter. Like Old's...no matter how great the car is...you will not get import buyers in a Buick showroom. Going a step further..by taking away most of Pontiac's cars...you are gonna kill any youthfull traffic at BPG dealerships at all. Also, to make Buick an import fighter, you will have to take away the things that traditional Buick customers like (bench seats, column shifters and so forth). The same thing happened to Old's..all the changes made a traditional Old's buyer look elswhere...while the Old's name was so tarnished, new buyers would not give it a chance.

just a thought...

91_z28_4me

I am pretty sure the Enclave has something like 60% the people buying them trading in or currently owning an import.
Pontiac isn't going away. Pontiac will have it's models pared down as Buick picks up the replacements. This won't be an overnight thing nor will it be a 1:1 volume trade but on the retail level Buick can easily make up for Pontiac's volume drop. The youth traffic will come IF the right models are around (Opel's Astra, Solstice, G8 if you ask me).
What Buicks can you purchase with a bench seat and column shifter right now? None that I know of.
Listen there isn't another vehicle for sale on the planet right now (except maybe an Impala) that has a bench seat and column shifter so where are these buyers going to go? Also in case you haven't notice buyers are expecting a lot more gadgets in their cars now than they ever have, and buyers want these features to not feel 'left behind.'

Buick has something that Pontiac doesn't: a blank slate. It isn't the boy racer division with wings and cladding. It isn't the top of the line GM, it isn't the volume division. Ask most people what Buick is and they will likely mention Tiger Woods or have no idea.

That is Buick's edge. They CAN become the import brand that Saturn just couldn't. They CAN do what Olds couldn't because their products will have volume on their side (even if it is from another country) instead of being so unique they just weren't profitable.

With the right product mix from Opel and Buick China, Buick US can become VERY relevant very quickly. Also a great marketing campaign is essential, something GM isn't known for (the Caddy that Zigs ring a bell?).

flowmotion

Seriously it might be as soon as this summer.

Z28x

Buick will stay around now that it will be getting Opel cars and is one on the best selling brands in China. No Saab or Saturn and a smaller Pontiac means there is more room for Buick.

Darth Xed

I dunno, the Buick of 10 years ago should have been killed instead of Oldsmobile, but OLDsmobile had the hangup of having OLD in it's name (all due respects to Mr. Olds).

The Buick of today, escpecially with the upcoming LaCrosse replacing the old one, really has a decent, competative lineup in the near-lux market segment.

Yes, there are perception barriers to overcome, but what domestic brand doesn't have that problem right now?

I have to honestly say, that once the new LaCrosse comes out, I would strongly consider all 3 of Buick's offerings.

jcamere94z28

Buick is not going anywhere... it might not sell super well here but it is killing in china which is the #1 car market right now...

FUTURE_OF_GM

I don't think it will.

I think Buick has a decent shot this time via increased marketing $$$ and a premium image that not even Oldsmobile enjoyed (much less Saturn)

1fastdog

Right you are.

I think folks will see more great stuff offered at Buick.

There's also some room for a performance sedan from Buick if they choose to add one. Buick has a heritage in racing, although it's been some years ago. The Chevrolet brothers made themselves quite famous running in Buicks.

I think the door for adding that type vehicle is quite possibile down the road.
GN, GNX, GSX... No negative baggage there. The Grand Nationals woke up the floor traffic at Buick years back. They brought a younger buyer who had no issues with the brand as the product they wanted delivered the goods.

Let's not forget that it wasn't all that long ago that many car enthusiast were holding death watches for Cadillac.

Olds problem was it's name, not the products. Buick isn't saddled with that issue. Buick is already downsized to a point where it's perfect to be combined with a smaller product lineup from Pontiac and a complimenting truck stable through GMC.

Contrary to what many here think, there is a fierce loyalty to GMC over Chevy pickups by it's diehard fans.

notgetleft

Huh? Most people i know think of buick as the worst 'old man car' company in the world. I can't remember the last time i saw a non grey hair driving a buick. I haven't even SAT in a buick since the last time i rode in a GN probably 10 years ago.

Z284ever

Cadillac Zeta --- DEAD.

XLR--------------DEAD.

Ultra V8---------DEAD.

Turbo V6---------DEAD.

CTS Coupe-------DELAYED.

Alpha------------ON HOLD.


Not on death watch yet, but certainly comatose.

notgetleft

Yeah, but in that era the Gbody GMs were doing quite well in sales so it wasn't that big of a stretch to get them out of their cutlass/MC/GP and into a hot engined regal. It's a little different proposition than getting them out of their lexus/acura.

If the GTO / G8 aren't bringing big increases of foot traffic to BPG showrooms, i have no idea how a hot buick would do any better.

1990 Turbo Grand Prix

LaCrosse (current model)

Lucerne

DTS

Impala

Silverado

Sierra

Tahoe

Yukon

Suburban

Yukon XL

Colorado

Canyon

This is GM's line-up of column shifted bench seat vehicles available.

And yes, the bench seat is very important to many customers. Especially to consumers who don't want the shifter on the console and those who want an extra seat for those rare occasions.

Z284ever

For whatever reasons, the GTO and G8 haven't caught fire with the public. We could dedicate a whole thread to the reasons why.

Now that Buick is aligning itself with Opel, it sure is easy to see this car as turbo Regal:

But first, GM must survive and re-organize. And second, Cadillac needs to keep it's eye on the ball and not crowd Buick.

91_z28_4me

OK nobody is shopping Buick for a BOF fullsize SUV or pickup so that argument is flawed, I left them off. The Impala and Lacrosse are rebadged W-bodies dating back to the late 1980s. The Lucerne and DTS are also rebadges so that argument is pretty weak as well. So 2/3 of the Buick lineup (the two oldest models) have OPTIONAL bench seats, which are likely only available on the base models. Also what is the take rate on that option? I found 1 Lacrosse on ebay with one (out of 25), and 0 Lucernes out of 16.

Honestly I don't think there is enough demand to pay for the cost of engineering that 'feature' into future models, and all the competitors agree.

jg95z28

Wouldn't it be easier to slap a bowtie on it and call it Impala?