GM Plans $3 Billion Overhaul Of Buick

[BUICK RACER]

GM Plans $3 Billion Overhaul Of Buick

Automotive News

By Rick Kranz

February 09, 2004

Buick is expected to introduce a four-seat convertible concept at the New York auto show, offering another glimpse at General Motors' plans to revive the stodgy brand by moving it upscale.

Struggling with aging products and gray-haired customers, Buick is next in line at GM for new products and new styling.

Approved or nearing approval are a:

LeSabre replacement, due in the 2006 model year.

Mid-sized sport wagon, expected around the 2007 model year.

Rear-drive flagship sedan that would be shorter but nearly as wide as the LeSabre replacement. It would arrive around the 2007 model year.

The convertible also is under consideration. The concept is expected to feature a retractable hardtop roof.

GM said at the Chicago Auto Show that it will spend $3 billion over a five-year period on a new range of vehicles for Buick.

The first - the mid-sized front-drive 2005 LaCrosse sedan - debuted in Chicago and goes on sale this fall.

"New York will give you an indication of what we're thinking about as we go forward" beyond the LaCrosse, said CJ Fraleigh, the new general manager of Buick, Pontiac and GMC.

For Buick dealers, the new product portfolio can't come fast enough. Vehicle sales nosedived 22.0 percent in 2003, from 432,017 in 2002 to 336,788.

GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said he wants to make Buick a true premium player. He said new Buicks will be quiet and will have top-notch fit and finish. A rich-looking interior will be Buick's signature.

If approved, the flagship sedan is expected to be based on a global rwd vehicle architecture under development by GM's Holden subsidiary in Australia. "When you say flagship, maybe there is a different definition of a flagship, that it doesn't have to be a full-sized car," said Buick spokesman Pete Ternes.

The LaCrosse will be the lowest-priced car in the Buick portfolio. The Regal will be dropped this spring, followed by the Century in October.

Several months ago, GM was considering development of car based on the fwd Epsilon architecture that would have been positioned below the LaCrosse. Ternes said that platform no longer is being considered for Buick.

The 2004 Chevrolet Malibu is among the vehicles sharing the Epsilon platform.

[Dave@Moon]

That's fantastic news Roberta, thanks!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> For Buick dealers, the new product portfolio can't come fast enough. Vehicle sales nosedived 22.0 percent in 2003, from 432,017 in 2002 to 336,788. </div></div>

This drop came <span style="font-style: italic">after</span> the introduction of the Ranier <span style="font-style: italic">and</span> Rendezvous? Shocking.

The new plans sound great, particularly the new RWD platform and the deletion of dolled-up Chevys. If they can execute these cars and not lose the quality gains the Regal has recently made, GM will be unbeatable.

[Guest Skyking]

With more factories closing and more workers being laid-off, who's going to buy these cars?

[BigFella]

It's about time they had their own party and stopped showing up late for everyone elses! :-) The SUV's are a fine example of this! Yes they sold a bunch but the market was already saturated when they came in...

I want to see that drop top...and the sport wagon! The later would cause a big fight in my house as I love wagons and my wife does not!

I would, however, like to get her out of that Pontiac and into a Buick!

[Centurion]

Roberta, thanks for posting the great news. There is hope on the horizon. As others have said, if the "General" can be awakened from his 30-year slumber and begins acting like a world-class automaker, great things can happen in the American auto industry. Putting a car guy like Lutz in the leadership role was a key step to the transformation of GM.

Like Dave, I'm thankful that there will be no room for dolled up, entry-level Chevrolets in the Buick lineup. Onward and upward!

[Centurion]

Roberta, I see that CJ Fraleigh is the new general manager for Buick-Pontiac-GMC. Do you know anything about this individual? And what has happened to Roger Adams? We were all impressed with his presentation in Flint last summer.

[jscheib]

That last is a good question - however, I was not all that impressed, was hoping to hear about a good car on the horizon, not another up scale Saturn van/wagon. So this latest news is good.

John

[Centurion]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If they can execute these cars and not lose the quality gains the Regal has recently made, GM will be unbeatable.

</div></div>

My concern, Dave, is that the sales may not be there regardless of the quality of the cars. The comment has often been made that GM, Ford, and Chrysler mis-stepped so badly in their product offerings of the 1970's and 1980's that they essentially handed market share to the imports on a platter. The problem for the Detroit-based companies is that they will never show up on the shopping list for an entire generation of car buyers. Given the current market environment, the Japanese and German manufacturers are unlikely to repeat Detroit's mis-steps of the past, so where is the opportunity for GM and Ford to reclaim market share?

Not only must GM build cars that equal or surpass those of any of the world's leading automakers. GM must somehow change the perception, the image of its vehicles in the minds of car buyers. How do we make it desirable or fashionable to drive a Buick again? I submit that this is the greater battle that Detroit faces.

The fact that every article you read about Buick makes reference to the marque's gray-haired customer base reinforces the image problem. How long will it take to shake that perception? When will a baby boomer no longer feel like he needs to apologize for driving a Buick instead of a "cool" Lexus or BMW?

I desperately want there to be a healthy U.S. auto industry during the decades ahead. I am excited about GM's investment in Buick, and my great hope is that it works.

[larrygs71]

Let me try to understand this, GM always confuses the heck out of me. Didn't GM dismantle Buick and flint in the late 80's? now there gonna spend 3 billion building it back (somewhere but i'm guessin mexico)? Seems like they woulda been way better off working with what they had in Flint and spent billions less to boot. Man you can solve one heck of a lot of problems for a billion buckaroos! Just watched Roger & Me and had to get it off my chest.

Larry

Muskegon, mi

71 stage1

[Centurion]

Larry, Buick still exists as a marketing division of General Motors. Buicks have been built at a variety of assembly plants over the years. During the late-1990's, General Motors closed the historic Buick City assembly plant in Flint. Buick production has continued at other GM plants. Buick's headquarters moved from Flint to the Renaissance Center in Detroit.

It is Oldsmobile that GM has decided to "kill" completely. My understanding is that the final Oldsmobiles will be built sometime this spring.

[BUICK RACER]

And you want ME to explain all these executive decisions, I don't know schwat about what the product planning is for GM, I used to know at least in the truck end of the business, in my old job, in '97 but unfortunely I left that end of the business in late '97 and only know what they want me to know. I could know more, if I wanted to contact old boss' and others in the know, but may get me in trouble if I were to tell you all before the boss' know. RV

[Dave@Moon]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Not only must GM build cars that equal or surpass those of any of the world's leading automakers. GM must somehow change the perception, the image of its vehicles in the minds of car buyers. How do we make it desirable or fashionable to drive a Buick again? I submit that this is the greater battle that Detroit faces. </div></div>

Undoubtedly.

However, the road back begins with single steps. GM is at a point where steps in the wrong direction are a luxury they can no longer afford. There can be no more Luminas. There can be no more Somersets. There can be no more diesel conversions or press releases praising single note horns and aluminum wiring as "weight saving improvements".

<span style="font-style: italic">AND BEYOND <span style="font-weight: bold">ANY</span> DOUBT,</span> <span style="font-weight: bold">there can be no more cars built on the Fiero/Regal plan</span> (introduce first, perfect later)<span style="font-weight: bold">!</span> One more of those, and <span style="font-style: italic">nobody</span> is going to be left reading these announcments any more. Period.

That said, and to the extent that those misssteps are no longer repeated, it sounds like a workable path back to respect is in place. Many people of my age (45) will likely never seriously consider GM. But every market for every product is in constant motion. If you can talk today's 19 year olds into wearing elephant-bells from 1972 to go with their <span style="font-style: italic">The Wild Ones</span> walking tattoo parlor product display case bodies, somebody will someday be able to talk them into a <span style="font-style: italic">quality</span> American car.

It ain't gone yet!

But just one Vega/Citation/Cimmarron/Skyhawk/Venture, and all bets are off. Good luck, Mr. Lutz!

[86 2dr.ltd]

This is great news, but I dont understand why I have this funny feeling in my chest. Like last 3 minutes of the game and we need 3 points. It must have something to do with what happened and became of the Oldsmobile investment.

Its all going to be in the hands of the stylists as far asd Im concerned and I believe my opinion to be accurate. If they put up cars that look like old folks cars that will be what they sell. If they put up a stricking line of pure sex appeal, meeting the quality talk about, keeping the tag reasonable they will sell cars. If they have the attitude that they must sell massive volumns they are fools before they start. No company is going to be king again, there are to many brands out there, it aint the 50's/60's anymore. Do your best, dont waste money and hold on tight just like the rest of us do.

Buick has had the engine to die for for over a decade. Its reputation is out there, it just needs the right sheet metal wrapped around it. I know other engines are in development and if they can also be proven tough and powerful, combined with stricking curves and contours and the quality, peoples heads will turn.

The LaCross is interesting but thats all I feel for it. I believe the large oval grill is now dating back to the 91 PA that makes it 13 years old. I feel they are still grabing styling hints off the 95 Riv which was great but nothing else has come close to being as stunning so that is backwards. Your cars are supposed to look better every year not be a depreciation of the previous year. The 95 Riv look is 9 years old now anyhow. Time for a new look. I thought the grill of the Bengal with the contours like the old Buicks and the Blackhawk had were a good idea but just not so HUGE. The ovals old and has to go, if you wanna change image the nose is the formost identifying part of a car.

I also believe GM would do good to cut back on the electronic gadgetry that gave them a bad rep in the previous generations. I know buyers look at this stuff as "oh boy how long before that acts up". remember that reputation is already out there too. Spend the money on important stuff and leave the fluff on the shelf with the dust.

Its quit simple really

awsome powertrain - got that

great lines - gotta work on that

excellent quality - never to much of that

brillance not BS - 80's was the opposite in the dash board department

conservative expectations - would have kept Olds alive

carefull use of funds - dont waste fortunes on frilly concept cars, produce awsome cars straight up. Just do it as they say. No one likes a tease. Nothing worse than putting a cool concept car in the auto shows , then releasing the last car you'll ever own.

[BUICK RACER]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Roberta, I see that CJ Fraleigh is the new general manager for Buick-Pontiac-GMC. Do you know anything about this individual? And what has happened to Roger Adams? We were all impressed with his presentation in Flint last summer. </div></div>

Roger Adams joined GM in 1996 with Buick Division as brand manager of the Regal. He had previously been vice president of marketing, research and development at Keebler Co. He also worked in marketing and advertising at H.J. Heinz, RJR Nabisco, and Pepsico, Inc. Adams was named marketing general manager at Buick in 1998. He became general manager of Buick and Pontiac-GMC Divisions in 2003. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications studies from Northwestern University and a master's degree in marketing from New York University.

CJ Fraleigh joined GM in 2001 as executive director, advertising and corporate marketing, responsible for GM's advertising, media, retail planning, diversity and corporate marketing, as well as the GM Card. Under Fraleigh's leadership, GM launched successful ad campaigns for many divisions including Cadillac and Chevrolet, as well as corporate-wide marketing programs such as GM's 24-Hour Test Drive and Hot Button. He came to GM from Pepsi-Cola North America, where he was vice president, marketing-colas and led the development of many successful Pepsi business initiatives, as well as many new products and the rejuvenation of the Mountain Dew brand. Fraleigh holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Lehigh University and a master's degree in business administration from Columbia University.

--Roger Adams, 47, general manager of the Buick and Pontiac-GMC divisions and the GM Customer Network, has been named executive director, corporate advertising and customer relationship management, effective Feb. 1. This new position will integrate advertising with customer relationship campaigns to create effective marketing efforts across GM and its divisions. Adams continues to report to John Middlebrook, GM vice president of marketing and advertising.

--CJ Fraleigh, 40, executive director of corporate advertising and marketing, will become general manager of the Buick and Pontiac-GMC divisions, effective Feb. 1, replacing Roger Adams. Fraleigh will continue to report to Middlebrook

[Centurion]

Roberta, thank you for the background information on Adams and Fraleigh. It's clear that the days are long gone when Buick's general managers came up through the engineering organization. As noted in some of my comments above, marketing will be a huge part of GM's future success or failure, so I guess it makes sense to have the best possible marketing people involved. Let's hope that these guys take a strong interest in the product itself, although I recognize that responsibility for the product decisions rests elsewhere in the GM organization.

[HurstGN]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">GM Plans $3 Billion Overhaul Of Buick

Struggling with aging products and gray-haired customers, Buick is next in line at GM for new products and new styling.

</div></div>

Does this mean an end to the commercials that targeted AARP members exclusively? I'd like to think so. Lets hope whatever is produced has some lines and style like the Blackhawk. If they're just going to produce another rounded off jellybean, but with a more luxurious interior....well, I got enough old 80's cars to keep me driving old Buicks till I die. And if I do run out of Buicks, those new hemi powered Mopars are looking mighty appealing right now.

[Guest Skyking]

GM has to do exactly what Chrysler did in the 80's. Back then Chrysler was on shoe strings and they pulled through with flying colors. In my opinion, today they have the best looking cars & trucks on the planet. Their styling & workmanship is second to none. They offer convertibles, sedans, coupes, SUVs and great trucks. I think they are kicking &%ss......just my 2-cents on the subject......

[Don McClair]

I too am pleased to hear about GM sinking some bucks into Buick instead of treating it like they did Oldsmobile. I was really excited to see the new SSR pickup by Chevrolet but a price tag of $46,000 is out of my league and the dealers right now are getting $10,000 above MSRP for them. I have to agree with Skyking about Chrysler's styling of late. Some of their new cars like the Crossfire and the Pacifica look really great to say nothing of the Prowler and the Viper. However I have to say that in the past two weeks I have rented two cargo vans the first a Dodge and the second a Chevy and yes they were rentals. But, after traveling 600 miles in the Dodge, my back was killing me and I had no back problems after traveling the same distance with the Chevrolet. Also the Chevrolet had been used a lot harder but drove much better. The Dodge windshield wiper system did not have a single wipe of the windshield. You had to turn it to intermittent and then turn it back off. If you wanted the wiper to wipe more frequently, you would turn the knob and sometimes you had to wait until the computer cycle decided it was ready for the next wipe at the old setting. The Chevrolet had the single wipe feature and if you advanced the setting the wipers moved immediately. This is just a couple of items that made the Chevrolet experience a lot more pleasant. Just a personal observation.

[rocketraider]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Roberta, thank you for the background information on Adams and Fraleigh. It's clear that the days are long gone when Buick's general managers came up through the engineering organization. As noted in some of my comments above, marketing will be a huge part of GM's future success or failure, so I guess it makes sense to have the best possible marketing people involved. Let's hope that these guys take a strong interest in the product itself, although I recognize that responsibility for the product decisions rests elsewhere in the GM organization. </div></div>

I would hope they learned something from the Karen Francis fiasco at Oldsmobile. I maintain that one cannot successfully market a product without understanding it or more to the point, totally believing in it. You need dyed-in-the-wool car people to build and sell cars, not toothpaste executives.

[Centurion]

Rocketraider, you are entirely correct about this, and I, too, hope that GM has learned from the Olds experience.

Regarding the comments above about Chrysler, it is true that Chrysler became Detroit's "hottest design house" during the 1990's. This is part of what attracted Daimler-Benz to the merger with Chrysler. But quality has remained Chrysler's challenge, and I think that Chrysler might have been far more successful in gaining market share during the last decade if the company had also developed a reputation as a builder of high quality cars. Frankly, Chrysler products have fared poorly in all of the major quality surveys, although there have been recent indications of strong improvement.

GM products, notably Buick, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile, have all scored significantly better than Chrysler products in terms of quality. Now, if GM can reclaim its long-gone design leadership while maintaining (and improving) its quality standings, one hopes that it can begin rebuilding market share.

[Dave@Moon]

Brian is right about Chrysler's quality problems. Their cars (and especially thier trucks) rank consistantly at the bottom of every credible survey, <span style="font-style: italic">with one exception!</span>. The PT Cruiser is amone the most reliable vehicles on the road, and ranks with many "Japanese" makes in quality and incidence of repair.

As for the Daimler-Benz "merger", it was amerger in name only. Chrysler was bought. It is a manufacturing/marketing division of a German comapnay right now. Their new models (Crossfire, Magnum, etc.), except for the trucks, are now and are probably always going to be Americanized Mercedes'. Imagine VW providing you your next "Buick", complete with a German drivetrain. Many analysts see this as a likely outcome once GM's pension debt becomes too burdensome.

I hope for a better fate myself.

As for the new "Hemi" Mopars, they are among the most gas guzzling powertrains on the market, and are <span style="font-style: italic">not remotely</span> the performance machines they are slyly marketed to be. They're kind of the "weapons of mass destruction" of the current car market.

And as for the (aptly described) "toothpaste executives" that are "running" the Buick "brand"<span style="font-style: italic">...wow that's a lot of stretched names for people, things and actions there!...</span>, I'm reminded of a stunt Michael Moore pulled on his TV show once. He bought a car from each of the big three, showed up at the corporate headquarters, and challenged the C.E.O. to come out and change the car's oil.

One did it. He did it well <span style="font-style: italic">and</span> quickly!

Bob Lutz!

I wish GM had more to hang their product hat on than just him (publicly), but you've got to admit at least there's one admirable "car guy" running things.

[Reatta Man]

Many of you have touched on Buick's problems: cars that don't have broad appeal to multiple audiences, cars that don't work well, cars that look like and are thought of more like rental cars or appliances rather than objects of emotional interest.

Bob Lutz got on the right track when he got rid of the 'brand manager' concept. The rocket scientists that thought you could manage the appeal of Regals like you market Oreo cookies or Ray Ban sunglasses were wrong. No need to debate it; GM and Buick's sliding sales and dropping market share say it all.

I still think Buick still has a pricing problem. It is not just theirs alone; the incentive war and special discounts have created a problem running through Detroit like a bad flu epidemic. But, even GM seems to be Buick's worst enemy when it comes to price. Why, for example, does it make sense to GM to price a Cadillac CTS at $31,185 and a Regal GS at $29,545? Can anyone really think buying a seven-year-old design instead of a car new from the ground up in order to save $1,600 is a good idea? Even if you add GM's fire-sale rebates on the Regal, the price difference is about 12%-15%. Just going from a Buick to a Cadillac would justify more money to most people, let alone the aging design of the Regal. The only way it makes financial sense to buy a new GM car these days is if you can buy it for about half off the window sticker, as I did last summer with a Chevy Silverado pickup. Otherwise, I would have never paid anywhere near the $29,000 window sticker for it.

And don't get me started on why a Buick minivan made in Mexico by workers paid $1.40 per hour needs to cost $35,000 but for the same money or a little more, you can get a 'foreign' SUV made in the U.S. by Americans that is faster, has a bigger more powerful engine and retains more of its' resale value.

If you don't think pricing is a problem for Buick, then someone sure fell asleep at the design table. How many new convertibles or two-door models have we been promised, only to see them disappear like a puff of smoke? We've been teased with a Blackhawk, a Bengal convertible, a Cielo, the " no-compromise convertible with roof rails and retractable top" based upon the Regal line, and a LaCrosse that was promised to be "drop-dead gorgeous" and turned out looking like a Ford Taurus with a Buick grill grafted on the front. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for a factory-built Regal GNX, GSX or GN car with something more than the stock 240-hp V-6. I mean, for crying out loud, even Honda makes a smaller V-6 with the same horsepower, and that is without a supercharger.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-Buick, I'm anti-boring cars, period. I want Buick to build a new car that makes me as excited as I get when I see my '65 Wildcat with the top down, or hear the engine on my '70 GS when I stomp on the gas. I want to see a 2005 Buick convertible that looks at least as good as a 1985 Riv or 1991 Reatta with the top down. If they can make a person's pulse go up when they see a new Buick, then the $3 billion is money well spent. If not and they continue to turn out products for the rental car companies, it is at best like putting a band-aide on a chest wound.

Joe

[Guest Skyking]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I want Buick to build a new car that makes me as excited as I get when I see my '65 Wildcat with the top down, or hear the engine on my '70 GS when I stomp on the gas. </div></div>

Joe, forget it, those days are well behind us. There isn't anything now or in the furture that will ever give me the same feeling that my 2 Buick convertibles do now.......

[NTX5467]

Thanks for posting the news release and the other background information, Roberta.

A few observations -- what Dave called the "Fiero/Regal Plan" should be more like the "GM Plan". When the "new" Camaro came out in 1982, it was not until the 1985 model year that fit, finish, paint, and trim got to the level they should have been up front--3 years of production seemed to be their "norm" for getting new models' kinks and production worked out back then. Chrysler and Ford seemed to reach that point much earlier with their newly introduced vehicles back then. It just seemed that GM let the public do the final R&D work back then for whatever reasons.

Buick owner demographics -- we've all seen this in print so much that we can predict the exact wording the writers use. BUT the key point is that the only demographics that are being tracked are for the purchasers of NEW BUICKS only. I have observed that when a Buick gets to its second owner, the age of the owner drops something like 20 years or so. Yet, that is never mentioned in any of the articles on the age of Buick owners. And it usually takes another 20 year plunge when the Buick gets to its third owner or so. Yep, contrary to popular belief, there's 20-something young marrieds driving around in used Buicks and if you dare venture off into someplace like RegalGS.org, you'll see that there are plenty of 20-40 year olds in there that are proud of their Buicks as classy, performance, family cars. These younger people don't seem to be bothered about the fact they are only 4-door cars as that's all they've grown up with, usually. But you'll never read about the age of those Buick owners in the news releases. And, similar things happen in the Mercury side of things too. (Note: if you play your cards right, you can still buy a new Grand Marquis with cloth interior for a MSRP of about $26,000.00 before any rebates.)

Vehicle pricing -- It seems that the old "If it costs more, it's better" orientation is kicking in. Smaller Chevy models are moving more upscale and their pricing reflects it to a certain degree. By the same token, if you take $30,000.00 you can buy an Impala SS, Grand Prix GTP Comp G, or a Regal GS (all of which are fully loaded equipment wise). But the Park Avenue Ultra compared to a Cadillac DeVille is a bargain in many respects, just as a base Impala V-6 is compared to a Toyota Camry 4-cylinder (looking at equipment levels and MSRP before rebates). I thought it was insane with a new, fully loaded '78 Caprice with a factory sunroof broke past the $10K MSRP level and look at them now . . . So there are some places that GM pricing is very competitive and other places it seems a little suspect.

GM Quality -- As the famed surveys are pointing out, the build quality of GM vehicles is increasing and the warranty work is declining significantly. I have not observed the alleged problems with Chrysler quality to be nearly what others have claimed them to be. One issue might be that a new Chrysler product owner that expects their Chrysler vehicle to have the same "feel" or "way of doing things" as their prior GM or Ford vehicle (and that is not the case as each manufacturer's vehicles have their own feel and little idiosyncracies). End result, they think it might be broke when it's not or there should have been an easy fix for something they paid out the yazoo for because the technician did not "know" the vehicle's design and mechanicals well enough. Might well be the same for a former Toyota owner that buys a Nissan too, for example, or vice versa. Lots of side issues that usually are not mentioned, I suspect--just my observations and your experiences might vary.

The "Parade" through Olds -- From what I understand, GM was considering killing Olds back in the early 1990s. When word leaked out, most of their old line and experienced people jumped ship or transferred to other GM areas. John Rock allegedly put his foot down and told them they would not kill Olds, so he seemed to buy some time for that legendary GM division--which had been starved for product prior to that time (kind of like Saturn of late). So the Aurora (never did like that name) and Intrigue (or understand that one either) plus the new Olds logo (that many didn't know what it was) came along soon thereafter. When he retired, there seemed to be a parade of "leaders" through the Olds manager's office, including Karen Francis. None of these people seemed to be old line Olds people who fully understood its mission or placement in the GM portfolio. When the head boss is changing about every two years, it's hard to build any momentum or staff loyalty, I suspect.

Then came the new direction for Olds--chasing Infinity and similar instead of probably Mitsubishi, Jaguar, and Chrysler. Horrible advertising campaigns too! The Aurora was a neat car in many respects, but a little high priced. The Intrigue had much more going for it, but lacked the little more execution and finesse than it deserved and other similar GM vehicles got. It was "The Annonymous" Olds as the first few years did not have "Oldsmobile" in any really viewable area (except the right hand back-up lamp lens, where it was cast in the clear plastic). Back when the model was the brand instead of the division being the brand. Misguided brand management?

American Brand Resurgence -- As crazy as a Cadillac "truck" seems, Cadillac vehicles are now highly prized vehicles in the trendy Hollywood entertainment groups. Sure, there are still the Mercedes and others, but Cadillac has made some quick inroads into the "in crowd" out there and other places too. And then there are the 40-50 somethings that remember when Cadillac was really a status symbol (in their earlier life) and now they are where they can afford one--so they are. Of course, the new Cadillac products are a main reason too. It all comes together and generates sales, even without rebates. Really neat to watch "MTV Cribs" and see those young musicians have an Escalade in their stable of expensive vehicles!

The more recent Pontiacs, Chevies, and Saturns are aimed at the younger and upwardly mobile people of today. They seem to be hitting those markets pretty well too. Buick might be "late to the game", but they'll be a significant player when the new products are on the streets (kind of like the Mustand vs. Camaro situation of the 1960s?).

I came to realize as I was walking around at the recent Fort Worth New Car Show that Buicks are somewhat underappreciated for the fine vehicles they are. The Regal might be an "old" vehicle (and not on some people's radar screens as a result), but that graphite leather in the black w/gray lower paint Regal GS that was there was as classy as any Lexus. The Park Avenue Ultra was about $10K less than a similar DeVille and really a nicer car in many respects. And that graphite leather in the Rainier was outstanding.

Getting the press and media to forget those much repeated age demographics of new Buick owners will be a task, for sure. What those people seem to forget is that older people like their luxury, performance, and style too and Buick is still delivering those qualities just as they did in the 1960s and 1970s. Plus, all of the high performance chassis items from the Grand Prix GTP Comp G will probably bolt onto the new LaCrosse so that could be some fun too.

Any new Buick needs an appropriate advertising campaign centered on what the vehicle is and can do for the owner without alienating the existing owner base (make sure there are some bench seat models in the mix and everyone will be fine) PLUS show people having fun in the car too (a key thing that Ford advertising does). Reinforcing the Buick's place and heritage for quality, upscale vehicles, yet oriented for modern times, might not hurt too and possibly ride the crest of the wave begun by Cadillac.

Again, these comments are based on my observations and your orientations might differ.

Enjoy!

NTX5467