Buick's Inside Plans & Why the Park Avenue Won't Come to the USA

[neshapop]

Originally Posted by Hoosier Red

Currently offered Buick - true. Buick has to live in that price range with good products. Buick is not viable in the 20K's.....it's not a value brand. It's a premium brand. I definitely don't agree that Toyota/Nissan/Honda can sell the bulk of their appliances in the 30K+ range. At least not currently. Too many value shoppers want their A to B appliances to pay that kind of cash.

A lot of value shoppers buy 3.8L/4 speed Buick for the same reason, here in Canada base Allure/LaCrosse is priced as 4 cyl. Camry/Accord/Altima.

If GM wants that kind of sales volume than they should offer the trim in that price range. In premium range even Cadillac cannot match Lexus sales why Buick would have that kind of aspiration?

[neshapop]

Originally Posted by rueben44

WHAT! Have you priced Lucerne's lately? LOL!

How many they sold in V8 trim? 20% best case scenario?

[Ming]

Originally Posted by VCDJ

GM needs to stop waisting money on buick and pontiac in NA. Kill those two brands. Pontiac is a rent a car brand. Buick is old peoples car. Just kill those two brands and focus more on Chevy, Cady and Saturn. G8 would be a very nice Impala. Chevy would probably sell alot more of those G8 then Pontiac will. Gm is loosing sales because they have to many brands.

[Will75]

[quote=VCDJ]GM needs to stop waisting money on buick and pontiac in NA. Kill those two brands. Pontiac is a rent a car brand. Buick is old peoples car. quote]

Right, because there are no rental car companies or old people to buy cars!?

Even if your statement wasn't a) a rehash of what had been debated for YEARS or b) a huge exaggeration and stereotype, the point is that GM just needs less and better product in each of its brands. Killing off a brand and paying off dealers would likely sink the GM boat.

[starlightmica]

Originally Posted by MechEng

GM is not targeting Toyota's Nissan's and Honda's with Buick. There targeting Lexus, Infinity and Acura

Lexus & Acura - certainly doable. Infiniti - not without RWD, you don't.

[HoosierRon]

We all have seen how quickly GM turned around the images of Saturn and Cadillac. If the rpoduct is there, people will gladly pay high 30s for a Buick. Who thought 5 hears ago, people would be paying +30k for a Saturn or +70k for a Cadillac?

I do think that when they switch from FWD to RWD, they should change the name from Lucerne back to Park Avenue.

[63cat]

This seems to make sense. I've never been a big fan or either LaCrosse, Chinese or American. I do think when it debuts it needs a new name: maybe Invicta or Wildcat. LaCrosse has some baggage and since it is a whole new design, why not bring back a heritage name.

Jan '09 isn't too far off. Maybe we'll see it Detroit next year.

The Lucerne has been a good seller as is, so an improved one can only sell even better.

[Chaz_23]

Thanks. Enough of the "bring everything here" song by people who'd never consider buying the product in the first place.

[01cavalier]

Too bad, I don't think that overlap in price with Cadillac would necessarily cause problems. Having some diferent product makes sense with what Buick is in China, but Buick still needs to have much better cars.

[1487]

I thought the reasons for not offering the Chinese PArk Ave were obvious but based on all the anger directed at GM I guess it wasnt obvious. The Park Ave in China is very high end and would not sell here at all. People want high end Buicks with top notch interiors and features and then complain if Buicks cost more than $35k. Make up your mind.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by Chaz_23

Thanks. Enough of the "bring everything here" song by people who'd never consider buying the product in the first place.

Not always the case. In fact, I have just recently ordered a new car that I long asked for GM to bring here (see my "suggestion" in my previous post here for a clue). Suzuki is offering me what I want, even if GM USA (another clue) won't. Should be arriving at the dealership in less than a week. May not have the Buick badge or even a GM badge, but it could have...

[fan]

What seems nice is that Buick does not compete with BMW and Mercedes in China. It is a near-luxury brand in China (GL8, the current chinese LaCrosse is an improved GMDAT vehicle ) that happens to have a very good reputation.
So, by developing the same products in US and China, GM won't have to go against Cadillac. The'll be developing near-luxury(upscale) vehicles for both markets. Buick would be on the same level as Acura, Saab, Chrysler 300 in US; affordable luxury

[GM lover]

Cannot wait to see the new Buicks.

[usa1]

Add one year to all the above dates and cut the volumes in half and you will probably be closer to what happens.

Mark

[jbartley]

well that spells things out quite nicely!

sounds like a plan.

a sub-lacrosse model, a convertible, and a smaller crossover wouldn't hurt!