Buick Blog

Buick has been struggling for the longest time with no monthly sales gains and in an effort to change its standing, it is set to offer lease deals of 24 months hoping to get a chunk of the leasing deals of other luxury car brands.

The program called Experience Buick was officially launched last week and includes no charge scheduled maintenance, OnStar, and Sirius XM radio during the term of the lease. Usually, the buyers get free subscription to satellite radio for 3 months and OnStar for 6 months.

The lease is being offered by Buick, owned by General Motors, thru Ally Financial. The management believes that the program plus the host of freebies will entice buyers in the luxury segment who will not even consider Buick.

The sales of Buick went up after the bankruptcy of GM with a jump of 52% back in 2010 and 14% or 177,663 units in 2011. But the brand experienced a drop of 17% in February, continuation of the decline in the last five months.

Cadillac Is another brand in the United States which has not posted a gain since September of last year.

Buick is also hoping that the compact Verano and the compact crossover Encore will be able to help pull up the numbers.

According to a Buick executive, lease made up around 24% of their sales in 2011 which is up from previous years but other brands enjoyed a lease penetration of more than 50%. The lease program aims to allow a buyer to experience the brand with all the GM wares that comes with it.

The Saturn brand was offloaded by General Motors but its popular units like the mid-size sedan Aura will be getting a replacement rolling off the shores of the U.S. These cars will be arriving in North America donning a Buick Badge.

The Opel Insignia was tapped to replace the Saturn Aura but due to the sale of the brand, GM decision makers opted to sell the car as the 2011 Buick Regal. The Buick Regal is set to hit the market by the 2nd quarter of 2010.

The 2011 Buick Regal is expected to give other sport sedan in its segment a tough competition. The Regal derives its power from the turbocharged engine, European chassis set up, and selectable suspension system.

The Aura replacement will meet head on with models like the Volvo S60 and the Acura TSX. The new 2011 Regal will have more space and legroom compared to these cars. It has a longer wheelbase, bigger trunk capacity, six speed transmission, and 18-inch rims.

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General Motors is still fixing its own backyard after a financial mess and eventually bankruptcy. GM is looking for a replacement model for its midsize sedan, the Saturn Aura, which should have been the Opel Insignia. With the sale of the brand, GM will be selling the new car as the Buick Regal by late 2010 or early part of 2011 in North America.

Before the sale of the Buick Regal in North America, the Opel Insignia has been rolling off the dealerships in China. According to GM insiders, the Regal will be marketed below the 2010 LaCrosse and will have a few thousand dollars off its sticker price. The LaCrosse has a tag starting at $27,835.

The LaCrosse and the Regal though is built on the same DNA of the Epsilon II FWD. They also share basic lines and curves for the body structure. This could give a good indication of what this model will afford you in terms of car breakdown cover and insurance costs.The LaCrosse has several features that you cannot find on the Regal. The former comes with acoustic glass, hood built with perimeter seal, and absorption material under the chassis.

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