Buick Ponders Another Crossover, CBS Showed It to Us First

[wescoent]

Really? The VW Group has two luxury brands targeting BMW and Mercedes?

Care to enlighten me of two of their similarly configured products that sell in the same price range?

[Hurricane]

Are there any pics of the clay model?

[neshapop]

I want to see another great sedan from Buick, not a truck!

How many CUV models GM would need to fill out the product lines?

[bhoppes]

You can find a picture of the clay model, along with a cool video at:
http://www.egmcartech.com/2009/06/10...d-on-cbs-news/

[ZvetteGuy]

Originally Posted by neshapop

I want to see another great sedan from Buick, not a truck!

How many CUV models GM would need to fill out the product lines?

A CUV is not a truck... it's built on a car-like flatform I thought. Maybe I was wrong but on a side note...

GM had trouble with rebadging in the past... like the trailblazer, envoy, bravada, rainier, 9-7x, etc... all essentially looked the same except for discrete differences. The GM I see today isn't following that pattern but rather are giving distinct sheetmetal and distinct interiors on the different nameplates... so, all this junk about rebadging is simply absurd... but, I'm sure that my little statement on the issue isn't going to change people's past perspectives about GM... so, go ahead in the GM bashing... but I'll continue to look for bright spots with GM...

[AMcA]

I've got no problem with this sort of platform sharing on one condition:

That GM makes the meaning of Buick versus the meaning of Cadilla abundantly clear. They have to be different beasts, or they compete against each other. At present, I think they've got the beginnings of a differentiation. Buicks are traditionally American, soft & cushy & comfy, and are very assertively styled. They've also got fake wood, and other fittings aren't so elegant. Cadillacs are internationally competitive, and VERY assertively styled. And the appointments are a couple notches nicer.

I'd set a hard and fast rule: that a bigger Buick must not cost more than a smaller Cadillac. That would mean the SRX has to be priced just at or above the Enclave. Presently, I don't think that rule is being honored.

[ne_one]

Some may find it redundant, but I'm surprised that GM doesn't introduce a version of the Vue stylized like the Enclave. The changes at this point would be primarily cosmetic but the look-and-feel would be entirely unique.

Beyond platform sharing, design language consistency within brands should also be part of the go-forward strategy. Virtually every other manufacturer offers models that build incrementally in features and size. For consumers not needing a full-size CUV or wanting something more fuel efficient a "baby" Enclave would be perfect.

[neshapop]

Originally Posted by ZvetteGuy

A CUV is not a truck... it's built on a car-like flatform I thought. Maybe I was wrong but on a side note...

GM had trouble with rebadging in the past... like the trailblazer, envoy, bravada, rainier, 9-7x, etc... all essentially looked the same except for discrete differences. The GM I see today isn't following that pattern but rather are giving distinct sheetmetal and distinct interiors on the different nameplates... so, all this junk about rebadging is simply absurd... but, I'm sure that my little statement on the issue isn't going to change people's past perspectives about GM... so, go ahead in the GM bashing... but I'll continue to look for bright spots with GM...

Enclave (even Staurn Vue) does not show on GM Monthly Sales Deliveries report as a car, also when you stand beside the vehicle my eyes still see a truck.

[Z28x]

If Buick gets this, then GMC should dump the Terrain, or build a new Terrain off the shorter Vue chassis.

[mkwelbornjr]

Toyota has all those Camry based SUV's.

[TAMark]

Originally Posted by nsap

Did you see the clay model? It doesn't even look remotely like the SRX...hell people thought it was an Enclave!

Platform sharing is always going to happen. It has to.

No the platform doesn't need to be shared across all 4 remaining brands. Remember all the talk about reducing the number of models?

[ZvetteGuy]

Originally Posted by neshapop

Enclave (even Staurn Vue) does not show on GM Monthly Sales Deliveries report as a car, also when you stand beside the vehicle my eyes still see a truck.

I did not know that... I just gained a new wrinkle on my brain... thank you...

[TruckMan]

Originally Posted by wescoent

Really? The VW Group has two luxury brands targeting BMW and Mercedes?

Care to enlighten me of two of their similarly configured products that sell in the same price range?

Audi A3 and VW GTI/Golf.

[ne_one]

Originally Posted by AMcA

Presently, I don't think that rule is being honored.

We also need to be realistic.

GM is in the midst of a massive reorganization and we're dealing with a protracted product development cycle.

Already people are chirping that there are signs of regressing to the "old" GM. The new GM didn't emerge on June 1. And even after they come out of Chapter 11 we'll still be seeing vestiges of what was in the pipeline over the past couple of years.

That being said, I agree that GM is positioning Buick as their Lexus. I'd like to see closer pairing with Chevrolet for platforms with Cadillac clearly differentiating itself and moving to the high end.

As others have mentioned, Toyota and Honda have been doing this successfuly for years. Most consumers don't have a clue that their Lexus is based on a Corolla or Camry and those that do don't care -- they're paying for significant value-adds and the name.

[skylark68]

I don't see a problem with this. Buick and Cadillac have always targeted different buyers.