Buick, a GM division on the upswing
When General Motors filed for bankruptcy back in 2009, it decided to save money by killing off several brands they deemed no longer profitable, or that were competing with other divisions within the company.
Pontiac was laid to rest after being established back in 1926. Saturn was dumped some 20 years after its creation, despite being tagged as “a new kind of car company.” HUMMER was terminated after it was no longer possible to shake off consumer perception as being an eco-unfriendly brand. And Saab was sold to Spyker, a small Dutch car company that just couldn’t revive the ailing Swedish brand.
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Buick survived, and I guess a lot of people wondered why GM chose to keep it instead of Pontiac. In 2009, its lineup consisted of only three models; the midsize LaCrosse sedan (known in Canada as the Allure at the time), the full-size Lucerne sedan and the midsize Enclave SUV. Buick sales were, to say it politely, “existant.”
The reason for keeping Buick alive was simple, yet so far away. I don’t know why, but the Chinese market adopted Buick as a premium brand, and since China was becoming a big—no, a huge—market for automakers, no way GM could let Buick die.
With a sales increase of 13% in 2016 compared to the same period last year, things are looking up for Buick in Canada, as their product lineup is growing and better suited to a changing North American clientele. The Encore is a hit for consumers that needed to downsize, but wanted something more upscale than a Chevy. The Envision is an all-new entry in the compact SUV segment, and should be a popular choice even though it’s actually built in China and imported to our market. The Enclave is still selling surprisingly well despite its age, and will soon be redesigned.
SUVs are good for the bottom line, but Buick’s challenge is to increase car sales. The new 2017 Buick LaCrosse we recently drive in Oregon will give the brand some visibility with its seductive styling. The Cascada convertible, basically a rebadged Opel, is drawing new customers to the brand in the U.S., but GM Canada figured sales wouldn’t be strong enough in our country, so we don’t get it. That’s a shame.
Then there’s the aging Verano and Regal sedans. The Verano is doing fairly well in Canada, thanks to good incentives, but should soon be redesigned. We’re still waiting to see when a redesigned Regal will appear, too. And while we’re on the subject, the sporty Regal Gran Sport will likely disappear at the end of its product cycle, and no new Buick product in America will get a GS variant. According to the brand’s representatives, nobody’s buying them.
By 2018, four new Buick models will be introduced. The Enclave, Regal and Verano replacements should be included in there, which means there might be another addition to the brand’s lineup.