Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views GM News, New Models and Market Share
8532 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 3:34 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
|
Replying to: tomcatt630 (Jul 02, 2009 9:15 am) Only if Toyota "ages" with its clientele and can't bring in younger customers. I think the problem with Buick and Olds was that they once appealed to people in their 40's and 50's. However, sometime in the 1980's, they became less successful at bringing in the "new" 40-50 year olds, but rather stuck it out with the current crop of buyers, and followed them into their 50's, 60's, 70's, etc. Sure, there were SOME younger buyers getting Buicks, but not enough to replace the aging buyers who, as a group, tend to buy cars less and less often as they get older. IMO, cars like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are starting to turn into what the Buick Century/Regal and Olds Cutlass Supreme were in the 1970's and early 80's. Actually, they might be more "aged" than that now. Back in the 1970's, I'm sure a 20-something would have been proud to show off his new Cutlass Supreme or Regal. But today, your typical 20-something would probably look at an Accord as a car that screams "family". There's an old lady at work who used to have a Regal sedan. Not sure of the year, but I think it was around a 1991 or so. When it came time to trade, she got a 2004 or so Camry...so that Regal did give her good service. Now she has another Camry, a 2008 I think. So, the Accord and Camry are definitely aging, when it comes to the type of customers they attract. They just have to make sure they can maintain the balance between hanging on to older customers, while bringing in new customers to replace those who age and die off. |
|
|
Replying to: steve_ (Jul 02, 2009 8:08 am) Sounds like my grandfather. Drove a big ol' black 49 Buick from likely before i came into the picture until about 6 months before he died. Spent that 6 months in a 60 or 61 Valiant wagon. We inherited the Valiant. We were convinced that if his heart hadn't done him in the Valiant would have. |
|
|
Replying to: tlong (Jul 01, 2009 1:22 pm) Well, at this rate can we actually expect more??? 
|
|
|
Replying to: lemko (Jul 02, 2009 5:35 am) She ain't gonna block my way. Unless she dares drive 120mph switching lanes, my specialty. Buick's not facing the "old man" image IMO. It's the cars that are too old looking, not because it's aimed at older folks, it's because of the lack of updates and fresh redesigns. Once a company finds the magic formula for everlasting looks like Porsche then lack of fresh design is understandable. In Buick's case? No way
|
|
|
Replying to: lemko (Jul 02, 2009 5:51 am) It doesn't matter what you think, as long as the market disagrees, Buick WILL have to either change or die.
|
|
|
Replying to: steve_ (Jul 02, 2009 8:08 am) And for 30 years, the parts worked better for the off-shore brands than the US. Before that, it was the other way around. BTW, I see plenty of older folks in bimmers and audis. Regards, OW |
|
|
Replying to: m4d_cow (Jul 02, 2009 11:07 am)
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: m4d_cow (Jul 02, 2009 11:10 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: dino001 (Jul 02, 2009 5:43 pm) OK, but this begs the question; aside from the "bling" crowd, what is wrong with traditional "American" styling in a car, which generally means a little bit bigger and the chrome accents and grilles? If they made an AWD variant of the old Lacrosse with a 6 sp. manual, and a 450 hp twin turbo 3.6L, and put a Corvette suspension in it, would it not get attention from the younger crowd?? Mind you, the Grand National and GNX weren't much different from this philosophically. Just an aging Regal V6 hopped up on Steroids. |
|
|
Replying to: cooterbfd (Jul 03, 2009 7:08 am) I always thought Buick did a big disservice to its customers when they eliminated the T-type models. I guess the Gran Sport sort of took over for it, but I never liked that name, because it sounds stuffy, sort of like "Old Sport". And names like "Ultra" just seem a bit pretentious.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views GM News, New Models and Market Share
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
