Buick Regal Replacement

[Philippe Racicot]

I heard today on the news that Buick has decided to change the La Crosse name for the canadian market because in French slang it means "masturbation"!

A few months ago I emailed Buick about this, I'm wondering if my email has anything to do with this decision! I am happy to see that GM is receptive to customer comments.

Here is a part of the emails I sent and received from GM:

Dear Mr. Racicot,

Thank you for contacting the Buick Customer Assistance Center. We

appreciate you taking the time to write us in regards to your suggestions.

We are interested in your suggestions and appreciate it when customers

like you take the time to write to us about them. We value the opinions

of our customers and we always take them into consideration as we plan

for future models.

Again, we thank you for your e-mail and your interest in Buick. If you

should need to contact us in the future, you may e-mail us again or

call our Customer Assistance Center.

If you should need to contact us in the future, simply reply to this

message or call our Buick Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-521-7300.

Customer Relationship Managers are available Monday through Friday from

8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Again, thank you for contacting Buick.

Sincerely,

Joshua Walter

Customer Relationship Manager

Buick Customer Assistance Center

#Subject=RE: Buick Other Owner Assistance

-----Original Message-----

From: Philippe Racicot

Sent: 8/18/03 1:01:19 PM

To: crc@buick.com

Subject: RE: Buick Other Owner Assistance

Hi Mr. Taylor,

Thanks for your reply but I don't think GM Canada has sometihing to do

with name selection for new Buick models!

I didn't write this email as a potential customer, I just wanted to

comment an information that I got on the web (and that might be false)

about the Buick Regal replacement model.

Perhaps I did hit the wrong department to leave these comments but it

would be nice if I could join the correct department. If you know where

I could leave my comments, I would appreciate it.

I know this won't have an impact on the planned decisions but at least,

I hope somebody will take note.

Thanks again

Philippe Racicot

crc@buick.com wrote:

Good Afternoon Mr. Racicot,

Since we are able to assist only those customers who are within the

United States, we recommend that you contact our Canadian Customer

Assistance Center at 1-800-263-3777 to have your concern addressed. You may

also contact them through their Website at www.gmcanada.com. We apologize

for any inconvenience this may cause you and appreciate your

cooperation so that we may assist you better.

If you should need to contact us in the future, simply reply to this

message or call our Buick Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-521-7300.

Customer Relationship Managers are available Monday through Friday from

8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Again, thank you for contacting Buick.

Sincerely,

Kevin Taylor

Customer Relationship Manager

Buick Customer Assistance Center

#Subject=RE: Buick Other Owner Assistance

-----Original Message-----

From: crc@buick.com

Sent: 8/14/03 7:59:53 PM

To: crc@buick.com

Subject: Buick Other Owner Assistance

------------------------------------------------------------

Name : Philippe Racicot

Address :

: Joliette Qc Canada, MI 48507 -

Daytime Phone Number :

ex.

Evening Phone Number : () -

ex.

Vehicle : ~80 Other

VIN : 4x39t5h500317

Mileage : 80000mi

Dealer :

Comments : Hi

In the "overview" section of your

website, there is an error:

1960-1969

1963: The Buick Special is

introduced featuring the first

U.S. mass-produced V6 engine.

The V6 was introduced in 1961 for

the 1962 model-year, not in 1963.

Also, I have been a Buick fan all

my life and I am still much

younger than the traditional Buick

buyer (I'm 26) I could certainly

afford a brand new Buick Park

Avenue Ultra if I ever sell my

older and expensive to maintain

Buicks but the products currently

offered will not satisfy me as

much as my older ones. I have

heard that the current Regal model

would be replaced by a model

called "La Crosse"

I think it's an ugly name and I

hope this decision (if it is true)

will be revised. I have some

better ideas if somebody needs

some. In French, "La Crosse"

refers to masturbation!

If only the production model would

have 4 door hardtop styling and 4

portholes like the prototype! it

could also have a V8 and rear

wheel drive like any respectable

car in this world.

I hope that people at GM (or at

the Buick division if still

exists?) will listen to their

potential purchasers this time.

It is still possible to attract

younger customers if they get what

they want. My father who is now 55

and drives Volkswagens once had a

brand new 1976 Century Custom. He

was 27 at the time and his car

wasn't designed for old people! It

looked sporty, had bucket seats,

console and a nice looking sport

steering wheel.

Today at 55, he feels too young to

drive a new Century Custom and he

prefered to pay more than for a

Century and to drive a Volks Jetta

that he finds too small. At least

he doesn't look like he is 80!

Philippe Racicot

BCA # 38252 ROA # 8673

1967 Riviera GS

1975 Electra Limited

1991 Park Avenue Ultra

[BUICK RACER]

Phil, I don't like the name no matter what, here's why:

#1 Once this thing comes out, the name LeSabre will be spelled LaSabre, wrong! Just like people spell GRAN SPORT, GRAND SPORT after the Grand Nationals came out.

#2 When Oldsmobile changed all their names, they lost identity. Grandpa & Grandma, and their kids, and their kids can relate to Century, LeSabre, Regal etc. They don't care about anything else but they drive a BUICK with a historical name.

#3 I haven't seen one yet, but I understand it looks like a Jag, like made by FORD!

#4 So the SSR, PT Cruiser and the like are cool, retro-like, retrofitted Trailblazers and Neons, the Monaro/GTO would have been a better fit for a retro '39 Buick grille with 4 portholes on each side than shoving a grand prix/am grille on a Mustang look alike!

Just my .02, I have been tempted to write a letter to Roger Adams and Bob Lutz and ask them who the idiots are that are deciding the need for the name changes. History tells us alot of things about the market, why is Century still around, well almost gone, and LeSabre, two of the best, longest known names for Buick Models, when they went away before in the '60s BMD lost market share. Sure Regal is new name for Buick being a late '70-'80-'90s name that has become synonomous with Buick Heritage, naming a car after a wannabe soccer/football like game or a slang word in any language is TOTALLY STUPID!

More than .02, but that's what I think, and more power to you Folks in Canada to make a difference! Thank you, now if they would consider the rest of the world might feel the same, I could sleep at night! Especially as a stockholder and almost 25 yr employee!

[Guest my3buicks]

How do you really feel about it Roberta

[Philippe Racicot]

I fully agree with you Roberta!

If they absolutely want to change the Regal name (which I think is fine) they could pick already existing Buick names like Invicta, Wildcat or Gran Sport.

When they came with the Rendez Vous prototype, I emailed Buick about it. I told them that the CXL wheels were ugly (they were those on the prototype) I questionned them about the 3.4 engine choice and about the French name that I didn't like. I suggested them Invicta but never got any response...

[Guest my3buicks]

While WE love our old Buick names like Invicta, Wildcat, Roadmaster, Super, etc probably 90% of the new car buyers out there have no clue what some of them are or those that do are the older population or the car guys(remember Buick is trying to bring it's average buyer age down). I am sure if you did a poll very few people in the buying car world could tell you who built an Invicta or when. It seems like real car names are out of vogue and numbers, various grouped letters and places are in for car names. I think the Riviera name could still work for Buick, possibly Centurion and most of the current lineup names. As much as we love our classic Buick names it might be time for a few new names in the lineup - remember 1959 Buick brought it's nameplates up to date for that period in time and it's not like others names did't come and go in the following decades either, Apollo(new then gone), Skylark(back again then gone again), Special(back again then gone again), Electra(gone), Centurion(new then gone), Century (back to stay), Roadmaster(back and gone), you get the idea. New names are not always bad, Buick needs to try to follow with names that somehow convey Buick Heritage but still sound modern and not sound like something only grandpa would drive. I do think the Centurion name would have been a good choice for the Rendezvous. I like the name LaCrosse, I think it has an upscale kind of ring to it. Maybe some of the concept car names should be looked at.

[Philippe Racicot]

Why wouldn't GM replace the Buick name itself with numbers... That would be innovative! I don't think it has been done by any other manufacturer! It might attract a new kind of customers!

More seriously,

There are names that I wouldn't consider for new cars. The Electra and Roadmaster names for example, look old and conservative even to old and conservative people! (Notice that I own an Electra and it isn't the first one I've got...)

But Wildcat was used on modern prototypes like the very nice 1985 model and the 1997 Riviera Wildcat and is easy to associate with performance and dynamism.

I also like Invicta not because I associate it with cars from my youth (I was born in 1977) but because of the strenght and longevity it suggests. I have seen in "The Buick A Complete History" that it was a Latin word for "unconquerable". It is also synonimous to invincible. The first time I have seen the "Invicta" name was in a book in 1988 (when I was 11) and I instantly liked it. It made me curious about the cars that had this name on them.

Since 1936, Buicks have used names to designate most of it's cars just like some manufacturers have used numbers for a long period of time.

I'd like if it would continue that way.

Another Buick name that I really like is Sport Wagon. Since Buick abandonned it, it was picked up by many manufacturers Renault used it in the eighties on the 18, the Nissan Axess, the Alfa Romeo 156, Volvo and Saab also use it. This one is really up to date but since Buick doesn't have wagons anymore...

Some Buick names were borrowed from other car manufacturers but they are now strongly associated with the Buick name.

Regal was used for many years in Studebakers, there were Cadillac Park Avenues before Buick began using it in 1975 and Oldsmoblie used Limited before 1936. The Gran Sport name was also borrowed and even Riviera was used at the beginning of the century by an automaker which I don't remember.

[NTX5467]

As much as car companies research names and such, there have still been a few clunkers in the GM garage in that respect. "Nova" was found to mean "no run" (or similar) in the Spanish language countries. This was mentioned in a newspaper article I found on the Canadian deal, plus that Lutz was caught off guard by it, and he lived in France and speaks French. Quite amusing.

Three is quite a bit of sentiment to have a new name for this particular Buick. It is perceived to be a reason for people to come into a Buick showroom to see what "the new Buick" is. Hence, more traffic for the dealers and hopefully a whole new bunch of people to see what Buicks are all about too. I concur that model names are something that should not be chunked around (or away) capriciously (how's that for a model name tie-in?), but sometimes when major changes are made, it can be a good thing. In the case of Olds, they did it ALL WRONG, and basically took themselves off of the radar screens of anyone except long time buyers (which they further alienated in other ways too).

I think LaCrosse has a nice, upscale ring to it, myself, but if the French have other orientations about it, then not changing it down here too might make us look like a whole nation of ______________? Might be interesting to see how this situation transpires.

As for other historic Buick names? There are many that have "modified" versions too. Roadmaster is one, for example. Wilcat might be a good change from LaCrosse, now that I think about it. It could have historic tie-ins and such with the powerful Wildcats of the '60s plus the Wildcat concept cars too. That might be a good fit.

As for the Jaguar look? Roberta, you can't deny that that was also on the front end of a very popular car of the later 1970s -- The Chrysler Cordoba (with or without Fine Corinthian Leather).

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Guest elk93001]

I hope history doesn't repeat itself.

I agree with Roberta: Oldsmobile abandoned established/recognized names: Cutlass, 88, Toronado for Intrigue, LSS and Aurora. Where will this brand be at the end of this model year?

Chevy used to have Celebrity and Lumina and went back to Malibu, Monte Carlo.

I know that the "Regal" name for Buick is only 30 years old in the 2004 model year, but it doesn't seem "tarnished"

I like the Buick names of old and I'm only 31 yrs old. The names Rendevous and Rainier just don't cut it for me. La Crosse....maybe they're trying to bring back some "excitement"

[NTX5467]

In some respects, one of the Olds miscues in the later '80s was to make everything a Cutlass model, in the hope of putting a little better name association with the cars they had (as good as they might have been). Add some build quality issues in the mix with the "real" rwd Cutlasses and Cutlass Supremes and the whole deal just went downhill from there, or at least it seemed that way to me. From the way they initially marketed "Intrigue", it seemed they were chasing the "X-Files" generation. I sent off for one of their information packets and it basically had an Intrigue sales brochure and a video of one of their commercials--NOT what I was expecting--and then wanted me to visit a dealer for more information. I found out more about the car in a Road & Track road test!

"Aurora"? Probably not the best name either. Then, put some funny emblem on the front that no one knew what it was (kind of looked like a Toyota emblem!) and that just didn't seem to work either. You don't build a car and then make people HAVE to get right up on it to see what it is. Oh well . . .

One reason I suspect "Wildcat" might be a good "new" name would be that it was previously a performance oriented Buick, in the same genre as the Chrysler 300 was. It's no secret that 300M has been one of the bright spots in the Chrysler line recently--PLUS those great heritage ads they did early on with the older 300 letter cars and such. If you checked the Pontiac website a year or so ago, they had performance figures posted for the SSEi Bonneville (240 horse 3800 supercharged V-6) against the Chrysler 300M (253 horsepower 3.5L V-6). If the Bonneville could lead the 300M, then a lighter Regal (or whatever name is used) should be able to do similar. From what I've read, the Chrysler transaxle takes a little too much power to run). But with Chrysler having their Hemi V-8 in their new rwd cars, the tables might turn.

Where ever we end up with this name deal, given the "new" information, I would hope a great deal of consideration is given to it AND that nothing is done to mimic what happened during the Olds debacle.

As for Celebrity, it was a pretty nice car AND better than the Citation/Citation II it replaced. Lumina? Never did figure out where that name came from, but it supposedly had good repsonse from the consumer clinics they did back then (a bow tie light at the end of the tunnel?) Now, if we could only figure out the attraction to the front end of a '53 Chevy pickup . . . which Toyota seems to have keyed on with their current Tundras, except with a different number of slats.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[6219_Rules]

Rainier is the name of a particular color of Blue Buick used in the 30s....I learned this on here by the way <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />. Rendezvous is a silly name. I like the idea of numbers....1947 88, 98 etc.. I do not find the current names bad or wrong, just uninteresting like their styles. When you say Invicta I think of the 1959 Invicta. Or Roadmaster...I think of the 1957 or 50 (because my Uncle had one). Roadmaster carries a lot of nostalgia for me, so I was very happy to see it back in 1996 and saddened when it vanished along with the large sedans. I apologise for my opinion to those who like them or see their value but I loathe the SUV craze. I see nothing appealing in a big boxy truck. I like pickups for their utility and have owned an SUV, a 1993 Pathfinder, but I prefer the automobile in coupe, sedan and convertible. That is my .02. Still the modern thrust is towards SUV utility and that is that. By the way...have you noticed the new Cadillac SUV is called the CTX (I think)..the Preformance Utilitity Vehicle...a PU if ever I saw one!!! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[NTX5467]

I suspect the SUV popularity might be due to several issues, one of which is government mandated fuel economy AND the advance of technology. In the 1980s, the trend was to smaller vehicles (cars) for better fuel economy numbers. That was the available cost effective technology back then. When younger people noticed that their more active lifestyle interfered with the automotive trends (like when they traded their older full size car in for something that would haul their camping gear or bikes), so Jeep Cherokee sales suddenly saw a new market. Similar fuel economy as the smaller cars but with space. That is one of my observations that seemed to fuel the younger people's influx to vehicles like the Cherokee.

When I saw the first Chevy Tahoe we got in, I figured that it could serve the same demographics as the soon to be discontinued Caprice-type rwd cars. Seats four with room for luggage (with appropriate cover shade) for a weekend excursion with friends or family. Similar fuel economy as earlier cars of that type too. Then there were the people who still needed some type of "station wagon" vehicle and something to tow a travel trailer (that was not a pickup truck per se).

So, the multi-purpose full sized family car of the '70s was still needed, but the only option for something similar in people and cargo capacity ended up being things like the Jeep Cherokee or Tahoe or Suburban. Then couple these space demands with the increasing raked A-pillar roof lines of modern vehicles and things naturally point toward the truck-based SUV vehicles that are popular in more current times. At least according to the EPA mileage ratings, similar fuel mileage as a '70s full size car too, but in a safer and more fuel efficient (for the weight) package, not to mention the increased luxury of those truck-based vehicles.

As fuel efficiency technology has increased, so have the mileage ratings of these light truck vehicles. GM has some technology in the wings (other than cylinder deactivation) to help fuel efficiency along too.

SUVs are not the ultimate vehicle for everyone. The new GMC Envoy has a model with a sliding rear roof section to effectively be a "mini-Avalanche". Similar to the Studebaker wagon of the 1960s, but probably much higher tech and more versatile. Smaller package than the full size trucks too.

There is a reason for the popularity of the SUVs and the progression I mentioed makes the most sense to me. In the end, the current group of crossover SUVs, which are car-based, will be the next growth area in the vehicle population.

Cars with more utility features are also in the offing. The 2004 Grand Prix touts that it can haul a 9' canoe, which it can, with the correct option group package that includes the forward folding front passenger's seat. In the previous models of that GM platform (which include the current Regal), with a split folding rear seat, putting the front passenger recliner laid back (with some towels over the fabric/leather), I've hauled 8' boards in them with no problems, just not a whole bunch of them, and closed the deck lid. So, there are gains in that area too--versatility for hauling things as you'd get in an SUV, but doing it with a car with a few equipment additions/enhancements.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[NTX5467]

People have been "butchering" the spelling of car names for years, and not just Buicks. "LeSabre" can easily become "LeSaber" or "LaSabra", just as "Camaro" became "Camero", or "Cadillac" as "Caddillac". Most everyone knows that "Chevrolet" starts with a "C", but I saw it spelled with an "S" the other day.

It was interesting to find out that many people did not know how to spell "Chevrolet" too. When they'd make out their check to pay for parts, they'd do real good with "Chev", but would then pause, somewhat perplexed looking, and then add a "y" quickly in an effort to not look bad as they suddenly didn't know how to spell "Chevrolet".

Whether those spelling indiscretions are the result of ignorance about the car names or "spelling by phonics" remains to be seen.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Matt Harwood]

I'm kind of bummed about Cadillac losing all their names. I'm having a hard time differentiating one from another in print: CTS, STX, SRX, whatever. To me, this is a mistake. I recall that Acura made the same mistake by renaming the top of the line Legend--can anyone tell me what their top of the line car is called today? I fear that Cadillac is going to end up with a bunch of cool cars, but no name recognition. It is especially bad when the names have no meaning. At least with BMW and Mercedes, the brands they want to emulate, the numbers have meaning, usually engine displacement and vehicle series (S500, for example is an S-class Mercedes with a 5.0 liter motor).

Name it whatever you want, Buick. Just make sure it's a <span style="font-style: italic">name</span>!

[Philippe Racicot]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> "LeSabre" can easily become "LeSaber" or "LaSabra" Enjoy!

NTX5467

</div></div>

Being French canadian myself, it is amasing that even some French canadians call it Le Saber! I'm not too good in phoenetics but it should be pronounced something like "Le Sawbr"!

[Dave@Moon]

A few asides:

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> To me, this is a mistake. I recall that Acura made the same mistake by renaming the top of the line Legend--can anyone tell me what their top of the line car is called today? </div></div>

This was Honda's very point in dropping the Legend name. The problem was that polling data indicated nearly everybody knew what a Legend was, but only a minority could identify it or anything else as an Acura.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Today at 55, he feels too young to

drive a new Century Custom and he

prefered to pay more than for a

Century and to drive a Volks Jetta

that he finds too small. At least

he doesn't look like he is 80! </div></div>

In Europe Volkswagen is having Buick-like fits trying to shake the image that the Jetta is an old man's car. (Which is very definately <span style="font-style: italic">not</span> the case over here.)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Why wouldn't GM replace the Buick name itself with numbers... That would be innovative! I don't think it has been done by any other manufacturer! It might attract a new kind of customers! </div></div>

<span style="font-style: italic">(I assume from context that Phillipe is being facetious here.)</span>

The fact of the matter is that BMW and Volvo probably serve as the best models of what Buick should've been doing for the last 30 years. Mazda in fact is in the process of replacing their 3 digit model number system with a single digit system, and sales are up. <span style="font-style: italic">(Personally I hate alphanumeric model names.)</span>

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> As much as car companies research names and such, there have still been a few clunkers in the GM garage in that respect. "Nova" was found to mean "no run" (or similar) in the Spanish language countries. </div></div>

This is not true. It is an urban legend based on a stretched pronounciation of <span style="font-style: italic">no va</span>. "Matador", however, is Spanish for "murderer" or "killer" in or out of a bull ring!

==========================================================

Buick is in a huge conundrum. Thay have and <span style="font-style: italic">need</span> to use a vast history of qualtiy products. At the same time they need even more to be seen to be introducing models of vastly higher quality than those that they've recently been known for. If you're 28, and still young enough to be establishing buying patterns for later in life (and therefore a marketing target of value), names like "Roadmaster", "Skylark", "Regal", "Century", etc. mean nothing like what those names likely mean to most BCA members. For 28 year olds, those names are just more recent extensions of the Skyhawks and Somersets of their juvenile years.

Much as like what occurred to Buick in 1959, I think we almost have to look forward to a complete reworking of the Buick nomenclature. Let us hope that the cars are equally reworked as the top quality cars in their class once more, and that they have to opportunity to <span style="font-weight: bold">stay that way this time!</span>

=========================================================

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> If you're 28, and still young enough to be establishing buying patterns for later in life (and therefore a marketing target of value)... </div></div>

By the way, if you've ever wondered why the vast majority of commercial media is aimed squarely at people much too young to remember the first George Bush, this is why.

[Guest Skyking]

We all must be in serious trouble if we are only buy cars because of their naming. Such as Q45, 626, S500, CTS, STX, SRX.....What is wrong with this picture????

[NTX5467]

Most of us remember when most car dealers only had one franchise. In those earlier times (really NOT too distant), if you went looking for a Buick, you might be aiming for a LeSabre and end up with a Skylark, or lust after a Riviera and end up with an Electra Coupe. Key thing was that you owned a Buick regardless of which model of Buick it was, you still owned a Buick. In those days, you could replay that scenario for most any brand/make of American vehicle.

In reality, Cadillac has been moving toward letter model designations for quite some time. First there was the more later version of Seville, which begat SLS=Seville Luxury Sedan and STS=Seville Touring Sedan. Then there was the upscale coupe called Eldorado Touring Coupe, quite a nice car, but then it became the "ETC". Still means Eldorado Touring Coupe, but those big "ETC" letters on the deck lid just made me laugh, yet it was a really nice car.

It would be nice if we could make our buying decisions based on the intrinsic goodness of the product, but styling sells and styling needs a good name for the vehicle to be named.

Every since I first knew about Mercedes in the early 1960s, their numeric model designations made sense as they were quite descriptive. Even in the later times, as they changed over to "class" models and then expanded those with their other traditional numbers, it still made some sense. As different as those various "class" cars were, they could easily have been named differently as each of the GM divisions are. But still, you have to understand how to decode them to make sense of it all.

As for the new Cadillac names, there's probably some rhyme and reason to them too, just that we haven't seen all of the new models just yet. I suspect that when that happens, then it all might fall into place. There's one possible decoding of "CTS" that might be "Cadillac Touring Sedan" or another "C" model name instead of "Cadillac". SRX might turn out to be "Seville Recreational Crossover". As the XLR has some Corvette heritage in its platform, it might mean "Crossover Long Roadster". Just my suspicions at work here.

Remember how those various model names seemed to expand exponentially in the 1950s and 1960s with the different models or roof style or number of doors? Riviera originally meant "hardtop", before it became a specific model in the middle 1960s. Newport was similar for Chryslers. So you ended up with a vehicle name that could string off the edge of the page by the time it was all over, especially in the GM lines. No wonder things became more simple in later decades. But I guess the key thing is that whatever model nomenclature is used should reflect the classiness, sportiness, and/or dignity of the vehicle itself, something which numbers and letters might not do as well as names can. But I still wonder who approved that Cadillac ETC.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[6219_Rules]

Hey I have the perfect name for ALL Cadillacs!! The Cadillac Whatever. Let the customer fill in the blank <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Part of our difficulty, I assume from reading this thread and feeling it myself, is that we identify the marque with memories of home, quality and a life that is now sepia toned with time. Nostalgia. Memories, if good, become fixed and idyllic with time. My memories of Uncle Ayer's '50 Buick Roadmaster have that quality. My parents remember it less fondly as it was hot, heavy and a bear to drive. <shrug> And those 20 something buyers doubtless recall the cars of their childhood the same way. Can you IMAGINE feeling that way about a '77 Maverick?? But, heck, I feel that way about the '61 Plymouth Valient! Of course you all know this...it is just good to remember. And something else my son is learning in marketing and advertising. Most products like automobiles are not aimed at anyone over 40 because the future (as short sighted as it is in the industry's bottomline) is pointed squarely at the 20 year olds.

I am out of that loop and have been for a long, long time. That is OK too. I like the new Caddys for the most part, and have always held a special place in my heart for Buick, although I have never owned one. I have owned Oldsmobile and loved them. I just realise that at 47 I am in the largest portion of the buying public that purchases on memory rather than innovation. That does not mean they don't pay attention to it, however what drives older people are their memories and experiences.

So we will smart at the changes and grouse about the names because its new and unfamiliar.

I will always prefer Roadmaster to LaCrosse or whatever it is. Its a perfectly normal human reaction.

[93riv]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

It is an urban legend based on a stretched pronounciation of <span style="font-style: italic">no va</span>. "Matador", however, is Spanish for "murderer" or "killer" in or out of a bull ring!

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Yes, a spanish-speaking person knows the difference between "nova" and "no va" just like an english-speaker knows the difference between "notable" and "no table". The Matador coupe was sold in Mexico as an AMX.

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I don't think GM cares about name recognition. They've replaced a lot of well known names with new, often meaningless names.

The Cavalier replacement will be called "Cobalt". A better idea would be to call it Nova, they already make a Monte Carlo, Malibu, and Impala, so why not a new Nova, too?

[JohnD1956]

What is missing in this thread is a mention of what appeals to the 20's car buyer. A name is a name. When a name changes it is awkward at first, but when it gets familiar, it becomes less objectionable. I don't think Buick has a problem attracting buyers because of the names of the models. I think it's because the model offering ( including Ranier and Rendevous) do not appeal to the group we think they are targeting.

What Buick looks like a squished Honda with a giant coffee can exhaust tip? None! But thats' what kids are buying today. I, for one, am glad Buick is not producing such a car. But I think they need to revamp their staid 4 door image and get some "sport" back into the showrooms.

I think a lot of their concept cars ( which were at the Centenial ) were leading in the right direction. I hope they pull this thing together, and build a line that can evoke the strong emotional attachment we all feel with our own cars.

My 2 cents.. thanks

John d