When the Buick Encore launched, it had a market virtually all to its own. Notably, not one other brand in the U.S. was selling a small crossover like the Encore. General Motors wasn’t even sure the U.S. consumer base would take to such a niche offering. Yet, white space payed off for Buick once again.
The proof is in the success the Buick brand has had with the tiny crossover. Sales surged 53 percent last year, and landed as the third-best in Buick’s lineup in 2014. Flash-forward to present day, and a slew of shiny new competitors are on their way looking for a piece of the newfound market segment.
To counter its rivals, Buick will expand production capacity to lift the U.S. supply of Buick Encores by roughly 50 percent. Duncan Aldred, Vice President of Buick-GMC, says he wants to capitalize on the monumental head start the brand has had in the segment.
“I’ve stuck my neck out to get more Encores, because if you haven’t got them, you’re not going to sell them,” Aldred said to Automotive News.
The Buick Encore and its sibling, the Opel Mokka, are collectively assembled and built in plants in Mexico, Korea and Spain, which makes it difficult for dealers to keep a steady to supply of them. There’s a reported four month lag time between the time dealerships order Encores, and when they are actually delivered.
Despite new competitors entering the segment, the Buick Encore occupies a unique position, sitting above more pedestrian offerings such as the Honda HR-V, but slotting below more premium choices like the Mercedes-Benz GLA. Still, Buick will have to work to make sure they move the extra Encores hitting dealer lots, because everyone knows newer means more buzz around a product.
Comments
Everyone seems to like this car. Here in Finland there are Opel Mokkas everywhere. About a year ago it was very rare to see a new Opel.
It would be nice if the product plans include a bigger more powerful engine to appeal to the higher priced models from its competitors.
It sure is a slamb dunk for Buick . It is GM’s only offering in the segment as a small luxury suv . But I wonder who they are targeting . Every one I see is being driven by the 45+ crowd . But maybe GM doesn’t care right now who is buying it as long as it keeps selling well . Putting a more powerful engine in it I think would attract a younger demographic . I checked one out at my dearlership where I bought my Terrain and it is to small for me ,course being 6’5″ there are alot of vehicles I will never own . And we have to wait 4 years till Cadillac joins the crowd . I hope they resist the temptation to do a rebadge of one . It would also be nice to see some of the extra production come to America .
They need to do the engine now we have the Trax. You have to give people a little more and different if you want to sell a similar product for more money.
Now the more power needs to remain at Buick to keep the advantage.
Everything is perfect about this SUV except that it does not have keyless ignition, even in the premium model. That was a deal breaker for me. With all the ignition problems, seems like it would be a logical feature to include on the 2016.
Lacking in a few areas: mpg, vented seats, leatherette vs. leather seats, keyless entry and rear power lift gate. Otherwise, the premium model offers serious competition to the Lexus RX=all models
If I wanted a Kia, I’d buy one. I will never buy a vehicle made in Korea, GM decals or othewise.
I have a 2015 Encore AWD and the only thing I would want is more power. Having said that, the car will happily cruise the freeways at 80+, and while not agile, handles quite well and the ride is suburb for such a small vehicle. Of course, people who buy Buicks expect them to ride like a, well, Buick.
American brand cars should be MADE IN THE UNITED STATES…..not foreign countries
Canadian and US sales of Buicks have dropped in the fall of 2017. Hopefully they will continue to drop after they continue to move US and Canadian jobs overseas.