Opinion Desk: Buick Is In The Best Shape It’s Been In A Long While
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While perusing (stalking?) some friends on the infamous book of face, I was presented with an ad for Buick. A photo of the LaCrosse was accompanied by a snippet that read:
With the new sport injected Regal, the stylishly modern LaCrosse, and the Enclave luxury crossover, it’s the perfect time to “like” us.
“Like” I did, and then commenced to think about the fact that Buick is in the best fighting shape it has been in a long time. Sure, I may disagree with the overall positioning of the Tri Shield brand, opining that GM would be best served to make Buick a direct competition to Lexus; or that Buick should be GM’s second global luxury brand — selling right alongside Cadillac around the world; or that the Regal GS isn’t truly fast enough to wear the GS badge… but none of that changes the fact that Buick is making the best cars it has ever made! Then again, so are its competitors…
For the sake of long-term viability and a clear brand identity, I wish for Buick to establish a clearer identity in the luxury space. Doing so would prevent the recycling of imported products destined for other brands (we’re looking at you, Regal and Verano) while offering luxury features (like leather, hands-free entry, and memory seats) as standard equipment. But that’s just a wish.
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In present state I would call it average joe luxury, with the Enclave bordering on above average Joe luxury.
Buick is in far better shape than Caddy. I, too, think that GM should be selling both brands globally as a sort of pair. I also agree that GM must take aim at Lexus; however, I love the notion of Buick as lux for the masses.
‘Personal Lux’ is dying as the mass market brands like Nissan and Ford catch up. As the industry changes, when we get 9,000 Chinese cars, I expect Lexus, Acura and Buick to share the same fate as Olds–mid kids without a market. With that said, maybe GM should have sent the current Buick line up, minus a few perks, over to Chevy or even sold then as Saturns had the brand been maintained. Call me crazy, but Kia/Hynd is doing great competing against it’s self in terms of price point while chasing different demos.
“With that said, maybe GM should have sent the current Buick line up, minus a few perks, over to Chevy or even sold them as Saturns had the brand been maintained.” Steve with your logic maybe GM should fold the Cadillacs into Chevrolet too… just have one brand like Hyundai… Right??? By the way, I believe that Saturn is the biggest reason for General Motors decline into bankruptcy. If they had spent the monry they blew on Saturn updating their other brands, they would have been much better off.
So why turn Buick into what Pontiac was? Why didn’t they just keep Pontiac? Buick was and is a Grandpa brand. Or maybe I’m just to old to understand the reasoning. lol
You’re basing your opinion on the state of buick in North America, which is what most logical people would say too. The deal is that Buick was kept alive because of the Chinese market. There, Buick is the hottest brand in GM’s lineup, and one of the best in the entire Chinese market. They sell way more Buicks in China than they do here. If it weren’t for that then I would bet that either Pontiac or Saturn would still be here and Buick dead.
Good point. I would, however, point out that Buick’s most popular vehicle I China is the (original) Excelle — better known as the Daewoo Lacetti around the world. The Excelle, which is not related to the modern XT or GT models, often makes up half of Buick sales in China. In October 2011, for instance, it sold over 25,000 units!
All that is to say that Buick in China is a different beast than it is in America due to that one rather cheap (and fiscally accessible) model. Cut that model out and Buick China still sells almost twice as many units a month as its American division… In China, though, Buick does not carry the “old man” stigma it does in the US. If that were eliminated here, I think it would be possible to see Buick sales in the low 20,000s per month.
I’ve always been a fan of Buick, ever since I blessed my eyes on the GNX back in the 80s and subsequently, the Riviera back in the 90s. There was always something that I really loved about them. Now it’s a lot easier to say it out loud and be willing and able to stand my ground in full defence.
As it relates to Pontiac, you would perhaps have to read Bob Lutz’s Car Guys vs Bean Counters in order to understand. Lutz says that he was willing and ready to defend keeping Pontiac but the more they put their paperwork together the more they realised that it really didn’t make any financial sense. GM was in a bad way at the time and tough decisions had to be made. That was one of them. I would keep my fingers crossed though. Perhaps Pontiac will re-emerge sometime in the future with a small line of niche cars giving the public EXACTLY what they want.
Buick to me should expand beyond the I just buy American (old people) cars niche; and most definately into the I bought a Lexus last time but would consider a Buick. The real issue is most people that buy Lexus, Acura and other luxury brands products are locked into those brands, they like the status they bring and are convinced they are the best luxury cars for there wallets. I know people on there 3 and 4th Acura. Buick styling should become a tad bit more aggressive with a flare of classic throw back, the Verano is just too plain and lacks the recipe I just mentioned.
You know, I don’t even know if your typical/most common Lexus buyer even cares for styling. To me, it seems that as long as the design is not overly aggressive (or screams “insert your derogative tagline here”), they’re fine with it. Not too plain, but not too emotional either… that would be my formula for Buick.
I know it’s not what most car guys (like us) want to hear, but it seems to me that it’s what works in the marketplace (at least in the States).
Are you saying that the Lexus ES 300 is agressive?
I visited an auto show yesterday and got to check out the Verano as well as Regal GS.
I was a bit disappointed in the Verano? I think the grille is too big for the car? The interior was nice, but the car feels noticeably smaller than the Regal inside. My big question with the Verano would be: How much better is it than a Cruze LTZ?
The Regal GS was there and it’s amazing what a different vibe/presence it has versus the e-assist Regal. The gearbox felt smooth but the seats had a bit too much side bolster in the bottom cushion for me? A couple of 20 something guys were there checking it out with a somewhat typical reaction, looks great, but way too expensive and not enough power.
Well, the Verano is a compact while the Regal is a midsize! Not sure if you’ve taken a spin in a 3 series lately, but it’s also a compact — with just as little space as the Verano, although neither the 3 nor the Verano are uncomfortably small.
That said, I appreciate the Verano’s styling (and its grille)… and there are many differentiators between the Verano and the Cruze.
They’re not apparent at first sight, but really shine when you drive the Buick:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2011/10/first-drive-2012-buick-verano/
PS: those 20-somethings need to actually drive the GS first. It will provide them a smile from ear to ear. 🙂
My point is when looking at some of the basic data the Regal is not much larger than the Verano. 2.1″ longer wheelbase, 1.6″ wider, 3.0 cu.ft. more passenger volume, about 1.5″ more shoulder room front & rear. On paper it does’nt sound like much at all, but to me the Regal feels just right, Verano feels a bit cramped? If my wife gets a Buick, it’s going to be the Regal.
All that, plus the Regal is some 10 inches longer.
But then both cars have less legroom than a G6 though isn’t it?
Hmmm not sure. I would expect the compact Verano to have less room that a G6 all around. The Regal, though, should have more, if not about the same.
here’s the dimensions for interior (don’t know why sonic is involved)
Interior Dimensions
Regal Turbo Premium 3
G6 GXP Sedan (New)
Verano Leather
Sonic 1LS Sedan
Standard Seating 5 5 5 5
Optional Seating No data No data No data No data
Front Headroom (in.) 38.80 39.00 38.30 38.70
Rear Headroom (in.) 36.80 36.50 37.80 37.80
Front Legroom (in.) 42.10 42.20 42.10 41.80
Rear Legroom (in.) 37.30 37.60 33.90 34.60
Front Shoulder Room (in.) 56.70 55.40 55.10 53.40
Rear Shoulder Room (in.) 54.40 55.40 52.90 53.00
Front Hip Room (in.) 55.40 52.70 53.70 51.40
Rear Hip Room (in.) 52.30 51.90 52.00 51.60