Why oh why did Buick cancel the Reatta? Find out here.

[Guest]

One of my friends who heard about my new toy found this article that used the Reatta as an example of a bad business strategy.<BR> <A HREF="http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/business/YourBusiness/smallbizbuilder_000510.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/business/YourBusiness/smallbizbuilder_000510.html</A>

[Guest]

Hey! These marketing experts and college faculty members shure no a Riatta wen they cee won!

[TheBlackMoon]

Actually (I know I'll get burned for this, but oh well), I have to agree with your college professor. My girl, and many others I have spoken with, have taken this same lackluster attitude with the Reatta. They marvel at it's lines, gawk at it's beauty, revel in it's comfort and luxury, praise it's smooth ride, then insult it ten times over as an "old man's" car and with comments like "what is Buick trying to do, act like they're a BMW or Mercedes? It's ONLY a Buick" or "That's not Leather, it's 'Pleather' (or Vinyl) inside of there. Buick never used real leather in there cars".<BR>What type of CRAP is this? But, really, what can we say? Long gone are the days of Individuality, Pride and Perfection that distinguished an American "car" from an American "Automobile". We're trying to go back to those days, but 10 years ago, the time our Reatta's were marketed, such a radical vehicle was built only so Americans could capture a foreign market. Just look at the horrid insults Chrysler earned during that time for changing it's "Looks Like a B-Mer" attitude and marketing cars that looked like prototypes. If it wasn't for the radical stike of reliability, tried and trued, found in there new "mini-van" concepts and applications, they would've gone DEAD BANKRUPT!! And even with their seriously spreading popularity, what happened? Though they were proven to be better, stronger, and more reliable than any other auto, Foreign or Domestic, in the same class, they were again defamed for having foreign (Mitsubishi) engines. When they went back to Mopar Motors Corp, and their styling changed with the move, they were insulted and defamed more for the, as then, outrageous and impractical styling of such as the Viper and Stealth. Only now are they accepted as innovators and conceptualist. <BR>The Reatta falls on this same platform. Only today do we really take appreciation of a styling and engineering concept that was many years before it's time. GM finally "went with the program" and left conceptualization to other Auto congomerates. <BR>Where does GM stand now?<BR>LOL to all.