The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is the best car no one will buy.
08-07-09, 06:33 AM
#31
Lexus Champion
He is wrong. Tons of people are going to buy this. What Buick has is a LOYAL audience. Even if they TRY to go sporty, the more mature crowd will continue to buy Buicks. They are going to enjoy these vehicles. My only concern is they might WANT V-8s still and not I-4s. The older crowd likes big torqey engines.
If the Enclave has proved ANYTHING its that Buick is for real. The Enclave is 2nd behind the RX in sales most months. That was a spot the MDX held. It helps prove my theory that when a new good car comes out the top brands do not suffer (BMW/Benz/Lexus) but the Tier II/III brands get hit and they are all fighting for the scraps. This vehicle won't hit ES sales even though you would THINK So. Its clear the ES has a core buyer and every year no matter what it sells well. Expect G37/TL/TSX/CTS/A4/Avalon/MKZ/MKS/Genesis sales to be taken by this vehicle.
I see in the print ads it has tageted the ES and the TL. Good move.
Great job again Buick!
If the Enclave has proved ANYTHING its that Buick is for real. The Enclave is 2nd behind the RX in sales most months. That was a spot the MDX held. It helps prove my theory that when a new good car comes out the top brands do not suffer (BMW/Benz/Lexus) but the Tier II/III brands get hit and they are all fighting for the scraps. This vehicle won't hit ES sales even though you would THINK So. Its clear the ES has a core buyer and every year no matter what it sells well. Expect G37/TL/TSX/CTS/A4/Avalon/MKZ/MKS/Genesis sales to be taken by this vehicle.
I see in the print ads it has tageted the ES and the TL. Good move.
Great job again Buick!
08-07-09, 06:55 AM
#32
Buicks and Oldsmobiles are not just geezer cars. That age-old "image" about them is nonsense.....and is something fostered by the auto press. A lot of older people DO buy them, but their attraction extends to a number of younger people as well. For instance, I had two used Buicks before I was 20, and one of my best friends had a family-type Olds.
You comment that Buick has an attraction to people who are younger than the demographic that I referenced above...but that was what...40 years ago? Buick hasn't made cool/edgy cars in decades and thats why their image is on life support- just like most of their buyers. The only person I know who isn't retired that drives a Buick is one of my friends whose grandfather gave him the car as a hand-me-down graduation gift. Not saying very much...
While my opinions are hardly scientific, you're kidding yourself if you think Buick has or can quickly return to a youthful, interesting, and compelling brand image.The Enclave is probably the first car they have had in the last twenty years that is attractive, competitive, good looking, well built, and from what I have read, decent to drive. This LaCrosse looks like another follow up on that same formula, so good for them. Unfortunately they have a lot of work to do if they think people are suddenly going to dump their RXs and ESs for Enclaves and Lacrosses, but as always, the first step is a solid product and they do seem to have that going for them now.
08-07-09, 08:28 AM
#34
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
In March we visited some friends in an age 55+ community in central FL. The place is huge with a population of near 70,000. I was surprised at the number of Enclaves I saw. They were all over the place. My uneducated guess was that people liked the size and comfort as well as the Buick name. That probably will bode well for the new LaCrosse among the target audience.
it's near where i am.one thing to note about central florida is the vast number of people who move here from the midwest, particularly michigan, ohio, and the northeast. they are more often than not still into american cars and in retirement they get that nice buick, cadillac, lincoln, etc. yes, still.
and AlexusAnja - these people are not 70, they're in their 50's and early 60's. they don't even really know japanese product lines, and don't really care.
about buick, i personally think the govt/uaw will destroy it and the rest of GM over time, so it won't matter what older people think - they'll switch to lincolns.
08-07-09, 09:06 AM
#35
Lexus Champion
was that The Villages? it's near where i am.
one thing to note about central florida is the vast number of people who move here from the midwest, particularly michigan, ohio, and the northeast. they are more often than not still into american cars and in retirement they get that nice buick, cadillac, lincoln, etc. yes, still.
and AlexusAnja - these people are not 70, they're in their 50's and early 60's. they don't even really know japanese product lines, and don't really care.
about buick, i personally think the govt/uaw will destroy it and the rest of GM over time, so it won't matter what older people think - they'll switch to lincolns.
it's near where i am.one thing to note about central florida is the vast number of people who move here from the midwest, particularly michigan, ohio, and the northeast. they are more often than not still into american cars and in retirement they get that nice buick, cadillac, lincoln, etc. yes, still.
and AlexusAnja - these people are not 70, they're in their 50's and early 60's. they don't even really know japanese product lines, and don't really care.
about buick, i personally think the govt/uaw will destroy it and the rest of GM over time, so it won't matter what older people think - they'll switch to lincolns.
I agree with your point, lots 'o Caddies, Buick's, Lincoln's (Mercury's too). I also saw a lot of current gen Avalon's.
Almost as many golf carts as cars!
08-07-09, 11:09 AM
#36
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
08-07-09, 11:45 AM
#37
Lexus Champion
I sat in one at the Travellers Championship and was very impressed. The paint was first rate and the interior was beautiful. The exterior has an aggressive yet luxury look. A very good American car.
08-07-09, 12:34 PM
#38
Lexus Champion
I've seen one but have yet to sit inside one or drive one. I'm waiting for for the dealer nearest my dad to get a few more in stock to choose from before my dad and I go over there to check them out. Probably this sunday or next sunday since I typically only see my parents on sunday.
08-07-09, 01:08 PM
#40
Lexus Fanatic
I have to disagree with you here, wholeheartedly. Buicks ARE looked at as old people cars and it's not just the automotive press's fault. The company built nothing but land yachts for the last 20 years- cars with mediocre (at best) interiors, uninspiring exteriors, adequate engines, and one redeeming quality- a ridiculously smooth ride. That type of vehicle doesn't appeal to a whole lot of people who aren't AARP members.
Buicks are one of the most popular makes, if not THE most popular, in China. And China, as we all know, is the world's largest emerging car market.
And if what you say about Buick were true here in America (a boring, geezer-only car for a group that is rapidly dying) it would have been discontinued like Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, and Olds. I personally don't think Saturn should have been dropped, but that's another issue for another thread.
You comment that Buick has an attraction to people who are younger than the demographic that I referenced above...but that was what...40 years ago? Buick hasn't made cool/edgy cars in decades and thats why their image is on life support- just like most of their buyers. The only person I know who isn't retired that drives a Buick is one of my friends whose grandfather gave him the car as a hand-me-down graduation gift. Not saying very much... While my opinions are hardly scientific, you're kidding yourself if you think Buick has or can quickly return to a youthful, interesting, and compelling brand image.
While my opinions are hardly scientific, you're kidding yourself if you think Buick has or can quickly return to a youthful, interesting, and compelling brand image.
You don't have to be an AARP member to like a smooth ride and a low noise level.....or to think it's "cool", as you put it. Look at the Lexus LS, for example. When it first debuted in 1990, one of its goals was to combine a Buick/Cadillac-smooth ride and low noise level with MUCH higher quality....which, of course, it did. Buicks, today, though, are better-than-average in reliability, unlike back in 1990, then they were junk.
The Enclave is probably the first car they have had in the last twenty years that is attractive, competitive, good looking, well built, and from what I have read, decent to drive.
This LaCrosse looks like another follow up on that same formula, so good for them. Unfortunately they have a lot of work to do if they think people are suddenly going to dump their RXs and ESs for Enclaves and Lacrosses, but as always, the first step is a solid product and they do seem to have that going for them now.
Last edited by mmarshall; 08-07-09 at 01:13 PM.
08-07-09, 06:44 PM
#41
In CHINA ?!?!?!
In China, I wouldn't say it's "they don't know better," but they see American products very highly still and an American car is a status symbol much like MB, BMW, Lexus is here. The size, the "quality," and the price point of most US vehicles probably make them very appealing there.
Not to make this go all political and psychoanalytical, but although it's been over 60 years, there is still a bitterness and distrust inside some, if not most, Chinese for the Japanese. I think given the choice, more Chinese would grab the hand of the American falling off a cliff than the Japanese hand.
08-07-09, 10:45 PM
#43
You don't have to be an AARP member to like a smooth ride and a low noise level.....or to think it's "cool", as you put it. Look at the Lexus LS, for example. When it first debuted in 1990, one of its goals was to combine a Buick/Cadillac-smooth ride and low noise level with MUCH higher quality....which, of course, it did. Buicks, today, though, are better-than-average in reliability, unlike back in 1990, then they were junk.
I know you will disagree with me, but I find old Buicks to be dreadful miserable junk. The ride, the handling, the engine, the build quality, and especially the interior of any 90ies and early 2000's Buick just plain grosses me out. And I do love a proper smooth riding car such as LS and S class.
08-07-09, 10:59 PM
#44
Lexus Champion
I'd wish Tiger Woods would endorse a different car.... he looks so wrong next to these cars... however the LaCrosse is looking promising (for old people).
man they ripped off the LS tail pipes big time...
man they ripped off the LS tail pipes big time...
08-07-09, 11:04 PM
#45
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
