Buick Park Avenue - a flop in China?

[A.J.]

I was poking around the internet and found an article - the top 10 sales flops in the Chinese auto market. Oddly enough, the Buick Park Avenue made the list, coming in at the #1 spot. What a shocker.

Another shocker, the Toyota Prius followed the Park Avenue at the #2 spot. Other good-selling cars in the US but bad for China are the Acura TL, Hyundai Sonata, Mitsubushi Galant, and Kia Rio.

Click for the article - China Car Times

Originally Posted by China Car Times

Some cars just wont sell in China, period.

[HoosierRon]

Regarding the Park Avenue:

The Buick Lacrosse is a much nicer car.

Fine. All the more reason to bring the Park Avenue here.

[DuSpinnst]

Originally Posted by A.J.

I was poking around the internet and found an article - the top 10 sales flops in the Chinese auto market. Oddly enough, the Buick Park Avenue made the list, coming in at the #1 spot. What a shocker.

Another shocker, the Toyota Prius followed the Park Avenue at the #2 spot. Other good-selling cars in the US but bad for China are the Acura TL, Hyundai Sonata, Mitsubushi Galant, and Kia Rio.

Click for the article - China Car Times

I've yet to figure out how a car that has been out less than 6 months (maybe even less than 3) can be considered a flop.

[likearock00]

Ever heard of the expression "the grass is greener on the other side"? I don't understand why they wouldn't like this car. I think it could really push Buick's sales numbers to new limits if brought here.

[psece]

Has anyone figured out what the price is in China? I have read some amazing numbers that put it in the high 40k in US Dollars. If that is true, maybe Buick wasn't trying to make a high number car but a high premium car.

[Ming]

Weren't / Aren't people saying the same thing about the Aura? A great, even award-winning product can be tripped up by a variety of things. No reason not to bring it here. In fact, now Bob should have even more reasons to just bring it here as-is, imported from China if they indeed do have some extra capacity!

I'd seen this news a week or two back on some obscure Asian news site - I don't know enough about the Chinese market to explain it, except perhaps that the market is very limited given that the average monthly salary in Guangzhou was 100 US dollars when I was there last year, and the PA is expensive even by US standards.

[Bravada]

Interesting how a seemingly specialist publication publishes such an uninformed piece. It is not a secret that the auto market in China is very different from the European or American markets, and not everything will work the same. The huge sellers in China play second or third fiddle in the Western world (if they are available at all), while many imported cars barely sell at all in China due to import duties, undeveloped sales networks and Chinese buyers price sensitivity, to say so (in a market where Wuling vans are the hot thing, can you expect Acura to post US sales numbers?)

I believe we will see the ParkAve sales taking off in the second half of the year, once production ramps up and marketing is there. I am also sure SAIC will do a lot to secure local or central government orders, as well as use its clout with the Shanghai business community to push the product.

[Bravada]

We’re presuming the sales figures we have here are for the third generation Sonata

If you call yourself "China Car Times", you'd better find out what sales figures you have there.

[mcool]

Could they either be referring to the last generation Park Avenue entirely or be extrapolating the new products performance based on the old P.A.? I remember reading that the previous Holden-based Park Avenue was not a great sales performer, so much so that it wasn't certain whether or not China would receive WM-based product at first.

Personally, I can't imagine a product that literally just launched being termed a sales flop. Even the Aura took several months before anyone was critical, and I still think Saturn's brand will lag a little longer behind its great product. The Aura will likely perform like the 1st CTS, where it improves its sales through the first full cycle.

Back to the P.A., they don't even expect to sell it at a super high volume in China, to my knowledge, so again, I really don't think they're speaking of the new product.

[Bravada]

There was no "old Park Avenue", the WL-based large Buick in China was called Buick Royaum.



They are speakin of the new Park Avenue, as raved about around here. And yes, it only sold 900+ units - but they barely started making them!

[samkung]

Originally Posted by Bravada

Interesting how a seemingly specialist publication publishes such an uninformed piece. It is not a secret that the auto market in China is very different from the European or American markets, and not everything will work the same. The huge sellers in China play second or third fiddle in the Western world (if they are available at all), while many imported cars barely sell at all in China due to import duties, undeveloped sales networks and Chinese buyers price sensitivity, to say so (in a market where Wuling vans are the hot thing, can you expect Acura to post US sales numbers?)

I believe we will see the ParkAve sales taking off in the second half of the year, once production ramps up and marketing is there. I am also sure SAIC will do a lot to secure local or central government orders, as well as use its clout with the Shanghai business community to push the product.

WOW Bravada u seems know alot about Chinese Market but what u said is true, people who are interested in Park Ave is either government officials or business owner, and the main purpose is pay some1 to drive the car around for them/their clients.

BTW i felt impressed by this "China Car Times" i mean what a great name, but to be honest, it is funny to see a website about the Chinese Market in FULL English and where do they get their facts from, as you all know the informations arent as "free flow" as it is in the US, so where they get their facts from

PS: i believe there are cars that sell less than the Park Ave in China, so what exactly is the website comparing?

[Bravada]

Given the data you just presented us with in the Excelle/Lybra thread, the ParkAve was like in its third month of sales when they made their comment, and in some other source I read that the high level of sophistication and the all-new (for SAIC) platform has led to some issues in production which hampered capacity...

[samkung]

Originally Posted by Bravada

and in some other source I read that the high level of sophistication and the all-new (for SAIC) platform has led to some issues in production which hampered capacity...

i ve heard that too

[mbukukanyau]

I know how GM can get its money back for developing the Park Avenue.
Bring it here

[hotrod747]

Originally Posted by likearock00

Ever heard of the expression "the grass is greener on the other side"? I don't understand why they wouldn't like this car. I think it could really push Buick's sales numbers to new limits if brought here.

I'm probably going to get stones thrown at me for saying this, but: The reason the new Buick Park Avenue is not coming to the U.S. is because its sales will literally kill the Cadillac DTS AND the STS! Trust me, this car is very well along the lines of what Cadillac should have dones years ago. At the right price point, it will be GM's best dselling luxury car in the U.S.!