Buick LaCrosse sales decreased in the United States and in Canada in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Buick LaCrosse Sales - Q4 2018 - United States
In the United States, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 2,118 units in Q4 2018, a decrease of about 53 percent compared to 4,527 units sold in Q4 2017.During the complete 2018 calendar year, LaCrosse sales decreased about 23 percent to 15,527 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2018 / Q4 2017 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | -53.21% | 2,118 | 4,527 | -22.98% | 15,527 | 20,161 |
Buick LaCrosse Sales - Q4 2018 - Canada
In Canada, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 165 units in Q4 2018, a decrease of about 38 percent compared to 266 units sold in Q4 2017.During the complete 2018 calendar year, LaCrosse sales decreased about 29 percent to 654 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2018 / Q4 2017 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | -38.09% | 165 | 266 | -28.99% | 654 | 921 |
Buick LaCrosse Sales - Q4 2018 - Mexico
In Mexico, Buick LaCrosse deliveries totaled 0 units in Q4 2018, flat compared to 0 units sold in Q4 2017. The non-existent sales are the result of Buick not offering the LaCrosse in Mexico.During the complete 2018 calendar year, LaCrosse sales were flat at 0 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2018 / Q4 2017 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LACROSSE | * | 0 | 0 | * | 0 | 0 |
Competitive Sales Comparison
The LaCrosse’s Q4 2018 sales performance leaves the full-size premium sedan in last place in its competitive set, behind the Lexus ES and Lincoln MKZ (see Lincoln MKZ sales). In addition, Buick LaCrosse sales fell much faster than the segment average during the quarter, enabling both the ES and MKZ to further their sales volume lead.
The large premium comfort sedan segment contracted about 9 percent in Q4 2018 and 15 percent during the complete 2018 calendar year.
Sales Numbers - Large Premium Comfort Sedans - Q4 2018 - United States
| MODEL | Q4 18 / Q4 17 | Q4 18 | Q4 17 | YTD 18 / YTD 17 | YTD 18 | YTD 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES | +14.73% | 14,138 | 12,323 | -5.67% | 48,484 | 51,398 |
| MKZ | -23.47% | 4,931 | 6,443 | -27.51% | 19,852 | 27,387 |
| LACROSSE | -53.21% | 2,118 | 4,527 | -22.98% | 15,527 | 20,161 |
| TOTAL | -9.04% | 21,187 | 23,293 | -15.24% | 83,863 | 98,946 |
The GM Authority Take
If it wasn’t clear before, it should be very clear now: the LaCrosse is done for. LaCrosse is not doing well at all. We attribute this circumstance to a combination of the following factors:
- 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 as a result of GM having given up on the model
- A lackluster market reception to the current, third-generation LaCrosse that never recovered
Going forward, we expect Buick LaCrosse sales to continue dwindling until the model is discontinued in a few months’ time. That song you hear is the death knell of the LaCrosse, a rather sad turn of events for what is otherwise a solid product that could have been so much more.
It’s worthy to mention that Lexus is defying all odds and market trends and has managed to boost sales of the ES, which is all-new for the 2019 model year.
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Buick LaCrosse Q4 2017 sales
- In the United States, there were 77 selling days in Q4 2018 and 76 selling days in Q4 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 and 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 was 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 supplying North America
- Jinqiao South factory operated by Shanghai GMÂ supplying China
In November 2018, General Motors announced that it will discontinue the Buick LaCrosse in the United States market, a move that will result in the idling of the Detroit-Hamtramck plant where it's built. The vehicle will remain available in China.
Related News & Info
- GM news
- GM forum
- Buick LaCrosse information
- Running GM sales results
- Running Buick sales results
- Running Buick LaCrosse sales results
- Running Buick sales results
Comments
Lexus didn’t “defy the odds” – they did their job – GM didn’t or was not interested to do so. Lexus is a well managed cohesive brand, while GM has essentially destroyed both Oldsmobile and Buick as well as their own profitability by not realizing the ‘almost luxury’ segment especially with cars is where the profits are. Toyota was smart and GM was not. Today the Lexus ES is viewed as the Sedan de ville and Town Car from 40 to 50 years ago as the car the middle class retires into
GM failed to advertise the 2017 redesign and provided no marketing support to the car other than on Buick’s website. It is also disturbing that GM main website puts the Bolt as the only car on the site while the Bolt only sold 18,019 units to the La Crosse 15,527 – yet the Bolt remains – not a good idea
For the La Crosse platform (P2XX) to remain viable other vehicles needed to be moved to this platform such as the XTS or rechristen the XTS – “Sedan De Ville”. Then put a decontented La Crosse as the Impala and only the Chevrolet line up should offer the 2.5 4 cylinder motor with Cadillac and Buick offering the platform with only the V-6.
GM clearly was not interested in this and should have known they need to pour money into Buick with a real advertising campaign in order to start “grabbing” back sales. ICE or EV doesn’t even factor here brand marketing and re-establishment of the Brand are the relevant points.
True I own a new La Crosse Premium that I got at a $12.885 rebate on – but GM’s pickups carry $10,000 rebate.
Fact is GM decided not to compete or build the brand and this will have consequences especially when customers get tired of “high roof” SUV’s and CUV’s
I also wonder why the article didn’t mention the Cars China Sales – and perhaps the article could be updated to do so
The biggest point is that GM/Buick chose not to compete. That’s precisely what happened.
China sales are not available on a car level. Any such figures floating around on the web are flawed and are guesstimates, not actual sales.
GM has a history of not doing their homework, designing a lackluster product that doesn’t sell. Then declaring that the market has dried up and they are therefore leaving the segment.
Honestly I don’t think the Detroit automakers want to build cars any longer. Trucks are more profitable in America’s Supersized culture and have lower emissions requirements, which means less R&D spending.
I drove a new GMC Terrain not long ago and it was shocking how poorly developed it was. The 2.0T sent hard vibrations throughout the vehicle and the exhaust buzzed against something or resonated under hard acceleration. Road noise was severe. The whole thing felt slapped together rather cheaply in a way that would never be acceptable in a car. Yet I see Terrains all over the place, so apparently Americans perceive size as equivalent to quality? It’s bizarre that such a heap of junk would sell so well, yet a refined car like the Lacrosse fails to move units, but easy to see why GM loves to traffic in cheap-to-build trucks.
I noticed that sales of the Chevrolet Impala also decreased by 50 percent n Q4 2018, though the Impala sold many more vehicles than the LaCrosse. But I thought it was interesting that sales of both big cars dropped by about half.
Excuse me, why exactly are we mystified that a soon to be discontinued model doesn’t sell well? The same would happen to even the F-series if production was about to be ceased.
Discontinuing a model is no small thing, shows the manufacturer doesn’t believe in its own product, and parts won’t be available in a few years. Why should anyone have any confidence in the LaCrosse if Buick doesn’t?
The reasons mentioned in the article don’t tell the whole story. It’s symbiotic, GM is telling customers what they want, too. More profit in lard ass trucks and SUVs. Greed’s belly is never full.
The theory is flawed. The reality is that extremely few real-world car buyers buy or don’t buy a car based on the fact that is or isn’t being discontinued. In fact, very few people in the real world are even aware that the LaCrosse is being discontinued.
Now, if we follow the flawed theory that people stop buying a certain car when an automaker announces that it will be discontinued, then it’s important to note that GM’s announcement to nix the LaX took place in late November, and the period for the sales in question covers October, November and December. As such, the market at large would not have had nearly enough time to react to the discontinuation to cause sales to plummet.
Point taken. To a point. How can the world’s biggest car maker make the Golf work through generations, some of which were truly mediocre, and GM goes from Cavalier, to Cobalt, to Cruze, to nothing in less of a time span. It signals instability and not knowing which way the wind blows.
Actually it has been all over the news about the Lacrosse and 5 other models and even my 80 year old mother knew about this months ago and was very upset! So far everybody I have discussed this with also knew and they aren’t car people so the power of news and social media has done this car no favors. Note the same thing happened to the Chrysler 200 when it was announced that it would die. Sales collapsed in a big way the following 6 months after. When people hear that a car is being discontinued confidence in that model evaporates fast!
When the ‘new’ LaCrosse launched in 2010, it was marketed and actually outsold Lexus (granted, Lexus was dealing with the unintended acceleration issue).
But Buick slowly gave up on LaCrosse.
And now, Buick’s left with Cascada, Regal, TourX, and three CUVs/SUVs whose sales aren’t exactly on fire.
(The Envision has an unusually high number of days-supply on lots right now. As does Regal).
Makes you wonder if, between lack of marketing, and Cadillac settling down into what was Buick’s ‘almost high end’ space, Buick’s destined to primarily be a Chinese mkt vehicle, with a CUV/SUV lineup for the US.
The Lacrosse is not lacklustre. The sales are though. I sat in one at the local dealer and it has fantastic seat comfort. The problem is it is a 2017 that they arent even discounting very much. GM still trying to make too much profit off it.
It would be interesting to see the polling on the following question:
What is your opinion of General Motors? [ ] Very Positive [ ] Somewhat Positive [ ] Neutral [ ] Somewhat Negative [ ] Very Negative.
I think the reason GM’s sales are declining much faster than the overall industry could be related to consumer opinions of the company. My opinion of GM, which hasn’t been high for a long time but improved after the bankruptcy, has now plunged. I personally question GM’s long-term viability and see the company as being very poorly managed. How much longer can they continue to shrink and shed products and exit markets? How much longer does Cadillac have? I view GM as a loser brand now that cannot compete; they have even failed on big trucks now. If others have an eroding impression of the company, it could be a cause for their decline sales across their ever-shrinking portfolio.
Bingo!!!!! You get the golden award for best answer to a question few want to admit. Perception is everything, especially in today’s social media obsessed world where news travels like wildfire. People all around me are abandoning GM products like the plague. To everything from having a terrible experience with one of there products, to poor re-sale value to lack of direction and vision to lack of product to lack of being able to equip a vehicle the way the consumer wants to GM’s refusal to acknowledge they screwed up with things like no defeat switch for stop/start, poor advertising, half baked product reveals and over pricing their products and relying on fire sales to move the metal.
GM is fooling no one and everybody knows at least part of the above so the only ones they are kidding is themselves. But I guess as long as Mary makes her millions and Wall Street is happy is all that matters to this once great company!
I agree with most of your assessment with the exception of wall street being happy or least the investors being happy. GM’s stock has been stuck around the same price since it’s IPO. It has been above it a few times but most of the time it has been below it.
Who wants to buy something that will no longer be avalable.
My opinion GM manufacturers make way too much money I would have never bailed him out the first time
All of the dealers try to make home run off of you trucks 50 $60,000 come on who’s got that kind of money
They made the electric car too small way overpriced
If you wanted to carpool you couldn’t even put four guys in the car
Toyota is way ahead of you guys
One thing is that they changed the grille and now it looks more like a Suburu. Too bad. The Buick brand has been around for a long time. It’ll wind up being Chevy and Caddy. GM needs the kind of management they have at Toyota. Toyota is eating GMs lunch.
I had been interested in buying one, but as Joe said, they are still trying to unload some 2017 models! The 2018 models were released late to help unload the leftover 2017s, but discounts were not very good. My 30 year old Riviera recently wouldn’t start in the cold weather, so I looked online to see what was available in the Detroit area. I only saw one non-Avenir that had the 20″ sport suspension. Almost every Lacrosse had a black interior, and none were equipped the way I wanted. I wasn’t willing to pay almost $50,000 for an Avenir. It’s too bad because I think it’s an excellent car. Buick has about the worst advertising on television. I ended up buying a used Malibu.
on the contrary , people do know Impala – Lacrosse – Cruze – XTS will be discontinued and are really pissed at GM with this discussion , these customers are not looking at suv’s and will be increasing the sales of sedans of the imports . another reason MARY is killing GM slowly
The Buick Lacrosse always appealed to buyers on the older side of 50 and these drivers will not buy a car with the start/stop feature unless they have to. I know six people in my fairly small town who would have purchased a 2018 or 2019 Lacrosse but were so turned off by the stupid start/stop whit no way to shut it off, bought elsewhere.