October 04, 2006

By Steve Miller

DETROIT -- Thinking about the $3 billion-and-rising auto aftermarket industry—all fast flash and youthful exuberance—surely doesn’t conjure up images of your dad’s Buick.

But this year, for the first time in the 43-year history of the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s annual convention, Buick will feature 11 custom-designed Lucernes on display.

With an average buyer age in the mid-60s, Buick is golf and country club, not rims and chrome. The Lucerne, timid in design but long in plush luxury, is by no means a kid’s dream car.

But word is that when Buick’s parent General Motors began its discussions with various customization shops about its entries into the convention, which runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 in Las Vegas, honchos put forward the Lucerne.

“We started getting calls from custom shops from New York to LA about doing a Lucerne for the show,” said David Darovitz, a Buick rep. “This kind of thing can do a lot for a brand as well as a vehicle.” Any sort of buzz at the annual show, which showcases both car and aftermarket product to an audience that is composed primarily of enthusiasts, can generate sales.

In Buick’s case, the hope is for a younger buyer, Darovitz said. “We want the Lucerne and the event to move Buick into both our new portfolio of products and a new audience.”

The interest in what is seen as an older person’s car stems in part from a trend in Japan that is just now making its way to these shores, called “VIP style,” which means tricking out a vehicle not in gaudy bling or personalized style, but to give it an enhanced profile of luxury and status.

On the other end of the trend scale is the traditionalist, like Rick Bottom, owner of Custom Motorsports in Mendota, Ill., which is working on one of the Lucernes for the show.

“If this car is handled right, it can appeal to a younger person,” said Bottom, who will display the car at shows for a year after SEMA. Bottom secures the car from GM, which sees the marketing potential of both the customization attention from Bottom and the placement value of appearing at SEMA and other shows.

“A lot of these younger enthusiasts are getting married, having children, and the Lucerne has a lot of room. And yet it also has the performance potential,” he said. “You throw out the name Lucerne and everybody says, ‘Oh, it’s an old man’s car,’” Bottom added. “But when I took the car around to my sponsors, from wheels to brakes, they all wanted to be involved and they think it can be a hit.”