Without taking legendary vehicles like the 1987 Buick Regal GNX or the 1940 Buick Y-Job concept into consideration, Buick has largely been in the shadow of General Motors’ larger brand names like Chevy and Cadillac, especially when it comes to the age demographics of buyers. Now, this appears to be changing, as GM Authority has learned that the average Buick buyer is currently getting younger.
Buick marketing managers recently spoke to GM Authority Executive Editor Alex Luft regarding the Tri-Shield brand’s buyer demographics. Just last year, the average Buick buyer was in their mid-50s. However, the average buyer’s age is now trending downwards.
2024 Buick Envista Avenir
This development comes during an interesting time period in the automotive industry. The average buyer across the board has been trending upwards in terms of age as of recently. This means that Buick – the brand that ran an ad series that highlighted how relatively unknown its vehicles were – is currently bucking the industry-wide trend.
2024 Buick Envista ST
Of course, it’s worth noting that Buick’s buyer demographic is certainly unlike the rest of the automotive industry. As GM Authority previously reported in February 2023, the Tri-Shield brand boasted the largest percentage of female buyer representation, with 55 percent of personal new Buick registrations belonging to women. For comparison’s sake, other high ranking brands include Mitsubishi (51.4 percent), Mini (51.1 percent), Lexus (50.4 percent), Infiniti (49.6 percent), Mazda (49 percent), and Kia (49 percent), while the industry average stood at 41.2 percent.
Notably, Chevy posted the largest female representation in terms of sheer volume, with 340,999 registrations. Meanwhile, it was no surprise that big truck brands failed to connect with women, as Ram was ranked last with just 17 percent. GMC (28.7 percent), Ford (31.1 percent), Tesla (33.1 percent), and Dodge (33.9 percent) were also placed low on the list.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Buick news, GM business news, GM marketing news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
When they get rid of all the dealers and push online ordering, this is no surprise.
As of last month, there are 1,357 Buick GMC dealerships in the US alone. That’s more than Toyota.
The two Buick/ GMC dealers in this large geographic market are now just GMC. Why are you counting both?
Ehdit0r: Let me fix that for you.
As of last month, there are 1,357 GMC dealers to which the Buick brand is associated.
Most of those 1,357 dealers carry zero Buick’s in stock or at best they have 3 to 5 sitting there as a “gesture”. Much unlike back in the day when I was at a dealer with Buick, Cadillac and GMC. Back then, if we had 100 vehicles on the lot, there were at least 60 Buick’s and the rest were a mix of Cadillac and GMC.
Toyota & Lexus dealers are also extremely l9w on dealer inventory.
Good. The sporty youthful new products are helping, but sadly we’ve lost all the cars unlike their said competition. 🙁
It’s trending downwards because Buick no longer builds what their older customers want and they have gone elsewhere. It’s sad that Buick can’t satisfy all of their customers.
The last gentleman said it best, Carl said Buick no longer builds what the older customer wants and have gone elsewhere…..100% on target. I being one of them. I WANT a true sedan NOT a crossover that looks like a box with no character . Vehicles today are a mess and now they make them electric……
Agree with Carl. He’s 100% correct. I own a Enclave Avenir and it will probably be my last Buick as I’ve heard the next gen might have a 4cyl engine. The days of powerful, luxurious Buick cars and SUVs are gone. I wonder why Buick can’t cater to both older and younger generation! Remember GM and Buick us older folks are the ones with money.
I’d buy a new V6 LeSabre today if Buick made one. (And a real LeSabre, not a rebadged Malibu.)
If the option is another crossover with a strung-out 4 cyl trying to push it along, might as well save the price premium and go with Chevy’s version.
you got it d’ monster — a le sabre with the 3800 V6, best auto engine ever built. ours got 32 mpg highway going to all the west National Parks… what a great engine, known to run half a million miles properly maintained and 300K even when abused..
I almost every time was the youngest in the Oldsmobile service department. In the 90’s they were selling sporty cars to yuppies. I would have to go Cadillac today for a sedan. Not much of a choice. Barely affordable for something nice.
Leaving the sedan market to Asian and European manufacturers is a mistake.
A HUGE mistake!
We can all agree that there are benefits to SUV’s. I personally hate them, but I agree there are those benefits. However, many older buyers grew up in sedans and they want sedans. The SUV addict can scream from the top of the roof all day long about how many boxes they can haul and how sitting up higher is better. That doesn’t matter. The people who want a sedan don’t care, so they are buying from brands with a sedan. Simple math. Older buyers are going to brands with sedans, thus pushing their average age up while Buick sees more younger women buying the smaller SUV’s.
The sad part? GM/Buick is likely to NEVER see these people again and they are losing huge amounts of repeat and referrals due to this.
Yes seems gm is driving the North American product line to extinction. Really doesn’t matter as they are doing great in their new home country choice of China. The majority of former loyal GM customers, gm offers nothing, just giving more business to other auto companies. I remember my youngest brother bought brand new Oldsmobile Aurora, when the very next day GM announcing on the nightly National news Olds was going away. My brother and sister-in-law were so mad!!! They called the dealership, they were told by the dealer told that GM announcement public with out any info sharing from GM Corporate with there dealership. My brother and sister-in-law had their Aurora for 2 years and got side rammed at an intersection. They replaced the Old’s, with a Volvo, never looking back at GM or gm. They and their family have 5 Volvo’s now.
“Many older buyers grew up in sedans and they want sedans.”
That and they get the formula: sedans costs less, are more reliable, and get better mileage. These matter when you don’t need the overkill of a 6+ passenger vehicle that’ll have just the driver 99% of the time.
d’monder: I have to laugh because what you said about the overkill for 6 passengers is soooooooo true. I just love to watch the soccer moms/dads pull up tot he school the same time I do in my little Bolt. I have two kids get out and take their bags. Almost all the SUV’s pull up and the mom gets out, let’s one kids out and one backpack. Seldom do you see more than 3 people in them. Total overkill.
Maybe they get pulled into team mom/team dad duty and occasionally have to haul the entire team. Even so, I’d say minivans, as uncool as they seem, are a better choice.
A better choice for what/who? They are as ugly as an SUV/CUV. Not needed! Not wanted!
Not for you (or me), apparently, but if you had a car full of rugrats, you’d want maximum room. While few people like the looks of a minivan, some like the looks of a utility vehicle (I don’t, mostly). They gave up on “mommy vans” to look more butch, and yet those vehicles are less roomy and otherwise more wasteful.
But if you want to transport a soccer team to the pitch in Camaro, go right ahead. Some people have different lives than you do.
I have no use for a soccer team or hauling anything but my wife and myself. Those days are gone. If that’s what you need, go find one, but that has no place in my driveway.
Lurch: I have a nephew back in Wisconsin. He and his wife now have 4 kids. They drive an Audi Q7 TDI SUV (he used to be an Audi tech for many years). He has an A6 and a few other older German cars. But finally a few years ago when they had just 3 kids, they finally broke down and purchased a 2014 Chrysler T & C van. They have put a ton of miles on that thing so far (well over 150K now) and taken it to Florida twice. He said it’s not only the more reliable vehicle, but so much less to maintain. He was super hesitant to get the van, but now that they’ve had it for several years and with the 4th kid, they are looking at dumping the Q7 and buying a clean used Pacifica PHEV. Both he and his wife said they will not go back to an SUV and will keep driving vans till all the kids are older and driving on their own.
Let’s face it. The mini-van is the most logical, economical and smartest way to go if hauling people and things is what you need. SUV’s are nothing more than beefed up/glorified wagons and vans that people prefer because of ego.
You said it, Dan. I have a buddy who drives for Uber in a Kia Sedona whose passengers appreciate all the room. SUVs aren’t necessary if the only terrain you’re conquering is the shopping center parking lot.
The interesting part of that is that it is none of your business what other people drive. If they want overkill (or protection from being killed) that is their right.
I’m certainly not telling them what to drive. I am pointing out that minivans are more efficient.
Your former stereotypical Buick buyer doesn’t want something to haul cargo in. They’re done with that. They don’t need room for kids or grandkids. Those are all grown. They want a coupe or sedan that they travel in and enjoy their time and leisure activities. Definitely not some cramped little box with terrible ingress and egress. This is the time of life for Rivieras, Park Avenues, Reattas, etc. Ed Mertz: Substantial, Distinctive, Powerful, and Mature. That’s a Buick!
If they wanted younger buyers, they should have canned this 3 model brand and kept Pontiac. Oh and for a tend you need more than one year of lower aged buyers. A trend isn’t getting lucky for one year as told in this article.
True. If China didn’t love Buicks, I doubt the brand would still exist.
I would have bought a Buick. But they don’t make sedans anymore. So I bought a Cadillac instead. Goodbye Buick. You lost me as a customer.
Take a hike, jackass. Sounds like your age is 2. Buick’s clientele had always led to a very profitable Division. To walk away from that is pure stupidity.
Car companies are in the business of making money. Pretty simple. If Toyota is making a good profit selling cars, they will continue to make them. If GM is not making a good profit selling cars, they’ll stop making them. Kind of basic, I think.
If they suddenly need sedans again, I guess they can import Latin American and Chinese cars they don’t consider “American quality.”
I would have brought a minivan instead of my Enclave, but the only one I like is the Pacifica and it scares me. First, I’ve heard awful things about its reliability, and I don’t think Chrysler will be around much longer. I think the Pacifica Pinnacle is the most beautiful minivan out there. They are very hard to find in my area used. I would have no shame driving one!
I would buy a luxury minivan from Buick or Cadillac if available.