Not so long ago, the future of the Buick brand was not seen in a particularly positive light by many observers. Buick may have been the very first brand that led to the founding of General Motors at the turn of the 20th century, but the feeling now was that younger consumers had lost interest in the company’s products, whose appeal was increasingly limited to an older demographic. And yet, not more than 10 or 15 years earlier, Buicks were winning NASCAR, road and drag races! It was an active and attractive brand!
Ironically, just as Buick was declining in popularity in North America, it was growing furiously in China, a country in the process of opening up to private enterprise. To the Chinese, the Buick brand had always and continued to enjoy an enviable reputation. Wealthier Chinese consumers, and those who held the best political or administrative posts, drove Buicks, and had been for decades. Even the last Chinese emperor, Pu-Yi, drove one. Buick produced cars and vans specifically for the Chinese market in the GM plants in Shanghai (today known as SAIC-GM).
In North America, Buick was losing ground with its cars developed from other products in the face of competitors already launching themselves into SUVs and CUVs. There had been the Rendezvous and the Rainier, of course, but they had made little impact. In May 2007, Buick launched its first SUV (or CUV as some saw it): the Enclave. This modern vehicle, equipped with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive, could accommodate seven passengers, and led to the development of other GM versions including the Acadia (redesigned as a smaller package in 2017), the Saturn Outlook (which disappeared along with that brand when GM restructured) and the Chevrolet Traverse.
The good luck of the Enclave application and the logo was republished accordingly. And Buick continued to produce cars, such as the giant LaCrosse (long known in Canada as Allure), the medium-sized Regal (founded on a German Opel model) and, more recently, Summer, a small sedan founded on The Chevrolet Cruze. Although very popular in Canada, Summer has not been well won in the United States, and will be discontinued in 2018. That’s not the fate ahead of Buick’s tiny Encore SUV, which generated strong sales since its launch in 2013, confusing many skeptical hounds who predicted Americans would avoid such a small vehicle. The Encore is founded on the Opel Mokka, fostered through a small SUV built through GM’s Korean division, which we know as Chevrolet Trax.
More recently, Buick has added the Cascade convertible (also founded on an Opel, not sold in Canada), as well as the new York Auto Show presentation of a completely redesigned Regal car line, which includes a hatchback sedan and a sports car. called TourX. It is founded on the Opel Insignia, and the edition of the circle of relatives cannot be held in Canada, which is unexpected since cars are much more popular here than south of the border. At the Encore launch event, Mike Speranzini, GM Canada’s logo manager, said the resolution was a matter of choice, as the prospect of expansion in Canada is based more on SUVs. With respect to The Regal, it should be noted that your new hatchback-equipped inautomobilenation will offer at least twice the total shipping capacity of the existing edition. And in the new Buick, we just learned that the Chinese market will soon receive a sedan edition of the Regal, as well as the Velite 5, an electric Buick founded on the Chevrolet Volt.
Return of the EnclaveA few years back, Buick relaunched the original version of the Enclave with some minor retouches. But as it conserved the same body as before it looked a little time-worn; a refresh was definitely in order. Buick used the occasion of the New York International Auto Show in spring of 2017 to unveil an all-new version of the Enclave.
Before lifting the cover of the new Enclave, Duncan Aldred, Vice President of Global Buick and GMC, was careful to point out that Buick is the fourth luxury logo for sale in the United States, ahead of the Audis, Infinitis, Lincolns and Aquaras of the world. He added that global logo sales exceeded 1.4 million games in 2016 and that the company unveiled seven new models last year. Aldred said Buick has the “freshest” models in the industry, as the oldest models in diversity have been in production for less than 21 months. He also cited a Consumer Report rating that highlights the logo among the 3 most sensible brands in North America for their reliability, adding that J.D. Powers placed Buick number one in sales satisfaction in 2016.
So here’s the new Enclave. The 2018 Enclave is based on a new logo architecture (which is marketed with the recently introduced Chevrolet Traverse). It allows the vehicle to lose 400 pounds of weight while adding 10% more interior space, basically to get the advantages of 7-passenger third row passengers who will enjoy the greatest legroom. The contours and shape have been significantly redesigned. The chassis is slightly decreased on the floor but the vehicle is longer. According to the manufacturer, even if the wheelbase is longer, the vehicle’s turning radius is shorter than before.
The hood conceals GM’s latest-generation 3.6L V6, which has been lauded for its fuel economy and efficiency, delivers 302 hp in this model configuration and comes wedded to a new 9-speed automatic transmission. And while front-wheel drive is the standard offering, the options list includes an “intelligent” all-wheel drive system and even on-demand all-wheel drive, a first for the brand. Buick lists towing capacity at 5,000 lbs.
The redesign also touched on the interior, although always with Buick’s guiding principle of affordable luxury in mind. Buick now offers an air ionizer that helps keep the air in the cabin fresh and odor-free while obviating the need to replace filters.
The edition of the future! The revelations did not provoke in the Enclave. Duncan Alfred took the launch opportunity to announce Buick’s new Future edition, of which the Enclave will be the first to get its edition (there is still no data on the other Buicks to be included). Now, it is another concept of the Future that was unveiled two years ago; Rather, Avenir will be, according to Aldred, the ultimate expression of luxury within the Buick brand. Noting that 90% of Buick’s buyers decide one of the two highest editions for the desired model, Aldred noted that the Future concept brought to New York had a unique grille, 20-inch six-pointed tires and a high end point. The concept for the company with the new end point is to distinguish long-term models of SUVs from competition that are more ostentatious and focus more on their off-road capabilities. Chances are, Buick’s target market needs a subtle vehicle designed for everyday driving.
By the way, the Future edition has been “tested” in China, where you’ll have a Future edition of the GL8 van (an exclusive style of the Chinese market), and with great success, according to Buick, since last fall. Incidentally, more than one observer noted that Duncan Aldred is also a foreign vice president of GMC, the other GM logo that created a line of high-end ornaments of his styles (the Denalis), and whose maximum probably served as inspiration. . Buick Future Initiative.
The new Buick Enclave and its Future edition will be held at dealerships starting in the fall. We’ll know more about the other editions and the other models that will bring the long-term label.
Note: Despite the sale of Opel, the German department of General Motors, to the French automotive conglomerate PSA (Peugeot Citroen), Mark Reuss, president of General Motors in the United States, said that the transaction meant the end of the collaboration between Buick and Opel There will be more Buicks derived from Opel to come …