Next Buick Excelle = Opel Astra? - Page 5

Myke · 04-17-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenon

Ahem...

So your G8 idea is kinda redundant eh? Besides by the looks of it,Buick NA will probably get what Buick China gets (Remember the 2010 Lacrosse is Chinese designed.)

The US really should have got the Statesman at the start, instead of the Lucerne. It definitely would have opened the brand up for people under 70.

govey · 07-03-2009, 03:27 PM

I am incredibly sick of the "only old people drive them" image of Buick. While it's true that a lot of older people drive them, it's because older people generally have good taste in automobiles. I would love to see the Astra here as a Buick. I know a lot of young people who think the Enclave is sweet, so give the hatchback Enclave styling cues and young people could have a affordable, stylish and fuel-efficient American luxury vehicle.

1G6 · 07-03-2009, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by govey

I am incredibly sick of the "only old people drive them" image of Buick. While it's true that a lot of older people drive them, it's because older people generally have good taste in automobiles. I would love to see the Astra here as a Buick. I know a lot of young people who think the Enclave is sweet, so give the hatchback Enclave styling cues and young people could have a affordable, stylish and fuel-efficient American luxury vehicle.

I'm 31, and I think my Lucerne is awesome.

govey · 07-03-2009, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1G6

I'm 31, and I think my Lucerne is awesome.

I agree that Buicks are awesome. I have just met alot of annoying people who say that Buicks are only for old people. I wanted a Lucerne but my gf won out and we got a Ford Five Hundred instead. Which I have came to love as well but now I really want an Enclave.

YSSMAN · 07-05-2009, 07:20 PM

Well, until Buick offers some cheaper options with some sporty content, younger people won't exactly be clamoring for the cars anyway. Having seen the 2010 LaCrosse in person, and being 22, I'm certainly not a part of the typical Buick-buyer segment... But given the right set of circumstances, I'd buy-in. Thing is though, there are other excellent options out there for the money. Buick needs to stand out long before they'll get the attention they deserve.

Will the Excelle/Astra/Skylark/Whatever do that? Possibly. But, in what will likely become a very lucrative segment (entry-level luxury compacts), the competition will likely heat up more quickly than GM can keep pace with. Given the magic that is going on at Ford right now, could you imagine what would happen in Lincoln tinkered with the already excellent Fiesta? Or the MKII (MKIII soon) Focus? What about Lexus getting in on the small car, small hybrid market? Acura has been playing this game for a while as well...

Given the right set of options on the small Buick, I'd be interested. But it will have to offer a lot of car for not much money, and I don't know if Buick is going to do that dance. Especially in the face of an Alfa Romeo (and FIAT) onslaught, and certainly, Ford moving far further upmarket than they ever were before.

stas peterson · 07-06-2009, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric77TA

From everything I've heard, we'd probably have the Chinese Park Avenue NOW if it weren't for the fact that Buick dealers said they didn't want it - that the Lucerne was more what their buyers wanted.

And you wouldn't have wanted it as it would have appeared back then. It would have had a 3.4 or 3.9 High Feature (ie Obsolescent) underpowered wheezer. It would have been mated to an 4-speed automatic, the same as the "performance" 4.3 liter Athmastic V-8. Performance? 0-60 in a weekend. But it would have given you "respectable" mileage of 17 city 20 highway; yes just what you would have desired!

TriShield · 07-09-2009, 06:47 PM

Selling the Astra as a Buick is just another in a long line of awful ideas fresh from GM that are destined to fail.

It's amazing after all the company and its fanbase has been through that everyone still tries to rationalize horrible products ideas like this.

GM is run by people who have no idea what they're doing or how to survive or what their brands really stood for when they were profitable.

07-03-2009, 03:27 PM	#62 (permalink)
govey Walking Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: NE Mpls, MN Drives: 2005 Silverado Z71 Posts: 10	Re: Next Buick Excelle = Opel Astra? I am incredibly sick of the "only old people drive them" image of Buick. While it's true that a lot of older people drive them, it's because older people generally have good taste in automobiles. I would love to see the Astra here as a Buick. I know a lot of young people who think the Enclave is sweet, so give the hatchback Enclave styling cues and young people could have a affordable, stylish and fuel-efficient American luxury vehicle. __________________ Support American Workers, be American, BUY AMERICAN! current vehicles: 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z71 5.3HO EC SB - Dark Gray on black 2006 Ford Five Hundred Limited - Dark Shadow Grey on black future: Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LTZ Z71 DMAX EC SB - Taupe Gray on black Lincoln MKS AWD EcoBoost - Cinnamon on black

07-05-2009, 07:20 PM	#65 (permalink)
YSSMAN 2.4 Liter SIDI ECOTEC Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Drives: 1998 Toyota Celica GT Posts: 143	Re: Next Buick Excelle = Opel Astra? Well, until Buick offers some cheaper options with some sporty content, younger people won't exactly be clamoring for the cars anyway. Having seen the 2010 LaCrosse in person, and being 22, I'm certainly not a part of the typical Buick-buyer segment... But given the right set of circumstances, I'd buy-in. Thing is though, there are other excellent options out there for the money. Buick needs to stand out long before they'll get the attention they deserve. Will the Excelle/Astra/Skylark/Whatever do that? Possibly. But, in what will likely become a very lucrative segment (entry-level luxury compacts), the competition will likely heat up more quickly than GM can keep pace with. Given the magic that is going on at Ford right now, could you imagine what would happen in Lincoln tinkered with the already excellent Fiesta? Or the MKII (MKIII soon) Focus? What about Lexus getting in on the small car, small hybrid market? Acura has been playing this game for a while as well... Given the right set of options on the small Buick, I'd be interested. But it will have to offer a lot of car for not much money, and I don't know if Buick is going to do that dance. Especially in the face of an Alfa Romeo (and FIAT) onslaught, and certainly, Ford moving far further upmarket than they ever were before. __________________ Imagine drinking a pint of hemlock, setting yourself on fire and then jumping out of a plane when it’s directly overhead a combine harvester. You don’t know what’s going to kill you: only that you are going through the Pearly Gates at great speed very soon. - Clarkson on the Mercedes CLK Black Series

07-09-2009, 06:47 PM	#67 (permalink)
TriShield 4.4 Liter Supercharged Northstar Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA Drives: 07 Escalade ESV, 09 G8 GXP Posts: 2,935	Re: Next Buick Excelle = Opel Astra? Selling the Astra as a Buick is just another in a long line of awful ideas fresh from GM that are destined to fail. It's amazing after all the company and its fanbase has been through that everyone still tries to rationalize horrible products ideas like this. GM is run by people who have no idea what they're doing or how to survive or what their brands really stood for when they were profitable.

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