Comments on: Source: Buick not in line for next Astra

By: swamprat

swamprat — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:03:33 +0000

Get Real asked a very good question.

Buick is the worst seller of the three.

By: Get Real

Get Real — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:37:07 +0000

I don’t know anyone who drives a Buick. Nobody at work or family or neighborhood.

Exactly why is Buick being left alive and Pontiac and Saturn killed ??

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:32:02 +0000

youarehowhi, if it’s so simple how come GM hasn’t been able to figure this out for the last 30-40 years?

By: uoyerawohih

uoyerawohih — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:22:52 +0000

More young people buy mid-size Buicks than you think. And there are very few loyalists who would not buy one just because it appeared in the Chinese market first. In fact, the middle eastern Impala, Caprice, and all Buicks look better than ours over here, and many people would line up for these full size beauties, much like we used to have here. The last thing we need is more foreign cars like American_Cars_Crap suggested.

By: gbb

gbb — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:25:41 +0000

Buick should be in line for the AXE!

By: anti-believer

anti-believer — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:01:01 +0000

Saturn doesn’t sell thats why they are getting rid of it. [clueless]

Buick hatchback would not sell. we’re not in the 80′s anymore

By: A4

A4 — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:52:23 +0000

johnny, knowing GM they’ll forget to bring the gun and end up throwing the bullets at them.

By: mayer_ray_nagin

mayer_ray_nagin — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:37:59 +0000

The tag line will be Buick: Ugly as Astra.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:52:45 +0000

A4, I’ll buy the bullets.

By: A4

A4 — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:36:26 +0000

I also vote to take buick out back and shoot it, and give saturn a stay of execution and move GMC into their dealerships once pontiac and buick are gone.

By: A4

A4 — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:34:55 +0000

One of their biggest problems with that, American_Cars_Crap, is that the Opel brand used to be here back in the 80′s and earlier, and had such piss poor reliability that it was yanked from our market, much like peugeots, renaults, and alfa’s. A potential dealer network is in place with Saturn and Buick but honestly the cost to rebrand the distribution channels would be so immense that it makes absolutely no sense right now. If Opel came here they would certainly be first on my list of GM brands that I would drive, but many Americans don’t have that same opinion, and GM just doesnt have the funds. Saturn was their best bet.

By: 2TellUTheTruth

2TellUTheTruth — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:22:08 +0000

A 3/5-door Buick hatchback, it wouldnt fly here. I could see a compact “semi-lux” sedan for Buick sorta goin up against the like of some of the tier II foreign competition; maybe even some of the tier I depending on the design and quality.

By: Borat

Borat — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:59:16 +0000

jake, I don’t know about Chinese models, I think So. Koreans have a better happy ending

By: iluvamcars

iluvamcars — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:54:52 +0000

jhonnycanauck, this new sedan will be all new, and based on the excelle in production now! it will arrive to both markets aroundthe asme time, so there is nothing to hide. buick is starting to appeal to younger people, just look at the enclave.

By: JakeK66

JakeK66 — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:46:51 +0000

I’d look at some of those Buick models too, everyone, they actually have some nice Buicks over in China. I think if our engineers could come up with something as attractive both inside and out as the new LaCrosse, then we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I’m personally more interested in the car it is and not where it was originated in design and who they designed it for – as my last several cars have either been for the European and Asian markets and we were just an afterthought.

By: Borat

Borat — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:31:20 +0000

Johnny, for whatever reason before China was occupied by Japan, US embassy personal and most of US merchants were driving Buick. Buick was associated with luxury in China. The legend lives on.

By: carstuff

carstuff — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:06:19 +0000

Because they were the cars of Chinese Emperors for ever and ever.

This age thing really is starting to get to me. Can anyone read the data I have put here? Buick average age is only 4 years older than Hondas.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:57:21 +0000

They just don’t get it. Who over here is going to be satisfied knowing their Buick was designed for China first and us second? And don’t kid yourself, people will know. Thanks to this implosion in the industry and the resultant media coverage more and more people who weren’t interested much beyond the fact that their car starts when they turn the key are now increasingly cognizant of not just the industry’s current issues but also just what exactly it is that they’re driving. I’ll bet 6 months ago that outside of forums like these very few even knew that GM sold Buicks in China much less that they were essentially the same Buicks soon to be here. If this is GM’s vision for Buick on our shores then it’s obvious they have no aspirations other than to maintain some intangible aura around the brand which the Chinese seem to value.

Speaking of which, just how the hell did Buicks get to be so popular over there in the first place?

By: HondaHonda

HondaHonda — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:56:57 +0000

Chinese love Buick.

By: American_Cars_Crap

American_Cars_Crap — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:54:41 +0000

I know this question has been asked many times before, but who the hell buys a buick?? Its such a worthless brand. I say kill off buick and bring the Opel brand here, and keep the Opels European made. It will appeal to the American public, and Opel will be looked at as that cool new car from Europe that the Europeans have had for many decades now. At the same time GM can finally make some money from one of their brands. Also lets please bring back the French cars, I would love to see a Renault Clio V6 on the roads here.

By: orangecones

orangecones — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:24:47 +0000

This is more inline with what Buick is. It would not be right for them to have a Hatch. That said, it will be a bloated and bubbly americanized version of a chinese car with a buick moniker. The loyal 60+ year olds won’t buy it, and anyone under 60 won’t be caught dead in a Buick anyway. Projected Sales for 2011: 2. 1 to each Cher and Madonna because they refuse to admit they are dinosaurs.

By: Borat

Borat — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:08:53 +0000

I hope this model will have automatic “Get out of left lane” feature absent on other Buicks and not familiar to their drivers.

By: A4

A4 — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:53:26 +0000

WTF id rather have a hatchback