Here at GM Authority, we quite like the 2018 Buick Regal TourX, and it fits squarely into the brand’s “white space” motif. A more premium wagon alternative to the Subaru Outback? Sounds like a winner on paper.
In the real world, things aren’t too peachy. Jalopnik reported last Thursday that Buick corporate and dealers aren’t trying very hard to move the Regal TourX from dealership to driveway. Taking a look at the Buick website shows zero offers for the wagon compared to a handful for Buick’s other crossovers. But, to be fair, Buick also isn’t advertising any offers for the regular 2018 Regal Sportback, either.
But, according to the report, dealers aren’t exactly pushing the Regal TourX. One customer, who wanted to order a Regal TourX, reportedly had a salesperson tell them, “I don’t know why you want to order this. No one is buying these cars.” Not exactly how one makes a sale.
The dealer demanded a $1,000 non-refundable deposit and also said a credit check was in order before placing an order for a Regal TourX. That customer now drives a Subaru Outback—the Buick’s most direct competitor.
Comments
GM never has a proper sales strategy for their unique offerings. GTO, G8, SS, all failed because people didnt know what they were.
Cruze Diesel is another one they spent a lot of time and money to create, and ended up with an incredible fuel-efficient entry into the diesel marketplace…and then proceeded to tell nobody it existed. Likewise with the second generation, and the Equinox/Terrain diesels.
I was telling someone that the car I pulled up in, my wif’es Cruze, was a diesel, and got the typical response we are so used to now: “They made a Cruze Diesel??”
I also have a 2017 Volt – how often do you see those advertised? Absolutely outstanding vehicle…let’s fail to mention it to everyone. Meanwhile, I’ve seen Honda’s new irritating commercial for their new similar vehicle, which has less EV-only range and less gas-range, but acts like they created something new…perfect opportunity for GM to show how their EREV has over 100 miles more total range than that thing.
You can find NEW TourX Regals on Autotrader.com for as low as $24,000! WOW.
This car was DOA before the Opel sale.
It would sell to the limited number of wagon fans out there but it was just going to be another CTS wagon. Great car at the wrong time in the market.
The reaction to this model at the auto show was just not there. I saw it out front and center yet no one around it or the sedan. All the while the new Enclave had a line waiting to sit in it longer than the Corvette.
Times and market desires are just different and this car is just in the wrong era.
Also with Opel leaving I see Buick not keeping this and the Regal around long. A Shame but just the way it is.
Agreed. At best it makes a few enthusiast happy while at worst becoming a maintenance and warranty liability for the dealerships and owners.
Some times us “car guys” need to call a spade a spade and just except that what we would consider the perfect car is just odd, quirky, or not “hip” enough for the sales market at large.
Yes I have someone I know that has the last Saturn Hatch that was really an Opel. they lost an upright in the front and the sits waiting for a part from Germany as none are available here.
I just expected little from these even if Opel did not sell. Cars are tanking all of them. The Lacrosse is a great car but it sits on lots now. I found new 2016 models still on dealer lots at massive discounts but no buyers. How would a new Regal do any better?
Also discounting a car that just came out would really send a poor message too at the start of production.
Same for the Cascada …?
Here is an interesting story on the new base for the division.
Can they grow it or throw product on them that may stick.
They need to see if they can add to this base but they have to do it in a way to disperse the development cost out be it China or other markets.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2018/06/27/gm-buick-enclave-regal-sales/717550002/
GM wants you to buy the Malibu.
In the past GM was a willing partner in model sharing but not anymore. The only reason the Regal exists at all is because it was designed before head office decided to sell out of Europe.
That is one of GM’s greatest weaknesses, sales strategy. But in the case of the Regal lineup, it’s not a big loss if they don’t sell them. GM needs to redo its whole lineup of cars (which they are) but they need to get rid of all front-wheel drive options and sell strictly rear wheel drive chassis cars with optional all wheel drive. leave the FWD jap-crap to Honda and Toyota and let them flounder and fail as they should so hopefully they will leave our shores never to return. America should return to making real cars again and stop catering to foreign markets (especially Chinese/oriental markets) We need to return to relying on our own selves, manufacturing our own cars, focus on us for a change.
I think the Regal/Tour X as is needs to be made with Malibu in KC but Cascada and Lacrosse (with a large coupe/convertible model) needs to be on the Alpha and Omega platforms (rwd)
I love Front Wheel drive cars wouldn’t even consider a rear wheel. Currently drive a 2014 Chevy Equinox.
I was actually wanting to buy this vehicle. I test drove the very first TourX Essence in the area. It had every option checked which is what I wanted. Only draw was that it was white.
Overall I thought it was a solid package but it annoyed me the seats don’t even have an option for cooling. The meter looks like it came out of the verano or a Chevy. (They should have used what’s in the lacrosse) the buttons above the shifter are blank. I hate blank buttons it looks cheap. Only 2 of the 6 had a function. Even the GS has 2 blank buttons in the assembly. I can get passed the body claddying which I hate bc it doesn’t age well. The 2.0 is a solid engine but would prefer the 3.6
Now the bad. The dealers are slow to respond and have tried to get me in other vehicles. Most of the dealers I’ve spoken to when I went to a test drive the sales people knew literally nothing about the TourX. I’ve been following it like a hawk. The original dealer I went to now has 4 on their lot and the dealer has yet to reach out to me again. I even followed up and didn’t even get a response. For $41,600 loaded I expect better customer service. At that price it should have a few more higher end features as well
It’s hard to understand dealers and sales people sometime. If you have products to sale and people want to buy the you should at least put forth a little effort to sell it to them. Dealers are quick to complain to factory about not haveing the vehicles to sell. It goes both ways, the factory need to supply enough and the right products and the dealers need to put forth the effort to sell them.
Either they are very bad sales people or they are very busy. I’m going to say bad sales people. if people are trying to buy a car i’m going to sell it. Its money in my pocket. However I know sales people try to sell a particular model at times because they make more money. But a sale is a sale to me and volume will increase the pay no matter what car you sell.
I was in the market for an eqinox or a terrain. I’m retired and live about 600 miles from my kids. My wife and I make the trip about 4 times a year and wanted more room. When I researched the Tourx I discovered that it had more cargo space. I like the fact that it looks more car like and not the brick shape of the SUVor crossover. It also drives like a highway touring car. We just made or first trip and we love the car. Throw in the all wheel drive and my loaded Tourx prices out less then the others with similar options with a much better and quiter ride. Great car.
Sales in general is not most peoples first choice or long term choice of a career. For most it is a temporary pay check.
The younger the sales rep often the less motivated anymore.
Sales is tough work and you have to not be sensitive to rejection as you will be rejected more than you will be accepted.
Most dealers are just happy to have someone that shows up and is breathing anymore and this has lead to a less than effective work force in most lines of work.
Today there is little negotiations with many dealers as so many low ball the price up front anymore. The sales staffs often are not even commission anymore in some cases so even less motivated. I ran into this a few months back and it cost me the car I was trying to buy. But I went else where and got a better one for the same price.
Car sales has really changed with the web and other means of buying. Car Faxed has renders so many cars unacceptable for used car lots as the dealers will not touch it if there is just one bad note on it.
People used to walk lots and the product sold itself now people are on the web for reviews and for pricing or locating a specific model.
Heck I bought one car at work via E mail as I knew what I wanted and agreed to a price. We just had to have a dealer trade to bring it in.
What’s ironic (or pathetic, depending on how you look at it) is the Detroit Free Press has a puff piece today on Buick.
Phil Brook, Buick and GMC Marketing VP talks about “white space” and how Buick is working to fill those gaps. He, correctly, notes how the Buick Encore filled a necessary niche when it came out and still does very well today. However, he then talks about the Regal, when all evidence in the marketplace (in terms of sales) and anecdotes (Jalopnik, this site’s comments, Autoblog) is that GMC Buick dealers can’t be bother to try and even sell Buick Regals — TourX or otherwise.
The TourX was a product that should have done well — if properly marketed, sold, priced and supported by corporate — it could have attracted a good portion of the upper income young families who want something with space but a bit more fun to drive and/or different than the dozens of CUVs out there.
But unless something changes radically, and soon, GM will have blown it. And since there are no indications that GM knows there is a problem, I assume the Regal Sportback & TourX will be gone within 3 or so years, hardly making a mark in the US marketplace.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2018/06/27/gm-buick-enclave-regal-sales/717550002/
The car is not going away in three years, because of a-hole dealer, and buick does advertise these regal/tourx/sportback, I see it all these time, so that’s not true. He did not say that in that article.
Buick appears to spend their advertising budget on vehicles people know or have some name recognition like the Encore and Enclave with everything else in the lineup getting very little if anything.. there will be a 2019 Buick Cascada.
My daughters like to sit up high.One has a Yukon,the other a VW bus!She’s a hippie.haha.My youngest has a car but now wants to sit up high in an suv.I own a ’14’ regal turbo that I love.Anyways if buick could jack up the tourx about 6″inches or more they’d sell it.girls love being high up.Seriously!
You may be joking but you butch it up like a truck and people would pay attention.
Just look at the HHR. It was really a tall Cobalt wagon. If GM had done it as a Cobalt wagon it would only sold 10% of what the HHR sold.
but it’s not a truck it’s a wagon
your girls are looking for a large cheap suv the yukon and tahoe are perfect for them they just cost big bucks,better jobs or lower standards.we are all there
Convert it to a Malibu wagon and it would sell.
I would absolutely want a TourX for the very reasons mentioned: dealers aren’t crazy about them and niether are customers. They’re different. And I do like cars, even if I must have a truck. I’d rather drive cross-country in this than our LaCrosse or my Sierra.
I’ve only been following these TourX discussions for the last month or so (since I bought a TourX), but I’m surprised at some of the anecdotes about dealers (especially the tales from Jalopnik). I approached three dealers in my area at the same time in mid-May about the wagons they had on the lot and they were ready to deal and knowledgeable about the car. I have the Essence model, loaded, in white. Neither tried to steer me to another vehicle, and I got an excellent price on the TourX and a good value for my trade-in. Maybe my deal was just a unicorn. God knows, in the real world, the car is. I’ve never seen another one on the road (which I kind of like). And I’ve never seen an ad for it.
There are definitely some misses when it comes to features – the button blanks, lack of ventilated seats and wireless charging (in the ’18) that doesn’t even work with the latest iPhone. The ’19s will have updated wireless charging that corrects this problem. But overall these are minor issues compared to the car itself, which I find super stylish. My TourX has gotten more compliments on its design from strangers and friends alike than any other recent car I’ve owned. It’s a smooth ride, has tons of space in the back for my two dogs and has plenty of pep. I’m a happy camper.
It really is a nice car. If you can find a dealer that has a retired service loan car for sale, that’s the best deal. Buick pays dealers a decent service loaner stipend on the new Regals.
Ship some to Canada. We only got the awkward looking hatch. No Cascada either.
Just returned from a 2500 mile trip in my TourX. If you want a car that looks “sleek” and not like a two row seat suv or crossover, has as much or more cargo area and rear seat room then the suv, drives quiet and smooth with great handling, has more then ample power, gets great milage, I got in excess of 35mpg highway at speeds about 70mph, then you may be interested. Maybe I’m an odd ball buyer and thats why Buick doesn’t think theres a market or maybe Buick hired the Pontiac Aztec designer.
The mpg I posted was what the trip computer gave me.
Perhaps not all dealers are giving the TourX the cold shoulder. In the last two weeks I have seen it (with a kayak on top, no less) prominently displayed in two showrooms in suburban Nashville; i.e., in Lebanon and Dickson. Here’s hoping it really catches on. Remember, the mavens at every auto magazine in the country initially dismissed the Encore, and one reason is they couldn’t grasp a vision of the market for it. Now it’s selling like mad. The TourX could do likewise but only, as Rob Pollard so well stated above, if it’s “properly marketed, sold, priced and supported by corporate.” Lacking that, it will be a missed opportunity for GM. (And please, offer it without that black plastic cladding!)
I really hope GM sells enough of these to keep the line going past 2020. There’s certainly room for improvement if the market makes future iterations worth the investment. (GS model, tech upgrades, non-cladded models.) My gut tells me the love affair with SUVs is waning just a tad, leaving the door open for wagons to fill a niche. But I’ve seen zero/zilch/nada in terms of advertising for the TourX and I’ve yet to see another one — not one! — in the wild. Not around New England where I live, nor anywhere along the East Coast during my current road trip (to NC). These things are unicorns. But damn sweet-looking and nice driving unicorns.
I would have fired that salesperson on the spot if I caught wind that they spoke to a customer like that. Do they honestly thing every single customer that walks through the door wants an SUV or truck?
Disgusted that Buick made no attempt to sell me a $39,800 Regal Essence AWD. I loved the test drive, took my wife two weeks later (Feb. 2018), and asked the dealer to let me know lease numbers in May. I had two Volvo S60’s….loved them, but finally felt Buick could compete. I called twice, no deals yet, no inventory yet. June came and I leased another Volvo! You say Subaru is their competition. Wake up GM….Volvo and Audi are your targets!!!
We love the car but are having problems with the trade in 92 buick roadmaster estate 100k very nice car have seen on ebay going for $9000 to $17000 only one dealer wants to work with us. we are asking between 6 to 7 thousand car can easily be turned around with a decent profit, we are just not going to give our cars away anymore.
It is a nice looking vehicle that makes sense if you are looking for room. It needs several upgrades because it is too expensive for what it has. It needs cooled and heated seats. It needs the same quality interior offered in the Insignia Wagon. It needs an Avenir model with the Chestnut Brown interior. It needs the V6. It needs many more exterior color choices just like its Insignia Brother. So far I have only seen it in Black and White with a Black interior. Well, Black does not sell well in the South. Black exterior, Black interior, no seat cooling? Really who is in charge of determining what dealers get what? If they were to add the above features I believe they would sell in good numbers because the car does attract attention.