So they could have a medium-small sized sedan called the “Electra” or the like, have a medium-medium sedan called the “Regal” have a medium-large sedan called the “LaCrosse” and a Large Sedan called the “Lucerne/Park Avenue”… Anyone else see waaay too much overlap in this plan? Then they plan on having a FWD smaller Cadillac in the mix – talk about over compensating.

Good job getting rid of Pontiac – They COULD have had the Cruze based model as the G5 replacement – called it the LeMans – the Insignia based G6 replacement called something else, maybe called the Grand Prix, the G8 and had Buick just be the upscale LaCrosse and Lucurne plus the Crossovers. Why GM did Pontiac HAVE to go?

NO KIDDING LLN!
Do you really think GM wouldve axed Pontiac so Buick could keep the crap they have now?

They still don’t get it, do they.

By “Expanding” the lineup do the mean they are offering a free pair of Sansabelt Slacks with every Lucerne purchase?

Jake, they’ll need those for the ‘early bird’ special.

The small Volt-based crossover (apparently being built in lieu of the previously planned Chevy Orlando) should be called Electra. The Cruze-based Chinese sedan should be the entry level US Buick, but only if renamed Regal (because Excelle just won’t fly). There really isn’t any room for the Insignia in Buick’s lineup, though it is quite a beautiful sedan.

They just really, really need to wake up and focus on building product that is not the same old mind numbingly boring garbage that we have been used to getting from Buick for the last 30 years.

They should bring back the Skylark, Skyhawk or even Apollo name as a sporty affordable coupe/sedan

Not just Sansabelt slacks, but also strawboater hats, Bermuda shorts, madras shirts and black knee socks to go with those white buck shoes.

What next? A Korean Buickwoo (Buick+Daewoo) to comply with CAFE?

zoom, that’s all well and great but for gods sake why can’t they do something to shake things up? Reading the article or your post all I’m envisioning are a bunch of 4 door sedans or 4 door crossovers that are just gussied up versions of something else that already exists in the GM portfolio. Did you watch Barrett-Jackson back in January? One of the hottest cars the whole week was a Stage 1 1970 Buick GS that brought in the biggest number ever for that car. Now that was a Buick. Not some warmed over leftover from the home office in China. And anyone who thinks Buick was spared as one of the 4 core brands on its own recognizance on these shores is sadly mistaken. It’s only to keep the illusion fueled in China that somehow driving an ‘American’ Buick is slipping one past the sorry regime that passes for leadership in their corner of the world.

I’m not pissed at you zoom, but if this is truly all they are planning to offer us then they are just perpetuating the stereotype of Buick as a marque for the dead or dying.

Free bingo passes with every vehicle purchase.

LaCrosse as a Lucerne? Way too small.

compact CUV (smaller than stablemate GMC Terrain)
Full size CUV
compact Delta sedan
midsize FWD Regal/Insignia
larger midsize LaCrosse
full size Lucerne AWD

Great line up but one too many midsize sedans. Make sure they are all HIGHLY styled with uplevel content. Enclave and new LaCrosse show the way there.

How does China support both the Regal and LaCrosse? They have both.

BUT Buick supported both the Century and Regal for years very successfully. They sold to very different buyers with Regal quite a bit younger and more affluent. Sold millions of them. Biggest issue is they let them go like 8 years w/o any real changes and killed them off.

In my opinion, by 2012-2013:

Invicta- Opel/Vaxhall Insignia with Buick grille, or essentially the CDM Buick Regal. Top model known as the Insignia OPX/VXR would be renamed the Buick Regal or something for exclusiveness. Have the 2.9TD V-6 diesel (was that cancelled?), 3.6DI, and the 2.8T for the Regal version.

Lucerne- Drop onto the same RWD platform as the new Holden Statesman. With Chrysler doing a RWD 300, Hyundai doing the Genesis, and Chevy being able to keep the Impala FWD/AWD, there’s no reason the Buick can’t go RWD, befitting of its premium sights. 3.6DI/6-speed auto in the CX, CXLs pack that too but with more equipment and an optional 6.2L from the Camaro SS automatic downed to about 375 hp, and the Super can have the full 415 beans.

Enclave- Get a stinking V-8 in there and lose the base cloth-seat model. It needs to be a proper step up from other Lambdas. Make AWD standard. With a Super model that packed enough power and technology, it could be a real premium SUV, a sort of easy-going competitor to a V-8 X5 or Q7 4.2. The Escalade ought to more closely emulate the Range Rover and LX570.

SUV X- Chevy Equinox but AWD standard. The 3.6DI would push it upmarket with new Buick styling and interior, plus more tech. Lose the GMC Terrain.

A comfy coupe and convertible version would be very Buicky, but I have my reservations about its potential success. Either way, NO SMALL CARS based on the Cruze, NO Camry-priced Regals, etc. Eventually Cadillac needs to move up enough so Buick can breath a bit. The brand ought to have a Park Avenue (but a different name, as that’s too old gramps in this world) sized and priced like a Hyundai Equus with a similar array of tech, power, and refinement. They just don’t have the cred anywhere other than perhaps China. Even Cadillac isn’t at that level yet.

Hopefully soon …..

I’m still wanting a bench-seat option, will Buick still offer one?

How about just dropping Buick altogether? Or at the very least selling Buick to the Chinese who will eventually own Buick anyway? US Taxpayers can start recouping some money now with the selling of Buick versus taking it in the shorts–again–and having the inept executive management of the Born Again GM (BAGM) run operations into the ground for another round of whining to the government for additional funds.

Johnny.. glad you ain’t mad at me! Of course I want Buick to build something like the recent Riviera concept.. but obviously GM funneled that basic shape into the CTS coupe (albeit squared up a bit). For GM’s sake, hopefully the Asian and German manufacturers will continue to build misguided fastback CUVs, pointless 4-door coupes and funky box-shaped econocars.. thus forcing more conservative, practical Americans to actually consider buying a Buick and allowing GM to bring some of their elegant recent concepts to fruition.

Bench seat, column shifter, linear speedo. Don’t forget to upgrade the marshmallows in the shocks.

The Buick line up has lanquished for years with substards products. They can’t survive with 2 sedan models & a large crossover vehicle. I think it is is exciting that GM is considering bringing the Insidgina based Regal sedan to the North American market & would make a good alternative to the bland offerings sold by Honda & Toyota. I hope they do bring the Excelle sedan/hatch to our shores & would make a great alternative to the higher end Civic/Corlola models. That car won’t be a Cruze copy but an Americanized version of the Opel Astra. I would also like to see the additon of direct injected turbo engines to differientiate it from the run of the mill Cruze. Buick also needs a smaller CUV something between the new Chevy Equinox & Caddy SRX. I will be looking to replace my 2008 civic EXL with navi in a few years and hopefully the small sedan/hatch will fit with my needs. I need something to haul my Giant Schnauzer around in. I replaced my Mazda Mazda3 Grand touring hatch with the Civic. The Mazda 3 fit my needs well for that duty but iI had so many problems with it & my local Mazda dealer went out of business a few months after I purchased the car & had to drive over 100 miles just to get service at a Mazda dealer. I wih them luck to bring in younger buyers into Buick showrooms.

If Buick really wants to revive their brand they are going to have to do it with outstanding products that younger professional types will actually want to buy them. I don’t se Buick as a competitor to Lexus. Acura maybe but not lLexus or infinity. & while they are wanting to expand the Buick range a stylish 4 seat convertible would also be something they should consider if GM has the $ to develop one.

dawg, you been in an Enclave? No one here will admit it but it is better in almost every way than the RX. Before folks start running off please check the specs. HP, price, styling, handling, ride, interior room (except cargo volume), etc. It also is bringing in those younger buyers.

4 seat convertible woudl be awesome.

I don’t believe that Buick, like the rest of GM, was planning to be in bankruptcy proceeding today. Plans at GM are meant to be broken and lied about in advance.

Buick is dead. Baby-boomers stopped buying Buicks in the 1990s and Gen Xers and Yers have no interest in the Brand, so what are they going to do? Exume corpes?

Pauly, your facts are a bit dated:

“And while Buick is typically the butt of jokes about buyers who are somewhere between retired and deceased, the average age of a Buick shopper last year was 55.2 years old, considerably younger than the average 63.6-year-old Mercedes-Benz shopper.”

“On the foreign-manufacturer front, an interesting auto rivalry also had interesting statistics: The average age of Toyota shoppers was 46.6 years old, while the average age for Honda shoppers was 51.2.”

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/01/down-economy-mo.html

Carstuff, Yeah I have test driven an Enclave & I think it is the best looking of the Lambda platform vehicle. I see many young families in my area driving them. Since I just adopted another Giant Schnauzer last night it has gone to the top of my list. My big dogs need room to stretch out on the flat load floor while I haul them with me to the office everyday

And no Idon’twear Sansabelt slacks.

and neither do I but they do look comfortable;)

oh great more turds