Regalguy01

Hahaha ToyMoCo!!!

I too had that thought!

Toyota not giving up on its quirky Scion 01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 By Mark Phelan Detroit Free Press DETROIT — What’s wrong at Scion? In a year when small cars should flourish, Toyota’s small-car brand is in the tank. Through October, Scion’s U.S. sales have fallen a resounding 50.6 percent versus 2008 — far more than Toyota’s corporate decline of 23.2 percent, worse even than the Chrysler Group’s 38-percent freefall. Outsiders suggest the brand created to revitalize Toyota’s stodgy image may have lost its way, but Scion plans to expand its lineup and replace its mainstay tC coupe. Scion debuted with hoopla in 2003. Developed by a team of young Toyota executives, Scion promised to sell a new kind of car in a new way. The cars would be small, inexpensive and above all, cool. They’d win a new generation of buyers who dismissed Toyota as their parents’ car. Scion took guerrilla marketing corporate, teaming the appeal of indie rock bands with the engineering and sales savvy of the world’s most profitable automaker. Scion launched with two cars: the xA, a little hatchback that never sold well, and the xB, a funky little box that quickly became the brand’s icon. It added the tC, which joined the xB as a second hit for the brand, in 2004. Scion’s first act was a success, but it stumbled with the encore. The XD hatchback sold at about the same rate as the xA it replaced. The second-generation xB grew bigger and more powerful than the original, losing much of the first car’s hip club-goer appeal. “Scion should be Toyota’s innovation factory — always at the cutting edge of where the auto industry is headed,” said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham. “Scion should reinvent itself every five years.” Early success may have undermined those change-the-system-from- within goals. Scion sales rose steadily, peaking at 173,034 in 2006 before beginning a three-year decline. Every automaker’s sales plummeted in 2008-09, but Scion dropped nearly 25 percent in 2007, the last of the auto industry’s boom years. “Scion hasn’t been a standout for any product reason,” said Mike Bernacchi, a marketing professor at the University of Detroit Mercy. “There hasn’t been much innovation from Scion vehicles. It made an early splash, but hasn’t shown great legs.” There’s a disconnect between Scion’s cars and its marketing message, said Rebecca Lindland of IHS Global Insight. “Generation Y,” the 25- to 31-year-olds Scion targets, “doesn’t like to be patronized,” Lindland said. “You can’t force guerilla marketing onto a product that doesn’t appeal to them any more than you can give yourself a nickname.” Scion scored some notable successes, however. The median age of Scion buyers — 47 — is second lowest among all brands, said Alexander Edwards, president of Strategic Vision, a San Diego research firm. However, it has trended steadily older since being an industry-leading 41 in 2006, he said. The median age of all new-vehicle buyers in 2009 was 54. Scion’s internal figures show a lower median age, and three-quarters of Scion buyers are new to Toyota Corp., said Scion Vice President Jack Hollis. “We have the youngest customers in the industry. “Scion’s not about sales totals,” Hollis said. “It’s about getting a new type of customer.” Scion was initially conceived to have a two- or three-vehicle lineup, but it’s going to grow. “My goal is to expand,” Hollis said. “There’s no way to say if it will be four, five or six models. We’ve got to figure out what’s the next type of buyer we want to reach and develop vehicles for them.” Scion’s goal was never to keep buyers for a lifetime, but to feed them into a lifetime as Toyota and Lexus owners. “They started with a very innovative and aggressive idea,” said Stephanie Brinley of AutoPacific. “When the first vehicles were successful, they got nervous about losing sales and lost the innovation.” Scion’s next defining moment is to come when it replaces the sporty tC in 2010. Original Article: http://www.projo.com/projocars/content/ca_whatswithscion_12-23-09_AIGRDTQ_v7.26a4725.html

This looks good. I love how the Buick designers reached into the heritage bin and are incorperating the 'sweep spear' into these modern day Buicks. I can't wait to test drive one of those turbo-charged units!

Long time no check-in from me. I too have been consumed with work and FBook but I am coming back to my 1st love in the blogosphere and that is C & G! I am currently trying to talk my wife into trading her S40 for a new Lacrosse. I have not been successful, lol. In other news, the Regal is still going strong with over 185k miles on it!! Anyways good to be back. I will have to re-acquaint myself with the site as I see a lot of cool new diggs happening. Later Gators!

GM, in my opinion, is an iconic anomaly. That is to say they have managed to survive the best and worst financial climates over the last century. However truth be told, and this from a devout GM fan, GM has been making ill-fated decisions for decades. GM decided in the 80's to become a financial institution--not a car company-- cutting costs wherever it could to increase the profit margin and in turn committing some of the worst automotive atrocities our generation has seen!(see shameful cadillac cimmaron with equally terrible quad 4 engine) This trend continued in the 90's when GM decided to give the majority of it's development budget to the SUV/pickup truck designers because those were higher profit margin vehicles. My grandpa told me not to put all my eggs in one basket....but I digress. Then they decided the interiors were ripe for the cost-cutting initiative. The interior of my beloved 01' regal looks as if designed by tupperware enthusiasts. This is business suicide!! GM committed the horrible mistake of living in the then-present and not looking to the future. Even in the earlier part of this decade when toyota began making the ugly little prius, GM missed the opportunity to get in on the 'green frenzy' and now it's hybrids get little or no notice from the press and seemingly less from the car buying public. . The latest half-baked idea is to sell Buick? Why would a company who is trying(and I thought making headway) to show the world its cars are world class in design, performance and quality, sell the one brand that most trumpets that cause?(see J.D. power survey most recently released) Granted the 1st gen Lacrosse was a bit lackluster, but with the Lucerne came vast improvement as well and a true contender in the large car segment. If the Lucerne was modestly successful, the Enclave is a down right automotive jewel! It has garnered praise from even the staunchest anti-GM critics and crusaders and this 2010 Lacrosse promises to be even better. So, the case can be made for GM to say screw everyone, file for bankruptcy and run itself like a car company again. Long life to BUICK as part of an AMERICAN car company!!! Long live GM!!!

I found the article to be utterly unflattering, belittling and demeaning to Cadillac and General Motors. That is to say, the article was profoundly reflective of the car it was written about. I like the General more than any other manufacturer out there and the times of recent have been down right brutal to GM. But anyone who had the displeasure of even living next to someone who owned this car(I did as a child) will agree this was an abomination to the very roads this car was built to drive/ride on.

Nice job Buick/Gm

1. 01' Buick Regal, Dad has purchased 98 rivera(still only has 50lk on it) bought a 2000 lesabre which he traded in on a brand new Lucerne in 06' 2. I wanted to purchase the new body Lacrosse(assuming I will like it) or a used Enclave(only cuz I can't afford a new one) Also, I am not yet 30 so buick has many years/models to count on my support!

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6226463/new-ca...uick/index.html 2009 Toyota Venza: It's a Buick! Posted January 14 2008 09:08 AM by Todd Lassa Filed under: New Cars, Motor City Blogman, Toyota, Crossovers, Detroit Auto Show DETROIT - Toyota describes its 2009 Venza as a vehicle for sedan owners who want to move up and SUV owners who want to downsize. It has the comfort of a Camry, the function of a 4Runner and the luxury of an Avalon. And, Toyota neglected to say, the look of a Buick. Why not? Until the American brand's emerging renaissance, pundits called the Avalon "the world's best Buick." For the Venza's premier, Toyota even copied the Buick Enclave's signature Cocoa bronze paint color. • Get a Free Quote • Find a Local Dealer Toyota previewed the Venza at the 2005 Detroit show as the FT-SX concept. Motor Trend reported shortly after the FT-SX's unveiling that it will replace the Solara as the lifestyle variant of the Camry lineup. While its side surfacing reminds me of the Enclave, with Toyota's take on the Buick's organic, "fuselage look," the nose and tail are pure Toyota, especially its fattened Camry face (overall height is a very low-SUV/tall-sedan's 63.4 inches). Its rich, two-tone interior also emulates Enclave. It's not a big, seven-passenger crossover like the Enclave, though (Toyota assiduously avoided calling it a "crossover," as if it had invented something new). Venza is five-passenger only, with an optional power tailgate and a fold-flat second row, for all your Home Depot needs. Toyota also claims sport sedan-like handling. Venza launches late this year with front- or all-wheel-drive and a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 and six-speed sequential-shift automatic. Towing capacity is 3500 pounds. A new 2.7-liter four (also with the six-speed) will be available shortly after. Both get dual exhausts. The V-6 comes with 20-inch alloys and the four will have 19-inch alloys, the largest wheels available on a Toyota four-banger. Perhaps Toyota has heard that Buick is selling way more top-of-the-line Enclave CXLs than expected: Verza will come in only one luxurious trim level, Toyota says, and it'll get such first-time-in-a-Toyota features as an optional panoramic sunroof with seven moveable panels. While it will be a typically "value priced" Toyota, if you want a cheap crossover, you'll have to buy a RAV4. But you wouldn't get the best five-passenger crossover Buick ever built. Toyota shows us its BEST-EVER copycat effort with the unveiling of the Venza!

Are you saying the blandy sold 40k units in its launch month? Supported, factual documentation please............

According to this article by Reuters, if you want a malibu by Christmas, you better go to the dealer and order one today. The General cant make em fast enough and the dealer can't get em' on the lots fast enough as they are being snapped up with reckless abandon. Article goes on to say Enclave is selling like hotcakes as well!

FJ CRUISER down -24.9% 4RUNNER up 10.8% HIGHLANDER down -10.7% LAND CRUISER down -19.2% SEQUOIA down -46.2% So Toyota , how about those best ever suv sales?

My take on the Gen X'ers are quite different. With them(or me, I'm 28) there is not that same 'brand loyalty' that the big 3 enjoyed during the 20th century. We among this site are 'car buffs' so to speak and pay far greater attention than the general 20-30 something population at large. Young people want what's hot and are not too particular about which 'brand' brings that to market. It is my firm belief that any 22 year old college grad starting their first $35k+ job and paying back student loans would consider both a Camry and Malibu with feature content, style quotient and competitive pricing winning out over 'Brand Identity'. I'm not totally discounting those loyal boomers like my 67 year old pops who like to find a good brand and stick with it. But I do believe that Gen X'ers are not to be lumped into the same category as it relates to 'buying tastes' and 'brand loyalty' As to my opinion on the 08 bu'................... They should make that song Nelly and Kelly Rowland put out a few years ago, 'My BOO', the backdrop for the first ad campaign, lol. :AH-HA_wink: