Buick LaCrosse sales decreased in the United States and increased in Canada in November 2017.
Buick LaCrosse Sales - November 2017 - United States
In the United States, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 1,734 units in November 2017, a decrease of about 29 percent compared to 2,427 units sold in November 2016.In the first eleven months of the year, LaCrosse sales decreased about 24 percent to 18,776 units.
| MODEL | NOV 2017 / NOV 2016 | NOVEMBER 2017 | NOVEMBER 2016 | YTD 2017 / YTD 2016 | YTD 2017 | YTD 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | -28.55% | 1,734 | 2,427 | -24.16% | 18,776 | 24,756 |
Buick LaCrosse Sales - November 2017 - Canada
In Canada, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 69 units in November 2017, an increase of about 23 percent compared to 56 units sold in November 2016.In the first eleven months of the year, LaCrosse sales increased about 21 percent to 870 units.
| MODEL | NOV 2017 / NOV 2016 | NOVEMBER 2017 | NOVEMBER 2016 | YTD 2017 / YTD 2016 | YTD 2017 | YTD 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | +23.21% | 69 | 56 | +21.34% | 870 | 717 |
The GM Authority Take
Buick LaCrosse sales continued to trend downward in November, with the performance putting the model in last place in its segment in terms of overall sales volume, behind the Lexus ES in first and Lincoln MKZ in second (see Lincoln MKZ sales). What’s more, the large Buick sedan saw the biggest drop in overall sales volume in its segment during November as well as for the first 11 months of 2017.
We attribute the disappointing LaCrosse sales results to the following factors:
- An ongoing change in consumer buying dynamics that favors crossover utility vehicles (CUVs/SUVs) over sedans, and
- A lackluster market reception to the current, third-generation LaCrosse
Going forward, we expect LaCrosse deliveries to continue at their current, depressed pace unless something is done at the marketing or retail sales execution levels to boost sales. Otherwise, Buick will be offloading LaCrosse inventory to fleets or at retail with high levels of incentives.
Sales Numbers - Large Premium Comfort Sedans - November 2017 - United States
| MODEL | NOV 17 / NOV 16 | NOVEMBER 17 | NOVEMBER 16 | YTD 17 / YTD 16 | YTD 17 | YTD 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES | -4.54% | 3,911 | 4,097 | -10.97% | 46,351 | 52,060 |
| MKZ | -23.69% | 1,939 | 2,541 | -10.01% | 25,094 | 27,884 |
| LACROSSE | -28.55% | 1,734 | 2,427 | -24.16% | 18,776 | 24,756 |
| TOTAL | -16.34% | 7,584 | 9,065 | -13.83% | 90,221 | 104,700 |
The large premium sedan segment contracted 16 percent in November and nearly 14 percent in the first 11 months of 2017.
About Buick LaCrosse
The Buick LaCrosse is a full-size premium sedan that slots above the compact Buick Verano and midsize Buick Regal. The current, third-generation LaCrosse was introduced for the 2017 model year. The vehicle is based on the long wheelbase variant of the GM E2 platform. The short-wheelbase variant of the same platform is shared with the sixth-generation Buick Regal and ninth-generation Chevrolet Malibu.
The 2018 model introduced several new colors, the GM 9-speed automatic transmission in place of the 2017 model’s 8-speed. It also added a new standard powertrain in the form of the mild-hybrid 2.5L engine with eAssist coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission. In addition, the 2018 LaCrosse Avenir is introduced to serve as the range-topping model.
For North America, the Buick LaCrosse is built exclusively at the GM Detroit Hamtramck factory operated by GM USA. A GM China factory produces the vehicle for China.
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Buick LaCrosse November 2016 sales
- In the United States, there were 25 selling days in November 2017 and 25 selling days in November 2016
- In Canada, there were 26 selling days in November 2017 and 26 selling days in November 2016
Related News & Info
- GM news
- GM incentives and offers
- Buick LaCrosse information
Related Sales Reporting
- Running GM sales results
- Running Buick sales results
- Running Buick LaCrosse sales results
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- November 2017 GM sales results
- U.S. GM November 2017 sales results
- U.S. November 2017 Chevrolet sales results
- U.S. November 2017 Cadillac sales results
- U.S. November 2017 Buick sales results
- U.S. November 2017 GMC sales results
- GM Canada November 2017 sales results
- Canada November 2017 Chevrolet sales results
- Canada November 2017 Cadillac sales results
- Canada November 2017 Buick sales results
- Canada November 2017 GMC sales results
- GM China November 2017 sales results
- Global November 2017 Cadillac sales results
- U.S. GM November 2017 sales results
Comments
Lacrosse, not Envision, should bee imported from China. The bulbous design isn’t helping sales but GM will never do a redesign in such a weak sedan market.
I guess both Buick and GMC will be crossover brands.
Never do a redesign? This IS the redesign.
So the design is a problem now? C’mon… it’s the best-looking car in its class.
There is an underlying market segment and sales execution issue at hand here, as there is for Cadillac sedans.
In this crossover-heavy market, the brands that had a highly-established sedan audience continue to do relatively well (Toyota, Honda, Lexus). Those that didn’t (pretty much Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln, Hyundai, Kia) see huge drops.
Bottom line: this is not a product issue. This is a customer loyalty, retention, marketing and tier 3 (dealer-level) sales execution issue.
Correctamundo
There’s also a funny thing wrong with Buick. It encourages you to not get one in some circumstances.
Consider the Encore. Suppose you’re standing on a Buick lot. And you’re considering it. But then you wonder if your friends might think you’re cheap. So you could get an Envision and ‘show them’.
Consider the LaCrosse on the same lot. And you’re considering it. But then you wonder if your friends might think you’re cheap. There’s no up choice except to ditch Buick for Cadillac or another brand entirely.
And so, as Alex suggests, you’ll only get LaCrosse if you have an irrational attachment to Buick. But since GM marketing lacks — you won’t have that attachment. In America at least.
I don’t think that’s quite right. By that logic, entry level brands and models wouldn’t exist at all, because we’d all buy the best so nobody thinks we’re cheap. Not everyone buys things with the purpose of impressing others, and some are already stretching their budgets on the “entry level” model or brand.
Take the Encore you mentioned: my mom would like one of these specifically because of the size. She isn’t interested in the Envision at all, even though I suspect she could afford it. My parents have never been flashy people or interested in “keeping up with the Joneses”.
I’m not worried about my friends thinking I’m cheap. To the contrary, they mostly already know that I am. I’m looking at the Lacrosse as my next vehicle, and at this point I’d probably already have one if it wasn’t for the non-defeatable start-stop. For the same money, I could get into a Cadillac ATS instead, but it is a compromise on room and comfort for me. To get into the most comparable Cadillac, the XTS, would cost me around $10k over the Lacrosse to get the features as comparable as possible. That’s money I’m simply unwilling to spend on a car that I like the looks of less, and projects an image of myself that I don’t want portrayed. Way too flashy for my lifestyle, which is why I prefer the Lacrosse. It offers me comfort and luxury features without raising too many eyebrows along the way. I don’t want anyone making any “he can afford it, he drives a Cadillac” assumptions about me. Perhaps that is the same problem that causes it to be overlooked in the showroom.
Same here.. I really like the Lacrosse and was very close to leasing one until I saw the non defeatble Start stop garbage. As I stated other times, I know a few sales people at Buick and Chevy and they told me that start stop technology has killed quite a few sales or made a otherwise easy sale much harder. I will abosuluty never buy a car with this unless it has a switch to turn it off. Biggest reason I am not driving a new Lacrosse right now.
Do people in 2017 really think like this, like you?
I think millennials have killed Sloan’s ladder. I buy what I like without worrying about people thinking more cheap.
Also your line of thinking might come into play for some older people with the German brands not Buick when you live in a coastal city.
I, personally, an not a fan of the new design or any of Bryan Nesbitt’s work. Lacrosse, like PT Cruiser or minivan work, looks bulbous with widows cutting up too high into the roof.
Style is subjective and I do agree that the sedan winner/looser list amazingly stubborn with Toyota, Honda and Nissan plus BMW and Benz dominant.
Nonetheless, Buick can not walk away from sedans entirely and I think that Regal might fill a “white space” due to cargo room.
The biggest problem the Lacrosse has is that most people just don’t know that it exists. Buick needs to spend some money on featured advertisements. It’s time to move past “that’s not a Buick” and show people why they “need” one in their life.
I know that GM is trying to get away from high incentives, but it puzzles me that while most of Buick’s CUV lineup ran 17% off promotions throughout the summer, there were only a few such promotions for the Lacrosse that were restricted to specific trim levels, or required financing through GM. They are currently running a $4000 “trade in assistance” incentive, which amounts to about 10% +/- depending on specific model, and requires you to trade in a 1999 model year or newer car. The Encore and Envision have 25% off going on.
Personally, I hate the start-stop. I know others do as well, but I wonder how much it is contributing to the lack of sales. The e-shifter could also be an issue. I don’t hate it, but I also don’t love it. If you have to ship each car with instructions on how to shift, something is wrong. Good design doesn’t require an explanation. Lastly, for Buick supposedly making the car class leading, they still skimped on trunk space. Perhaps it’s none of these things? The sedan market is shrinking, but the Lacrosse is a very competent and premium looking car overall. Much better looking than the ES, which is outselling it by more than 2 to 1.
What is there to like about the Lacrosse? It is a GM parts bin creation with no features unique to it. If it were not for the imported Buicks from China and Korea and Poland, Buick would be at the bottom of dependability ratings with Cadillac and GMC. That doesn’t inspire confidence for making a Buick purchase.
What, specifically, doesn’t inspire confidence about a Buick purchase?
The LaCrosse is “a parts bin creation” in your book, eh? So the fact that it introduced the E2 platform for all of GM is irrelevant to you. So is the fact that it has a significant amount of unique content. So, if you want to call it a parts bin creation, go right ahead… but it is just as much a parts bin creation as every vehicle in this class – including the Lexus ES and Lincoln MKZ. And that hasn’t stopped anyone from buying these models.
And then you ask what is there to like about the LaCrosse… and the answer is quite a bit. Have you ever spent any time with one for more than 5 minutes?
Is the trollin’ life hard these days?
There was a lot of excitement at the auto show a couple years ago with the Avenir concept. It was a beautiful full size sedan that generated a lot of interest with full size sedan lovers. Having driven full size Buick’s for years ( Park Avenues, Lesabres, and a Lucerne ) it was a disappointment for me when Buick decided to not put the Avenir into production but to instead bring out a warmed over version of the existing LaCrosse. It certainly is not a surprise that car isn’t selling.
Why do you think that a production version of the Avenir would have fared any better than the LaCrosse is?
Keep in mind that the LaCrosse is as much a full size sedan as the Avenir concept. Not everything is about the exterior dimensions.
This is plainly a marketing problem . As Fred described , when the LaCrosse showed up at the NAIAS it was the ” bell of the ball ” . All of the comments at the time were positive from journalists to auto show attendees .
Right now in my neck of the woods the Buick dealer has commercials for the car with $8000.00 off MSRP for 2017 models . Fire sale !?!
This is a huge problem for Buick , a newly designed top of the line car that sits on dealership lots collecting dust . Crossover sales are great , but they need to do something on the car side of their business . I’m not even sure that offering an Avenir for LaCrosse will do anything at all .
We had a lease on a Gen 1 re-do of the LaCrosse – sightlines and blind spots weren’t great, but it was nice. And, in my mind, more distinctive than this Gen 2 LaCrosse.
This one – struggling for the right metaphor. I’m sure some will disagree, but it’s kinda like Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Solid. Dependable. Good+, but not great – not the kind of place (or car) you really seek out.
Maybe sedans will have their day as EVs become more advanced, but this LaCrosse – to me, anyway – has a touch of Lucerne about it. And a reminder that Ed Welburn has left the building.
I think multiple issues are conspiring to cripple sales of this car. Advertising and marketing as stated above are poor at best. I have also heard numerous grumbles about the weird shifter and non defeatable stop/start. Then their is the price, lack of available features on the lower trims and the lack of exterior and interior color choices on certain trims. Another elephant in the room so to speak is the Impala which I find more pleasing in several ways, less costly, larger trunk, nicer looking IMO, no stop/start and a normal shifter. I’m half wondering if some of LaCrosses sales have been trending over to the Chevy with month over month gains for Impala and losses for LaCrosse.