Buick- Will it Survive?

[nsap]

Buick- Will it Survive?
Editorial By NSAP
September 10, 2005
www.gminsidenews.com

Once one of General Motors best divisions- Buick; now far from the best and having a difficult time finding its identity in GM’s fleet of divisions. Just a few short months ago Bob Lutz ruffled feathers by calling Buick and Pontiac “damaged brands,” and hinting that one of the two may get the ax if they don’t find their place in GM’s stable and start to pick up business. Pontiac’s identity is not hard to figure out- and relatively easy to fix, but Buick’s is not. Leaving the question, will Buick become the Oldsmobile of the 21st century?

Buick’s future looked a little brighter at the 2004 New York International Auto Show when GM unveiled the stunning Velite concept car. The car was built on the Zeta rear-wheel drive platform and the prospects of it getting the green-light were fairly high, but that was then. In the last year the Zeta program has been “postponed” and dubbed too expensive to produce in the masses for North America. That has left the chances of a Velite and sedan sister very low for Buick.

Not all of the future is gray for Buick. They have a new crossover coming in 2007 that is said to be very stunning- with optional V8 power. But product is not Buick’s problem; neither is quality, but rather identity. For the last 20 years GM has turned Buick into a brand that sells and markets primarily to the elderly of America, giving the brand an image that causes most young people to never consider a Buick. That, combined with the fact that no one really knows where Buick sits in the GM stable causes a big problem.

Up until now Buick has been considered GM’s mid-luxury division. That has worked fine, but now there is the ‘new’ Saturn- which GM intends on making the new mid-luxury division. And with cars like the new Aura coming, they are doing it in a fashion that will make them compete very easily with other modern mid-luxury brands and not just the elderly-people brands like Buick does now. Again, leaving the question; why have Buick?

People will argue that Saturn should be the one to get the ax, and not Buick. To some extent I will agree. The division has a lot of history and a history of building quality vehicles, but GM’s neglect toward Buick for the last 20 years has just made it next to impossible to bring Buick’s image out of the deep hole it is currently in. It would require a massive overhaul and a Cadillac-like renaissance, which ate up about 4 billion. GM doesn’t have the funds for a 4 billion turnaround for Buick. And even if they did, the daunting question of who they market Buick to would still remain.

Possibly I’m missing something, but I just don’t see how Buick can stay in the ‘new’ GM. Chevrolet has the mainstream market covered, Pontiac has the performance part, Cadillac is total luxury, Saab is the Swedish king, Hummer is the brute of the family, GMC is the pro when it comes to trucks, and Saturn is becoming the new mid-luxury- almost Euro-like division. What niche is Buick going to fill?

[giagastormer]

GM is putting some 3 billion dollars into Buick over the next few years, sorry to break it to ya, but Buick is here to stay.

[ElmerMCR]

I just wish GM could make an identity for Buick, and help it to become a great brand. As Buick stands now, and even with the Lucerne and Lausanne(?) coming, and the Lacrosse already here, my high hopes seem to have been let down.

The one thing that is for certain, though, is that Buick will survive, whether it be an above average, or just your average run of the mill brand that strives to find some sort of identity to no end.

[Jeffff]

The Velite was unveiled at the NY Auto Show, not NAIAS.

[nsap]

Originally Posted by giagastormer

GM is putting some 3 billion dollars into Buick over the next few years, sorry to break it to ya, but Buick is here to stay.

Yeah, a lot of the 3 billion was geared toward the crossover, Velite, and RWD sedan. While the crossover is still on, the other two are up in the air.

[tgagneguam]

Up until now Buick has been considered GM’s mid-luxury division. That has worked fine, but now there is the ‘new’ Saturn- which GM intends on making the new mid-luxury division.

I'm not so sure I agree with the second sentence or even if it's true. I don't see much overlap now or in the future for Saturn and Buick.

I know that when I think of Buick in the past, I think of classic, understated American luxury. I think that that idea could easily be applied to Buick in a way that could easily fit within the GM divisional structure of the Company and in a way that's relevant to the market. While I find certain luxury vehicles from BMW, Mercedes and Cadillac appealing, I'm not so sure the more in-your-face identity of these makes fits with my personality. I would imagine that a car like the Velite - perhaps more so in a coupe or sedan-with-a-coupe-profile (like the CLS) - would be a perfect car for me. And I fantasize that GM will put itself together to make Buick an appropriate near-luxury vehicle maker.

Thus far, I think consumers and shareholders have seen the $3 billion earmarked for Buick invested rather poorly; the LaCrosse, Terraza and Lucerne merit a refund.

[plane]

I miss Oldsmobile!

Every Alero I see makes me want one even more.
Rick needs to make the hard calls:

No more job bank.
No more health care for medicare eligible retirees.
No more defined benefits - everyone gets defined contributions.
(GM only kicks x dollars and you make it work, instead of unlimited GM liability.)
27% Medical Contribution across the board.
Immediate 25,000 worker reduction.
5 plants closed.
Maximum GM salary capped at $1M for symbolic reasons.
Any stock options granted to management mature in 10 years.
Sell the corporate jets. You're a car company so drive d*mnit.

Then start looking at the product.
World-wide platforms, fewer platforms overall.
Fewer engines. GM doesn't need 27 different engines.
Much better gas mileage, especially at the econocar level.
More AWD and cross-overs - it's the wave.
Don't even take a breath, start again to make it better w/ Continuous improvement.

Maybe with those kind of forceful actions, GM might have a chance.

Just do it!

[nsap]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

I'm not so sure I agree with the second sentence or even if it's true. I don't see much overlap now or in the future for Saturn and Buick.

Ask any insider. I know its hard to grasp, but that is what is taking place. Just look at the new Saturn products, they are near-luxury vehicles.

[nailhead425]

Originally Posted by nsap

Ask any insider. I know its hard to grasp, but that is what is taking place. Just look at the new Saturn products, they are near-luxury vehicles.

Insiders? I don't care about insiders, I care about the products on the showroom floor. Saturns don't appeal to me, but the Buick concept of subtle presence, modest luxury, excellent value, and Cadillac quality do.

Ignore the brand and it surely will go away. Once the brand goes, it's gone forever, taking the customer's with.

Did we not LEARN from the Olds disaster?

[Ming]

I'm with you NSAP. Buick is the division that I really want to like, but the (base model) 3800+4-speed auto trans+G/W body platform formula (made for Fleet duty specials) is really wearing on me.

Buick could really use an injection of retro, IMO. Buick has such great styling of the past to draw on, but seems content instead with drawing on the mid to late 1990's Jellybean Anonymous looks.

Less 90's Riviera, more 1949 Buick please, Mr. Lutz. And don't wait 5 years to come out with a Chrysler 300 clone either...just work the design cues with more intensity into upcoming product.

Big Chrome Waterfall Grilles....my Buick dreams are just that...dreams...instead we get...Terrazas with black plastic grilles and Lucernes that look like Nissans....

[DenCo]

I was an Olds fan, GM killed it, they lost that part of me, a big part of my respect I had for them as well. They mutilated Saturn, the nice little basic cheap economical transportation that really was a "different kind of car", again, that was quite painful and as a GM fan it hurt considerably.

Now, rather than killing the already "dead" in the eyes of most people Saturn they may kill Buick, the one division that actually keeps me hanging on? If they really wish to survive, I truly suggest they keep EVERY division, make cutbacks if necessary and strive until they can slowly fix everything and make a triumphant return.

Killing Buick right now, though it would not surprise me, would be their biggest mistake yet and would be the last straw for many GM enthusiasts who are already starting to lose faith in them.

I've always seen GM as pretty much split into 2.

Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac
Saturn, Oldsmobile, Buick

The first grouping being the brands that were more mainstream and the second being the brands that are/were different. They've insisted on ignoring the 2nd group for so long that most of these brands are in ruins now and one is already dead, one of them has completely lost it's way and the last has been left to stagnate so long it's lost all relevance to most people and may be killed.

Come on guys, wake-up before it's too late.

A GM that consists of mainly of Chevy, Pontiac and Cadillac is not one I'll be a fan of.

EDIT : I'd like to add that they fixed Cadillac which was even worse off at the time, they can do this too if they really wanted to. Though we've all seen how nothing seems to matter to them other than their beloved Cadillac... and Saturn...

[hotrod747]

Honestly, I don't think GM have a marketing problem with Buick. I think there is a simple lack of focus and forward thinking for a brand whose traditional customers are said to of the elderly type and are not expected to be around within the next 10- 20 years. FALSE! Not everyone I know that have honestly considered buying a Buick fits this demographic. They prefer quality and comfort over performance. Buick's sales are in decline mode due to the lack of fresh sheet metal and inviting interiors. For pre- lux or luxury cars/ SUV's, they simply can't match the appeal of a lot of their competitors. Before LaCrosse or Lucerne, the line- up would have worked maybe 10 or 15 years ago, but not today. I think Buick should market retro- styled or heritage- styled vehicles with absolutely killer interiors to further set it apart from it's sister divisions. This, combined with the traditional qualities Buick is known for, is absolutely certain to boost sales to profitable levels.

[plane]

This summer, I saw the nicest stock black '69 Skylark convertible at Alki beach. That car had fun and American Dream written all over it.



These are the cars that capture the imagination. We need a revitalized Buick now more than ever.

[Sparta]

Buick will perish if it does not get a RWD V8 ala Velite soon.

[johnd89]

they way I see it the bonnie gxp tried to replace the aurora v8. now the lucerne (believe or not, I had to look up the name because I forgot, it's that catchy...) tries to replace the bonnie...
for sure they need a couple good products to stay in the game. between chevy and caddy the gap is too big.
they absolutely need something based on the cts. something bold to put them back on the map, like the solstice is for pontiac