Buick has quite a bit going for it currently. It has one of the freshest lineups with two new crossovers, and a new sedan all launching this year, plus a convertible. Kelley Blue Book decided it was a fair time to talk about the overall state of Buick with Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of marketing for Buick and GMC.
The interview covers such a variety of topics, so we invite you to read the entire transcript at the link above, but we’ll hit some of the major talking points right here.
First of all, the next-generation Buick Enclave is not being rushed in the slightest. Buick is milking every last sale from the aged Lambda crossover, which DiSalle said possesses timeless styling.
“We can’t talk specifics on timing, but it has remained remarkably strong. The major refresh in 2013 did a lot for the vehicle. There is a fabulous loyalty for Enclave which is about 33 percent, which is a very high number. We saw that back in 2013 when we did the refresh. Number one reason for purchase of that vehicle and a top three reason for purchase across all of Buick is design is exterior styling. The Enclave has such a timeless design,” DiSalle remarked.
On the car side of things, Buick is feeling the burn from the eroding market, as more buyers defect to crossover vehicles. But, DiSalle feels those looking for a sedan will be looking for driving dynamics crossovers don’t possess. He goes on to say it’s exactly why the 2017 Buick LaCrosse will do well in the segment.
“Cars are becoming a little more sporty purchase. We are going aggressively on the car front in the case of LaCrosse, which is coming this fall, in making it much more sleek and sporty.”
Finally, regarding electrification, Buick’s role will grow, especially in China.
“You can see that as an area of intensity in China that is becoming more of a requirement there. This is a reality of today’s market, of needing to be good in that base,” he said.
“Fuel economy is important. What we’ve done with Buick is a very nice strategy with spirited, efficient performance which manifests itself with many small displacement turbo engine — the 2.0-liter turbo in Envision, a 2.0-liter turbo in Regal and Regal GS, a 1.6 in Cascada, and a 1.4 in the Encore. It is interesting the amount of output now generated by small displacement engines resulting in great fuel economy but also in terrific performance, surprising performance.”
Comments
Two new crossovers?
The Envision is new to this market, but not new… and the Encore is a refresh.
And Tony – sorry, the dude makes a warm glass of milk look exciting.
Enclave looks like a clunky heavy 1990’s vehicle, who is he kidding?