Buick LaCrosse sales decreased in the United States, Canada and Mexico in the second quarter of 2018.
Buick LaCrosse Sales - Q2 2018 - United States
In the United States, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 4,053 units in Q2 2018, a decrease of about 45 percent compared to 7,323 units sold in Q2 2017.In the first six months of the year, LaCrosse sales decreased about 10 percent to 11,119 units.
| MODEL | Q2 2018 / Q2 2017 | Q2 2018 | Q2 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | -44.65% | 4,053 | 7,323 | -9.66% | 11,119 | 12,308 |
Buick LaCrosse Sales - Q2 2018 - Canada
In Canada, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 199 units in Q2 2018, a decrease of about 25 percent compared to 267 units sold in Q2 2017.In the first six months of the year, LaCrosse sales decreased about 15 percent to 357 units.
| MODEL | Q2 2018 / Q2 2017 | Q2 2018 | Q2 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | -25.47% | 199 | 267 | -14.80% | 357 | 419 |
Buick LaCrosse Sales - Q2 2018 - Mexico
In Mexico, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 0 units in Q2 2018, a decrease of about 100 percent compared to 2 units sold in Q2 2017.In the first six months of the year, LaCrosse sales decreased about 100 percent to 0 units.
| MODEL | Q2 2018 / Q2 2017 | Q2 2018 | Q2 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | -100.00% | 0 | 2 | -100.00% | 0 | 3 |
Competitive Sales Comparison
Q2 was a bad downright terrible quarter for Buick LaCrosse sales, as deliveries plummeted faster than those of competing products. The circumstance has placed the big Buick into last place amongst its competitive set, behind the Lexus ES and Lincoln MKZ (see Lincoln MKZ sales).
The large premium comfort sedan segment contracted nearly 27 percent in Q2 2018 and 16 percent in the first six months of 2018.
Sales Numbers - Large Premium Comfort Sedans - Q2 2018 - United States
| MODEL | Q2 18 / Q2 17 | Q2 18 | Q2 17 | YTD 18 / YTD 17 | YTD 18 | YTD 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES | -13.47% | 10,638 | 12,294 | -8.71% | 19,901 | 21,800 |
| MKZ | -30.95% | 5,316 | 7,699 | -32.54% | 9,675 | 14,342 |
| LACROSSE | -44.65% | 4,053 | 7,323 | -9.66% | 11,119 | 12,308 |
| TOTAL | -26.76% | 20,007 | 27,316 | -16.01% | 40,695 | 48,450 |
The GM Authority Take
Despite being a very competitive product that is, in many ways, class-leading, the LaCrosse is not doing well at all. We attribute this rather sad reality to several factors, including:
- An ongoing change in consumer buying dynamics that favors crossover utility vehicles (CUVs/SUVs) over sedans
- A lack of focus on selling the vehicle at Buick dealers, partially caused by a lack of proper incentives at the corporate level
- A potential lackluster market reception to the current, third-generation LaCrosse
Going forward, we expect Buick LaCrosse sales to continue at their current, depressed pace unless something is done at the marketing or retail sales levels to boost sales. Otherwise, Buick will be offloading LaCrosse inventory to fleets or at retail with high levels of incentives, or further cutting production of the model, all of which sap profit from the model and bring it one step closer to its potential demise.
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. The 2019 LaCrosse introduced two new colors and a Sport Touring (1SH) trim. A refresh is expected for the 2020 model year.
The third-generation LaCrosse is built at the following plants:
- GM Detroit Hamtramck factory operated by GM USA to satisfy North America
- Jinqiao South factory operated by Shanghai GM to satisfy China
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Buick LaCrosse Q2 2017 sales
- In the United States, there were 77 selling days in Q2 2018 and 77 selling days in Q2 2017
- In Canada, there were 77 selling days in Q2 2018 and 76 selling days in Q2 2017
Related News & Info
- GM news
- Buick LaCrosse information
- Running GM sales results
- Running Buick sales results
- Running Buick LaCrosse sales results
- Running Buick sales results
- Q2 2018 GM sales results:
- U.S. GM Q2 2018 sales results
- U.S. Q2 2018 Chevrolet sales results
- U.S. Q2 2018 Cadillac sales results
- U.S. Q2 2018 Buick sales results
- U.S. Q2 2018 GMC sales results
- GM Canada Q2 2018 sales results
- Canada Q2 2018 Chevrolet sales results
- Canada Q2 2018 Cadillac sales results
- Canada Q2 2018 Buick sales results
- Canada Q2 2018 GMC sales results
- GM China Q2 2018 sales results
- GM Korea Q2 2018 sales results:
- Chevrolet Korea Q2 2018 sales results
- Cadillac Korea Q2 2018 sales results
- U.S. GM Q2 2018 sales results
Comments
I know a handful of people that considered the LaCrosse in the past couple of years.
They were all returning Buick buyers, but turned off by the big, bland, and cheaper feel of the new LaCrosse relative to the old model.
They also all seemed to complain about the electronic shift lever (which I guess doesn’t function exactly like a traditional gear shift) and the inability to turn off the start/stop feature. One of them that considered the new LaCrosse shortly after it came out in 2017 complained about the MSRP approaching $50k for what felt like a mainstream sedan.
The current model is several steps backwards from the previous gen LaCrosse in a lot of important ways. Those loyal Buick buyers are not taking the bait. It’s a poor effort and it shows.
The new LaCrosse offers Toyota quality (and blandness) at Lexus prices. That’s a bad combination especially as some of the market softens on big sedans. It’s probably very insulting to those loyal customers to have Buick dealers peddling an even more unimpressive Buick Envision to them as an alternative to that sedan.
Let’s see here…
The new model is bigger than the previous one, has a more attractive design (subjectively), better materials, better fuel economy, a better powertrain and is offered at slightly higher prices. If the shifter is the biggest point of contention, then it’s a non-issue – it’s very intuitive and easy to use.
There must be something else going on here.
Any Powertrain that abruptly turns off at stoplights and disables cylinders on the highway is only better in ways that the EPA cares about. To the consumer, it’s just a sacrifice in durability and refinement to save a tiny bit of fuel while gas prices are low. They get to live with the annoyance and the repair bills.
The consumer is expected to buy the car, not the EPA. And to the consumer, it’s a step backwards.
And the shifter is a huge issue when a substantial portion of loyal Buick LaCrosse buyers are 65+ years old. We may find the shifter flawless, but in asking a few that looked at the LaCrosse, it’s clearly something that annoyed them. Along with the more bland styling of the current model relative to the knockout the previous generation was.
The previous generation was actually popular. Buick was right to make it a little larger, but should not have cheapened the feel of the car in the process by offering bland styling and an inferior Powertrain.
Thew LaCrosse the large Buick sedan that may very well spell the end the large Buick sedan. It’s a sad contrast to the model it replaced, as sales crashed immediately after the new model came out. It’s a DUD because of the price, materials, styling, and Powertrain.
The weird shifter and the stop/start are constant complaints with this car even on buyers in their 40’s and 50’s. Having ears glued to the car buying public I can tell you that many today are getting tired of having to think every time they transition from a vehicle with a normal shift design into one of these or the shudder that emanates when the car comes out of stop and has to start quickly in order to move out in traffic. It makes this car feel cheap and should have a defeat button. Give the customer what they want or go home! it’s as simple as that.
As someone that owns the current Lacrosse, and previously owned the last model, I can tell you that the new ones definitely feel less special and more mass market. My old Lacrosse made me “feel rich” when I drove it, the new one is just a car. The overhead sunglasses holder is gone, the speed limit indicator in the gauge cluster is gone, there is no sueded headliner even on the Avenir model. I don’t feel that it stands out in traffic the same way either. The foglights are useless, you can’t even tell they are on from behind the wheel, and they cheaped out by not having led brakelights or rear turn signals. I also don’t feel that it takes corners as solid as the old car, the rear suspension feels unsettled on rough patches, and it’s definitely not as vault quiet inside.
They’ve done some dumb things like making the air conditioning captive on the touch screen, so that I can’t turn it on or off if the car is in reverse, because the backup camera supersedes everything else on the screen. I can see the shifter being confusing to older customers. It requires some thinking when I switch between driving cars with “normal” shifters. Also, even though the auto start-stop is one of the best versions I’ve experienced, it still sucks. Thankfully, I was able to permanently bypass it after months of shifting into manual mode at every stop sign and red light to prevent it from engaging.
The 2nd gen cars had a pretty high seating position for a sedan, which was not only helpful to the older demographic of the car, but where the market is headed in general with crossovers. For some reason, they lowered the seating position in the new model, which is really like falling into the driver’s seat. This isn’t a sports car, it’s supposed to be a big comfy cruiser. The rear seating position is also too low. The trunk hinges intrude on trunk space. I could go on and on.
I thought that the current generation of the Buick LaCrosse, while to my eyes a very attractive car, had little bearing to the second generation LaCrosse; maybe it should have been given a new model name I suspect that it was basically the design for the cancelled large Buick (Roadmaster or whatever it was to be called) before GM’s bankruptcy hit. It looks to me more like a successor to the Buick Lucerne than the LaCrosse. (And, for what it’s worth, I’ve always felt that the model name “LaCrosse” should have been a crossover, “where luxury meets utility.”)
Leave it up for GM to ruin a good thing – everything that was great in the 2nd generation was diminished in the 3rd . exterior styling is bland , who styled the rear design ?? it looks like they didn’t know what to do and slapped some curves and ugly lights and here you go resulting in a bland design . the new shifter & start/stop features are cumbersome for the age bracket that the Lacrosse attracts , ( some do not want to adapt to new technology sad ) . colors bland exterior and interior even the wheels are bland ( eliminating chrome ) and all this at a high price and no incentive deals . I realize the market is more towards suv’s but there are some that are still in the market for a sedan so keep minimal . Do the imports advertise their sedans —yes they do — does GM no …I’m a owner of a 2010 lacrosse but I think will be looking elsewhere ..