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.

We have seen the teaser of a Buick compact crossover as early as 2009 which is basically a rebadged edition of the Saturn Vue (which by the way is obsolete now). The only significant design difference is the waterfall grille of the new crossover , and that issue caused bad press and so the production was canceled.

Buick however did not give up and said May last year that they will still pursue the production of the compact crossover.

Just the other day, at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Buick finally pulled the covers of the 2013 Buick Encore which is set to roll out for consumption by next year. The Buick Encore reflects the co-design practice with the Opel division which will release a twin version that might be called the Opel Mokka before the end of 2012.

It seems the design team did a bit of revision and did a pretty decent job as the vents just under the headlamps are not looking as awkward as the earlier teaser versions. The waterfall grille is there with the headlights on the side that makes use of blue rings similar to that of the Enclave. The compact crossover will roll on five spoke alloy rims or an option of seven-spoke chrome rims.

The interior tries to go premium with premium dashboard materials, LCD display-cum-navigation system, and the IntelliLink voice controlled system which comes as standard.

The 2013 Buick Encore will depend on the 1.4L turbocharged powerplant that can give out 148 horsepower with a torque of 140 lb-ft. The engine is coupled with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The company has not revealed the figures for fuel economy. All-wheel drive will be an option.

Buick aims to send the Encore against competitors like the BMW X1 and the Q3 from Audi. We are also awaiting the official pricing for this Buick compact crossover.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »