So much for the arguments that the Buick brand is dying in the American market.

https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news...nd-in-the-u-s/

Buick Ends 2023 as the Fastest Growing Mainstream Brand in the U.S.

The Buick brand of General Motors Co. in Detroit finished 2023 as the fastest growing mainstream brand in the U.S., according to GM’s sales data, and says it plans to continue that momentum into 2024 with the introduction of the next-generation Enclave SUV.The Buick brand of General Motors Co. in Detroit finished 2023 as the fastest growing mainstream brand in the U.S., according to GM’s sales data, and says it plans to continue that momentum into 2024 with the introduction of the next-generation Enclave SUV.

The automaker unveiled a heavily disguised preliminary look of the 2025 Enclave.

“As the fastest growing mainstream brand in the industry in the U.S. last year, 2024 promises more big things for Buick, spearheaded by the launch of the next-generation Enclave,” says Duncan Aldred, global vice president for Buick and GMC. “With this first glimpse of the next-generation Enclave, the flagship of our lineup, we’re continuing to lead with design, technology, and Buick’s unique premium persona.”



With the introduction of the 2025 Enclave later this year, brand officials say it will offer one of the freshest portfolios in the industry with a collection of all-new or significantly revamped vehicles.

Buick goes into 2024 bolstered by the following 2023 sales figures:

• Buick sales increased 61 percent.
• Encore GX: 92 percent increase.
• Envision: 71 percent increase.
• Enclave: 29 percent increase.
• Nearly 70 percent of Envista buyers are new to the brand.
• Best year for the premium Avenir trim at more than 26 percent of retail sales.

Also, according to the well-respected GMAuthority site, the Envista draws more buyers aged 18-35 than any other GM product. So much for all the lame jokes about Buick being a Grandpa/Grandma brand.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2024/03...uick-ad-video/

"Notably, Buick sales grew by a whopping 61 percent over the course of 2023. The Encore GX saw the biggest jump in sales at 92 percent, while the Envision grew by 71 percent and the Enclave by 29 percent. The Envista has the highest proportion of buyers aged 18 through 35 among all GM nameplates, with about 70 percent of 2023 purchasers being first-time Buick buyers as well."

I can understand the Encore GX's big 92% increase.....I've loved mine since the day I got it more than three years ago. I'd get another one in a heartbeat, despite the small three-pot turbo engine.


IMO, it's also debatable if Buick can be considered a "mainstream" brand to start with. Although not in the same full-luxury category as Cadillac, Lincoln, Lexus, Mercedes, etc.....The brand, in general, straddles the line between mainstream and luxury, somewhat similar to the position Mercury was in between Ford and Lincoln before it was axed. Buick, in fact, had the same 6/70 and 4/50 factory warranty as Cadillac, Lincoln, Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura before it was cut back a few years ago to a mainstream-level 5/60 and 3/36.

 

You chastised Buick for dumping all their sedans, and now you are praising them when the strategy actually works.

But given those sales numbers for their more entry level cars, including the new Envista, Buick is moving very close to a mainstream brand. If one of the people in charge of Buick says it is "mainstream", then that's what it is.

 

This has nothing to do with dumping their sedans. In fact, the Envista, which sells to their youngest audience, although in fact a hatchback, is styled more like a sedan than their other American-market products.

https://www.carscoops.com/2023/07/bu...h-new-envista/

 

It has everything to do with dropping sedans. The Envista is described by Buick as a "crossover coupe", your very least favorite body style. And if you read the entire article you posted, they designed it to appeal to people who would still buy a sedan for better handling and rear-seat legroom, by providing those things in a CUV form factor.

A compact CUV in the mid-$20k range with more rear-seat legroom than a Camry hits all the right notes. Actually feels like something Toyota might have made if they weren't so concentrated on keeping the Camry alive. Buick doesn't have that baggage anymore, so they were free to develop this knockout offering, which--by finally lowering the average age of a Buick customer--can actually save the brand.

Look, I'm a big fan of sedans, and actually put my money where my mouth is. I literally purchased the sedan that--at the end of its production run in 3 years, will be the last RWD sedan with a manual transmission ever made by anyone. But even I can see that Buick abandoning the sedan market is the only reason they still exist.

 

They dropped sedans to focus on cross overs and SUVs. They freed up $$$ from what they saw as a losing market to focus on what they see as a winning market. And it is paying off in the short term.

"More like a sedan" still isn't a sedan. Young people don't want sedans--but they may be attracted to an affordable crossover with room for their stuff. The Regal with the sport back was a failure because...it was TOO MUCH like a sedan. The Envista has a jacked up stance and looks more like a crossover than a sedan.

 

It's a sign of the times that all but one of the Buick models (Enclave) are imported from either China or S. Korea. I wonder if this trend will continue with any future models.

 

Yes and no. They lost some customers by dropping sedans, and picked up some with their newer crossovers.

Two points, however, may (?) need to be considered. First, the article doesn't mention this, but at least some of that strong growth for Buick in 2023 may (?) be because a lot of customers simply waited out 2021 and 2022 and its crazy supply-disrupted new-vehicle market and ridiculous dealer mark-ups. Second, some Buick-loyal customers may also be buying new vehicles now, while they can still get gas engines, before Buick's plan to go all all-BEV by 2030....although the latest news from GM is that that 2030 deadline may now be on hold

Some young people are OK with sedans (I was, for one, when I was young)....but I will agree that, overall, they tend to prefer more sport-oriented body styles.

Most people today prefer some added height and ground clearance, which makes entry/exit easier and gives more ability to drive in snow.

No. The Regal Tour-X (which I think you are referring to) failed because it was too much of a wagon. Unless it has the name Subaru on it, traditional wagons just don't sell very well in the U.S.

Having said that, however, the Tour-X, IMO, deserved better sales than it actually got. While it lacked the hot-selling Outback's jacked-up ground clearance, it was an excellent competitor to the Outback in a number of other ways, among them its standard AWD.

 

The common wisdom in the auto press and pundits is that Buick's American market exists today primarily because of the brand's enormous popularity on China....not necessarily because they dropped sedans and concentrated on crossovers. But, either way, whether from sedans or crossovers, the sales-increase last year is nothing to sneeze at.

I suspect that some of the dealerships who recently dropped the Buick franchise may soon be having some second thoughts.

 

If this was the case, then Buick would have the same sales growth as all other companies.

Some = few. And comparisons to what people liked 60 years ago is not relevant at all.


Which is a big reason why people are moving away from sedans.

I didn't say Tour-X and I didn't say "wagon". I said Sport Back. I am not referring to the wagon; I am referring to the hatchback. I said what I meant, and I don't need to be told what I meant. While I appreciate that you have an extensive breadth of automotive knowledge which you have acquired over the years, I think I've been here long enough that you can assume that I might know a little bit about cars, and you don't need to tell me I'm wrong reflexively; it's just downright rude. I will accept your apology for being rude whenever you would care to deliver it.

 

Yes, I should have said "in the US market". If US sales had continued to fall like they had been since the recent peak at 229k in 2016 past their recent low of 103k, GM would have pulled the plug on the US market. Last year's increase brings volume back to slightly above 2020 (162k), when they discontinued sedans, and I expect (slower) growth to continue for the next several years.

Buick is still strong in the Chinese market, but will never again be the powerhouse they were until recently. They had been in the top four for many years, but last year fell to twelfth. Pundits are predicting that they'll get back into the top 10 by the end of the decade, but never back into the top 5.

 

One has to be very careful with headlines and stories like these. All manufacturers were way down with production and sales during Covid. So it's natural most brands would be climbing up the numbers ladder for 2023 and 2024. This is certainly a big reason for Buick's recent strides (amongst some new products). A look at most manufacturers would yield similar results.

This actually reminds me of some past tv commercials for local car dealerships. Brand new dealership opens and their ad is headlined by, "fastest growing dealership in the west..." Well of course you are the fastest growing dealership. Six months ago you didn't exist and had zero sales! People gobble the hype up without thinking twice...

 

If the lease deals hit $200 I'll buy one for the comedy lol

 

Exactly. One really needs to look at actual sales numbers to see if there is true growth. A vehicle that sold 100 last year and 150 this year is now at 50% increase, which if not looking at total numbers looks great. A vehicle that sold 50,000 last year and is now at 60,000 is 'only 20% increase, less than the 1st example but obviously a much sought after vehicle. It's all a numbers game, one must look at the whole picture.

 

Hummer sales went up something like 1000%, maybe it was 2000%. Context here is needed what did Buick sell the last few quarters?

 

If Buick is saved in the US, it'll be because of crossovers. Their sedans were dead weight in a market that just doesn't want sedans nearly as much as they used to.

I myself prefer a sedan to a crossover, but I'm in the minority and understand why they're going away.