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Buick Cascada Sales Decrease 5 Percent In Q2 2019

Buick Cascada Sales - Q2 2019 - United States

In the United States, Buick Cascada deliveries totaled 1,312 units in Q2 2019, a decrease of about 5 percent compared to 1,374 units sold in Q2 2018.

In the first six months of the year, Cascada sales decreased about 10 percent to 2,058 units.
MODEL Q2 2019 / Q2 2018 Q2 2019 Q2 2018YTD 2019 / YTD 2018 YTD 2019 YTD 2018
CASCADA -4.51% 1,312 1,374 -10.21% 2,058 2,292

The Buick Cascada is sold exclusively in the United States of America, and is not sold in any other North American market such as Canada or Mexico.

2019 Buick Cascada Convertible Exterior 010

Competitive Sales Comparison

Buick Cascada sales in the second quarter were enough to keep the drop-top convertible in second place in its competitive set by sales volume, behind the Mazda MX-5 Miata (see Mazda Miata sales) but ahead of the Miata-based Fiat 124 Spider (see Fiat 124 Spider sales). Sales results for the Audi A3 Convertible, which is a direct rival to the Cascada, are not available since Audi does not break out A3 sales by body type; instead, the German automaker combines A3 sales to include Convertible and Sedan variants.

Sales Numbers - Mainstream Convertibles - Q2 2019 - USA

MODEL Q2 19 / Q2 18 Q2 19 Q2 18 Q2 19 SHARE Q2 18 SHARE YTD 19 / YTD 18 YTD 19 YTD 18
MAZDA MX-5 MIATA -12.51% 2,384 2,725 51% 52% -16.56% 3,914 4,691
BUICK CASCADA -4.51% 1,312 1,374 28% 26% -10.21% 2,058 2,292
FIAT 124 SPIDER -12.73% 1,015 1,163 22% 22% -19.32% 1,528 1,894
TOTAL -10.47% 4,711 5,262 -15.51% 7,500 8,877

On a market share basis, the Cascada accounted for 28 percent share of the segment, up from 26 percent in Q2 2018. The Mazda MX-5 Miata remained in first with 51 percent market share, while the Fiat took up the remaining 21 percent.

It’s worth noting that Buick Cascada sales fell the least in its segment during the second quarter, with Mazda MX-5 Miata sales and Fiat 124 Spider each dropping 13 percent. This turn of events marks a significant change when compared to the Q4 2018 results, when the Buick convertible saw the highest sales decrease percentage amongst its competitive set. The Cascada first began to outpace the competition in Q1 2019.

The mainstream dedicated convertible vehicle segment contracted more than 10 percent to 4,711 units in Q2 2019.

2019 Buick Cascada Convertible Exterior 017

The GM Authority Take

We attribute the decline in Buick Cascada sales to any combination of the following factors:

  1. The saturation of the market for non-luxury convertibles, a segment that includes the overhauled Mazda MX-5 Miata, Fiat 124 Spider and Audi A3 Convertible
  2. The ongoing shift in consumer purchase patterns that favors CUVs and SUVs over other vehicle types such as sedans, coupes and convertibles. Though some analysts have noted that this segment has traditionally been resistant to such changes, the segment’s 23 percent contraction during the quarter is undeniable.

The Cascada did its part in filling a “white space” to change the brand’s perception while attracting new-to-brand customers.

According to figures released by Buick in 2017, nearly 70 percent of Cascada customers were new to GM. In addition, it is believed that any U.S. sales of the Cascada were highly profitable for GM, since the model was developed as an Opel/Vauxhall for various global markets from the onset, and exporting “Buick-ified” units from the Gliwice plant in Poland was a relatively simple and low-cost undertaking.

We expect Cascada sales to continue decreasing in the coming quarters as long as the crossover craze persists or Buick doesn’t offer significant incentives on the vehicle. Any talk of an update is moot, since the Cascada will be discontinued after the 2019 model year, as per GM’s original plan for the model’s lifecycle.

2019 Buick Cascada Convertible Interior 001

About The Numbers

  • All percent change figures compared to Buick Cascada Q2 2018 sales, except as noted
  • There were 77 selling days in Q2 2019 and 77 selling days in Q2 2018
General Motors Q2 2019 sales numbers:

2017 Buick Cascada Sport Touring Sport Red exterior live at 2016 LA Auto Show 002

About Buick Cascada

The Buick Cascada is a compact convertible. The current, first-generation Cascada was introduced for the 2016 model year. Essentially a rebadged Opel/Vauxhall Cascada, the vehicle is based on a variant of the GM Delta II platform shared with the Opel Astra and first-generation Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt and Opel Astra J.

For the 2018 model year, the Cascada received three new exterior colors, two new convertible top colors and expanded availability of the Dark Effects Package. For the 2019 model year, The Cascada gets two changes: the removal of the Carrageen Metallic exterior color and newfound ability to get the Sport Red exterior color without getting the Dark Effects Package. In addition, the Light Neutral seats with Jet Black accents become newly available with the Sport Red exterior color.

2017 Buick Cascada Sport Touring Sport Red exterior live at 2016 LA Auto Show 005

For the 2019 model year, the Cascada lost the Carrageen Metallic exterior color and made the Sport Red exterior color available without the Dark Effects Package or the Light Neutral seats with Jet Black accents interior color combination.

The Buick Cascada is built exclusively at the GM-Opel Gliwice, Poland factory initially owned by GM/Opel Europe but now operated by PSA Groupe as a result of GM selling Opel and Vauxhall in 2017. In February 2019, GM confirmed that the Buick Cascada will be discontinued after the 2019 model year.

2017 Buick Cascada Sport Touring Sport Red interior 002

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Comments

  1. Live to dream.. General Motors rebranding the Buick Cascada as the Cadillac CT2 then install the 2.0L DOHC-4V 4-cyl turbo with 237 hp and a 9-speed automatic transmission which would instantly transform the personality of the car into a pocket rocket and should improve sales dramatically.

    Reply
    1. A rebadge of a fading Opel>Buick rebadge?

      Doesn’t sound very special for Cadillac, despite the under-the-hood improvements.

      Reply
  2. omegatalon, if they were going to update it at all, why not just keep it a Buick Cascada and give Buick the qualities you described?

    Reply
    1. Agreed. these few updates would be great. Sounds like something BMW would do, not lazy GM. It would require engineers, (does Buick even have any left?)

      Reply
  3. Cascada IMO can be Camaro coupe/ convertible based with 2.7, 5.3 and tt 3.0 engines

    Reply

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