My dad was also a Buick man. His first two cars were Buicks (mid 50s), then he later when he had a family, he traded up to Chevy station wagons and a pickup truck (GMC). I actually got him back into Buicks in the late 1980's when I took he and my mom to a Buick dealership to look at the GN. They eventually purchased a Park Avenue, but at least I had them back in American iron (they had been driving a Datsun 310GX along with my dad's F150.) His last new purchase before he passed away 3-years ago was a 2005 F150. My dad was too young to fight in WWII, however his older brother is still around and he fought in WWII in Europe under Patton. (He also fought in Korea). My uncle is now 83, and I imagine most of those Americans that worked in Buick assembly plants before going off to fight in WWII are in their late 80's, if they're still alive. (My uncle was 18 when he went off to Europe, so I'm guessing he would have been too young to work in a factory before the war.) I recently helped my mother-in-law, also 83, buy a Buick. However only needing basic transportation around town it was a clean "used" Park Avenue. (She upgraded from a 91 to a 98 with low miles.) My wife's dad was also a Buick-man, and purchased all his cars from the same dealer in a small town in the Delta, every 3-5 years. He's been gone now for over 15 years.

The point being, that's what's wrong with Buick in North America. Their primary market buyers are either too old, or dead. They aren't buying new Buicks these days and most of my generation is leaning toward Cadillac, Chrysler, Lexus, Mercedes and BMW when we purchase luxury sedans. Buick simply didn't change with the times. Now they're trying to play catch up with quality products over the last few years, however the damage has been done. Their lackluster sales show this. It may be too late for Buick in North America, however they have become a status symbol in China. GM needs to focus their Buick efforts in Asia and forget about this continent.

 

Vendors have been seen in the plant,sizing up areas for their parts placement for a new product...or perhaps for that certain vehicle that is produced in the wonderful Senator Bunning's state

 

If dead people can vote, they can buy Buicks!!!

 

Buick is popular in China because it is seens as a symbol of American wealth and power. I don't think they have the other GM brands in China...or at least they did not untill recently.

I have got to tell you..I never thought I would see the day that Buick would be safe, and Pontiac would be on the chooping block. GM's second best selling brand axed because Buick is popular in China...

 

That's a huge mistake for GM IMHO. Pontiac is much bigger in North America, while Buick is big in China. Yet Holden survives in Australia while you can't buy one here, unless its a Pontiac.

GM should keep Pontiac, kill of Buick in North America. Buick can remain strong in China. If GM wants to bring Chinese built Buicks here, simply rebadge them as Chevrolets. Consolidate GM NA into Chevrolet-Pontiac-Cadillac. Go ahead with the performance niche model if you'd like with Pontiac, however sell them alongside Chevys and Cadillacs as a mid-level luxury performance line.

At least that's what I'd do if I were the head of GM.

 

I haven't been on the board lately but it still amazes me about all this Pontiac's #2 crap. Its a fleet brand, with no profit margin and a consumer appeal on par with Kia.

Its not the Pontiac we grew up with. All the years of cladded bodies and bad reliablity have come to roost. I've got two co-workers who were burned by pontiac in the 90's and only own foreign cars now. I've been burned by pontiac quality and thats hard to admit but maybe going forward GM leaders with think long term product growth over quarterly results.

Before pontiac leaves lets get the G8 rebadged as an Impala.

 

Speaking of Kia... I saw an ad on TV last night for the Kia Soul (see link). This car appears to be marketed toward young first time buyers. It looked a lot sportier than the production Chevy Spark. (In the ad.) GM needs a car like this.

http://kiasoul.com/

 

That car looks marginally better than that Nissan Cube atrocity. And it only gets 30mpg hwy? The spark is looking better and better. The cruze would be a much better choice, and is priced nearly the same.

 

I'll agree in hindsight. When I first saw the ad, perhaps I was mesmerized by the hamsters. However that said, I think GM killed the looks of the Spark when they made it a 5-door. I agree the Cruze is much more to my taste. It'll be interesting to see if GM eventually comes up with a coupe/hatchback version of the Cruze to replace the current Cobalt coupe.

 

I totally agree. Throw in GMC since it's so profitable and I think that's a winning strategy. Ahhh, seems so easy sometimes.

 

Its so easy...it just might work...

wait this is GM were talking about...grrrrr