buickguy

great points: you should send them to the latimes [email protected]

The figures are pretty good considering GM is reducing fleet sales. I've been seeing more and more Rainiers on the road along with some Terrazas.

LaCrosse sales down 15%

Buick's first quarter '06 sales compared to first quarter '05 Total Buick Sales up: 1.2% Buick Lucerne: sales exceed LeSabre and Park Avenue Buick trucks: up 11% Buick Rainier: up 40% Buick Rendezvous: up 2% Buick Terraza: up 18%

While GM sales are down overall, there are some bright spots, and some areas of concern. Buick, Cadillac, Hummer and Saab up from a year ago. Saturn, Pontiac, Chevrolet down, in some cases significantly from a year ago. GM's criticized minivan sales are mixed: up for Buick, Pontiac, and Chevy, down for Saturn. New Launch vehicles are up: DTS, Lucerne, Solstice, Tahoe, and Escalade Chevy Corvette outsold the entire Saab division. ---------------------------------------------------- BRIGHT SPOTS: compared to first quarter '05 ---------------------------------------------------- Buick Lucerne: sales exceed LeSabre and Park Avenue Buick trucks: up 11% Buick Rainier: up 40% Buick Rendezvous: up 2% Buick Terraza: up 18% Cadillac DTS: sales exceed DeVille Cadillac Escalade: up 12% Chevy Cobalt: up 80% Chevy Malibu: up 2% Chevy Corvette: up 17% Chevy Tahoe up 37% Pontiac G6: up 78% Pontiac Gran Prix: up 18% Pontiac Solstice: 6,100 sold in '06 Pontiac Montana: up 68% Pontiac Torrent: 11,000 sold in '06 Saab 9-3: up 8% Hummer: up 187% h3: 13,000 sold in '06 Saturn Vue: up 30% ---------------------------------- WEAK SPOTS: ---------------------------------- Cadillac SRX: down 15% Cadillac STS: down 18% Cadillac CTS: down 1% Cadillac XLR: down 10% Buick LaCrosse: down 15% outselling Century/Regal from '04 Chevy Monte Carlo: down 1% Chevy Aveo: down 25% Chevy Trailblazer: down 9% Chevy Equinox: down 24% Pontiac Vibe: down 34% Saab 9-5: down 22% Saab 9-2x: down 75% Saturn Ion: down 6% Saturn Relay: down 55% got this from another site

Decorative, I think.

got this address from another website for complaints about article [email protected]

My dealer buddy told me he's been told all LaCrosses will have portholes starting for the '07 model year. His dealership doesn't put them on but the one in Connecticut does.

My dealer told me there is the Buick/GMC/Saturn dealership in Hartford, Conn. puts portholes on all of their Lacrosses. Try calling them. Maybe they get them from the Lucerne factory.

THE PART OF THE ARTICLE THE LA TIMES DID NOT PRINT: But there are signs of a turnaround at Buick. The venerable brand still outsold many automakers in 2005, including Acura, Infiniti, Audi, and even Cadillac and Saturn. In fact, Buick sold more LaCrosses than the entire Saab lineup. Quality is also on the rise at Buick. Buick finished near the top of the JD Power quality studies, above Toyota, Honda, Nissan and 2 dozen other automakers. And young people are returning to Buick. The average age of the Rendezvous is now 48, and the Lucerne is attracting younger, import drivers. A simple google search of Lucerne user reviews proves that. Not to mention, China, the world's fastest growing economy. Owning a Buick is a status symbol.

This article is missing so much. The Lucerne is a hit, what is this jokester talking about? Also, Buick has far fewer models than 10 years ago..even five years ago. That's one reason why they are selling fewer cars.

WIth Lucerne selling very well and getting great reviews, what can GM do to take it to the next level? I suggest: 1. More chrome 2. A more Buick grille. 3. Maybe a coupe, and convertible version...maybe even a wagon! 4. A few distinctive colors that no one else has.

The GM guy said it would "start making the rounds on March 28th" whatever that means.

I've always thought this was an ugly design, so I can't understand why someone would preserve one from the very beginning. Even so, it's a great deal for a "new" car http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.co.../7/82935977.htm

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109673

Motor Trend is reporting the new RWD Zeta Buick coming out with the Camaro will be called the Invicta. I love the name....can anybody confirm this?

when is the Enclave going on sale?

That Enclave is going to be a hot-seller...in spite of what critics write.

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/carofthemonth.shtml

GM should have Caddy and Buick cover the entire luxury market, aiming at Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus. Caddy the upper end, Buick the lower end taking on the cheaper Lexus, and Acura. Caddy needs a coupe to compete with the Mercedes CLK, and a 4 seat convertible in the high 40K to 50K range. The SRX needs to be jazzed up a bit. It looks kind of plain and I think they need to dump some of the boring colors like beige that make it look cheaper than it is. Buick also needs a coupe and a 4 seat convertible in the 34 to 39K range.

The name statesman sounds big, probably fill the gap left over from the Roadmaster. Hope it includes a convertible. Sounds like it will be built here in North America.

Decent month. The highlight: Rainier sales nearly doubled. Rendezvous and Terrazza sales also up. Lucerne had strong sales, although not as many as Lesabre had a year ago. Lacrosse sales down.

What are the people working at the show saying about the Velite?

Nice pic. I think something is happening with the Velite. Why put it in the same stable as the Camaro? I am very hopeful.

GM has dusted off these concepts and is showing them right now at this year's Canadian Auto Show. What does this mean? They weren't in Detroit and Chicago. Could they be headed for production? Lutz says it's all about "product" so maybe these are part of the rear wheel drive plan. Let's hope.