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Automotive News & Views The Rebirth of Buick.........
421 messages, Last post on Nov 27, 2009 at 3:10 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Sep 26, 2008 7:23 am) That sounds like you're trying to diminish the brand by suggesting they are rental material... I can go to a car rental agency and see LOTS of brands of cars including Toyotas, Nissans, Chrysler products, Fords, Mazdas, etc. |
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| I was just trying to be humorous in this instance. Cynicism can easily be misconstrued, so it's not your fault if you thought I was serious. Those who've been reading my messages know I want the Detroit 3 and their brands to survive. | |
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Sep 26, 2008 8:32 am) Thank you for the explanation.  I have trouble keeping track of who is pro GM and Anti GM and I didn't look back at your earlier posts like I should have done. 
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Sep 26, 2008 8:32 am) My Dad's '03 Regal is a former rental. He's had it about 5 years now, and I don't think it's needed much other than routine maintenance. I think the front rotors got warped, but all cars seem to do that nowadays! He doesn't drive that far, though. I think it had about 19,500 miles on it when he bought it, but I doubt if he's up to 50,000 yet.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Sep 26, 2008 8:39 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Sep 26, 2008 8:46 am) |
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Replying to: nippononly (Sep 25, 2008 8:28 pm) |
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so from cooter, I hear Buick's mission is to be "Understated luxury, just a notch below Cadillac." From lemko, I hear something similar, but a whole lot more specific: "Buick means a solid, durable, reliable, stately, conservative, sensible, understated, and luxurious car just a notch below Cadillac" Do you feel that the Lacrosse meets all aspects of that definition? I don't find much luxury to be in evidence in that model. Beyond that, I can give it most of what lemko said, except in times of $4 gas I think "sensible" is in jeopardy when the most frugal engine available in a 5-seat car is a 22-24 mpg V-6. In the larger picture, this is a pretty narrow niche folks are drawing for Buick. Is there even space in the market for this tiny little niche? Sales would seem to suggest otherwise. |
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I tried to find Buick's mission statement, but couldn't. In the past, though, I read descriptions that use some of the adjectives lemko used. In fairness to Buick, there hasn't been much time to recalibrate that brand's mission statement since gasoline prices went from moderate to ~$4. As the products are redesigned to reflect the reality of expensive oil, Buick will have to modify its mission statement, even as its positioning in the marketplace, above Chevy, Pontiac and Saturn, and a notch below Cadillac, remains the same. It seems to me that, price-wise (but not market niche-wise), Buick competes with Saab in the GM hierarchy. It'll be difficult for GM to keep all of its brands.
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Sep 26, 2008 9:26 am) Mercury is at death's door, everyone but Ford seems to know this. It's less clear how much money could potentially be saved by letting it go to its grave naturally. Chrysler is more of a mixed bag, but that is an extremely troubled automaker overall. It seems to me you could have some swish trim lines of the larger cars and crossovers in the Chevy line, and eliminate Buick without much fuss. Having a whole separate brand for this narrow piece of the automotive spectrum is weighing down GM with extra costs it really doesn't need to have. |
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