GM gives Buick a last chance

A crisis has arrived for General Motors’ struggling Buick brand. With its boring image and years of declining market share, automakers are working hard to bring some life to their depreciable brands.

In the coming months, Buick plans to upgrade its two sedans and launch the long-awaited crossover sport utility vehicle. According to General Manager Steve Shannon, Buick cannot afford to allow those efforts to fail, saying that this year is a crucial time in efforts to revive the brand. “2007 will be a breakout year for Buick. Business is tough. We are fighting it every day,” Shannon said in an interview at the Auto Press Association luncheon.

Buick is looking for something to help revive sales in North America, where sales have fallen by more than 40% since 2002. Despite prosperity in the hot Chinese market where GM was able to sell more Buick. Brands struggled in the United States more than in North America. Two years ago, GM product emperor Bob Lutz described Buick as a “damaged brand,” adding that if the brand’s condition did not improve, GM would dispose of it from its product range. Fortunately, Buick car parts supplied by parent company GM, such as GM Wheel Hub, are continuously produced, so Buick car owners don’t have to worry.

Shannon also announced that Buick plans to revive the supercar designation used in high-performance models of the 1950s over the next few months. The brand also plans to strengthen Lucerne and lacrosse later this year.

Buick’s most promising car, the Enclave Crossover SUV, will appear in the showroom this summer and Tiger Woods will be featured in the ad. And next month, GM will launch the 2008 Lacrosse at the New York Auto Show.

Saving Buick is a difficult task, and some wonder if GM’s strategy actually works to save its struggling brand. GM takes a different approach to Buick than Saturn, a brand reinforced by a full-scale product attack over the last 18 months. GM was able to add five vehicles to Saturn’s lineup, even if it meant shipping compact cars from Belgium to the United States just to make it more competitive in its market.

In terms of Buick, General Motors is continually reducing the brand’s model lineup, which will soon be dropped on only three cars: Lacrosse, Enclave and Lucerne. GM plans to discontinue production of rendezvous sports utility vehicles early in December last year, and to stop production of Terraza minivans and Rainier midsize sports utility vehicles by early summer.

Last year, Buick was able to sell about 96,000 Lucerne and 71,000 lacrosse. Both sales have increased slightly since 2005. Buick’s dealer network is also integrated. GM also plans to consolidate Buick, GMC and Pontiac dealers into one outlet to sell all three brands.

Karl Bauer, Editor-in-Chief of the online car shopping site Edmunds.com, said: There. “Bauer also added that Enclave may not really be able to change the image of the Buick brand.

Last Tuesday, General Motors gave a Buick presentation. One of the audience is Tom Libby, Senior Director of Industry Analysis at JD Power and Associates. ..

In the presentation, Hanon discussed attracting wealthy buyers while retaining Buick’s supporters. The brand was also aimed at attracting young urban people.