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General Motors said nearly a portion of its Buick dealerships have made buybacks this year instead of investing in the sale and maintenance of electric vehicles, as the automaker’s brands move to all-electric through 2030.
That means GM will end 2023 with about 1,000 Buick outlets nationwide, down 47% from the start of the year.
Late last year, Buick said it would require dealers to dedicate a minimum investment of between $300,000 and $400,000 to prepare their outlets to sell and service electric vehicles.
“Buick is transforming, launching the most productive cars the logo has ever had and is the fastest-growing primary logo in 2023,” GM spokesman Sean Poppitt said in an email this week to the Detroit Free Press. “All of this is intended to be the most productive experience for visitors in the transition to electric cars. As mentioned above, this year we have given dealers who are not aligned with Buick’s future to opt out voluntarily, respectfully, and in a structured manner; of our National Dealer Council.
In Michigan, GM had about a hundred Buick dealerships as of December 2022. At the time, a Buick dealership in metro Detroit told the Free Press that all Buick dealerships in metro Detroit were making an investment to sell and service for the long term. operating electric vehicles, however, some smaller dealerships in rural spaces were accepting the buyback offer. Other dealers echoed this information.
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Poppitt declined to verify how many Buick dealers have made a purchase in Michigan.
“We’re not breaking it down state by state, but Michigan is a critical market for Buick and we are well covered to support our local customers,” Poppitt said. “Nearly 90% of the U.S. population remains within approximately 25 miles of a Buick dealership.”
Poppitt said with nearly half the dealerships gone, Buick sales are still up almost 60% this year through November over the year-ago period, which means “the average dealer throughput tripled – while reducing 47% of our dealer points. These are compelling numbers; we have a leaner, stronger and more effective network.”
The buyback program remains open and voluntary. The logo plans to unveil its first electric vehicle next year and it will be an SUV. All new long-term electrical nameplates will use the Electra designation followed by a number.
In 2020, Cadillac introduced a similar buyback program to its dealers. Nationally, 170 to 180 of Cadillac’s 870 dealers, or about 20 percent, agreed to buybacks ranging from $300,000 to $700,000 and gave up their franchise to invest in tools, training. , appliances and charging stations to sell and service electric vehicles, a user familiar with Cadillac’s plan told the Free Press in December 2020.
Contact Jamie L. LaReau at jlareau@freepress. com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Learn more about General Motors and sign up for our newsletter. Subscribe.
This article was printed in the Detroit Free Press: GM: Half of Buick dealers made buybacks in 2023