Should GM save Buick?

[liberalpragmatist]

The consensus is that a "new" GM if it emerges may well be only Chevrolet and Cadillac. There's some logic to that - like the Japanese makers, it would focus on a mass-market product (Chevrolet) and one luxury brand (Cadillac).

Still, GM's new CEO pledges that four "core" brands will remain: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.

GMC's a real head-scratcher, as their entire lineup is simply a clone of Chevy, though I suspect they want to retain that brand because it's actually a decent seller for them.

Buick's a much tougher call, however, and I wonder whether they should retain Buick as a small, niche brand, perhaps sold at Chevy dealers.

The reasons:

(1) Buick actually retains some brand value. It was the original GM brand, it had a very loyal customer base and the name hasn't been sullied like so many other nameplates.

(2) Buick is a *HUGE* seller in the overseas market. It's the best-selling car in China and does reasonably well in much of the rest of the world.

(3) Buick, as I see it, does theoretically have a viable niche in the U.S. market. Though few automakers these days have more than one luxury brand, it seems to me there really is kind of a segmentation in the luxury car market. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, and, to a lesser extent, Audi and Jaguar, are at the premium end. Acura, Infiniti, Lincoln, and some high-end VWs occupy a second-tier. Though theoretically those "second-tier" brands compete with the first tier, they seem to attract a different customer base - people who want a luxury car but either can't or don't want to pay for a Benz, BMW or Lexus or want something a little more modest.

GM's ambition is for Cadillac to once again be mentioned in the same breath as Mercedes, BMW and Lexus. If they succeed in that, then a lean Buick could theoretically compete in that second tier level against Acuras, Infinitis, and Lincolns.

Moreover, Buick actually has some very good models. The Lucerne is decent, their SUV, the Buick Enclave is good, and the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse is a radical redesign based on the Opel Insignia, which has gotten excellent advance reviews.


2010 Buick LaCross

Any thoughts? Should GM just go the Chevy+Cadillac route, or is their room for Buick in the lineup?

[FreakinDJ]

1. Why does the name "Buick" sound like some one vomiting

"Oh Gawd Oh Gawd, Buick, Buick, Buick"

I'm a Ford Guy - sorry couldn't resist

[Obamanaut]

20. "Buick" sold to "Ralph"...."O'Rourke". Memories of my drinking days. A

most wRETCHed past - thankfully gone now.

[veritasvg]

2. The Problem...

...I have with this argument is that selling cars is all about volume.

What made GM so strong for so many years was its ability to spread its costs across all those divisions...and if those divisions aren't there anymore, a historically important pillar of strength for the company will be gone as well.

[RB TexLa]

3. Why not spin off Buick?

half the funds go to GM half go to repayment of the loans.

[liberalpragmatist]

4. Probably not big enough

Buick's domestic sales have been awful and it's probably not viable as an independent company.

That being said, if GM's "bad assets" are sold off, I suspect some enterprising entrepreneur or even a foreign automaker may well purchase Buick or at least the rights to the name.

[RB TexLa]

5. A spun off Buick Motors wouldn't have to sell a single car in North America to be a successfully

company.

[underpants]

6. The Chinese love Buicks

Buick bucks the trend
GM brand is No. 1 car seller in China, thanks to smart marketing
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12801549/
May. 15, 2006

[Tesha]

7. I've never understood why anyone gets excited about which badge GM slaps on a platform.

GM builds a platform and then options it up in various ways;
the highest-end option package gets a Caddy badge, the next
highest (with a lot of old-fogey options) gets called a Buick,
the slightly sportier package for family men got called an
Oldsmobile, the more-sporty package for young guys got
called a Pontiac, and the bottom-end stripped version is
called a Chevrolet.

But why do people get excited about any of this? Call them
all GMCs and there'd be no difference in the cars and probably
not much difference in people's perceptions of them.

Tesha

[tammywammy]

8. I like the GM plan of keeping Chevy, GMC, Buick and Cadillac

Buick has huge potential. They have good models now and better ones coming. Plus, it's a huge seller in China.

[Faygo Kid]

9. I've owned a couple Buicks. Good cars.

I hope they make it. Goodbye, Pontiac.

[Skidmore]

10. Wow! What a fix. This nation needs a whole bunch of luxury

cars like we need an epidemic. Why can't these people just get cars out there that people can afford to buy and are fuel efficient? Is that too much to ask?

[Deja Q]

13. Yes

:(

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Of course!! Everybody knows there's a HUGE market for Buicks.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[RB TexLa]

12. There is a huge market for them. China.

[tammywammy]

14. It's called China. n/t

[amandabeech]

15. Consumer Reports has ranked Buick models highly over the past

several years. They're quite reliable.

Buick needs some Chrysler sheet metal to improve appeal, and I'm sure that there will be some Chrysler people available soon, unfortunately.

Either that, or move the top selling Buicks to Chevrolet and rebrand them.

[CANDO]

16. I absolutely love my '99 Regal.

Best car I've ever owned. 130k miles and counting. Smooth as it was new.

[Enthusiast]

17. Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and

the others used to have quite a bit of individuality. They had their own family of engines and production facilities. Now, not so much. But Buick has quite a history. It's a shame to lose any of these once great names. I remember when Desoto was a commonly seen car. And Plymouth. Remember Rambler? Rambler became American Motors and was purchased by Chysler, mostly to obtain the Jeep brand.

[mitchtv]

18. Only if they bring back the Riviera

[TheKentuckian]

19. I like a Buick but isn't Saturn the real platform that should go forward?