mmarshall

Buick, though, current doesn't have an Equinox/Terrain-sized SUV competitor...a gap in marketing that may be addressed in the future. The subcompact Encore and medium/borderline-full-size Enclave are the only existing American-market Buick SUVs, though more are offered in China.

Fizzboy7

This could backfire. All that time could get someone over the initial hype and come back down to a more practical sense. The majority of car sales have a high emotional factor built in. Once those endorphins settle, people are more likely to think practical and hold back.

In my opinion, a good car doesn't need gimmicks or special test drives to sell itself. If it naturally and legitimately hits all the high marks, it will already be the car someone wants and doesn't need convincing to get.

tex2670

But how is this different from the Acadia/Enclave?

tex2670

I disagree. You have to have a good car AND customers need to know about it. Take the Caddy ATS/CTS--getting really good reviews in the press, but tons of inventory on hand. I suspect Buick suffers from the same problem--decent product, but people are hesitant to buy a Buick.

Look at how Hyundai turned it around. They improved their product, used great marketing to get people to learn they had a great product, and not the crap they sold years ago, and now they are a legit competitor.

LexBob2

Good point. It would be interesting to read or hear what GM's rational is. I'm sure they have one, and it would be interesting to know what it is.

Toys4RJill

Valid points about Hyundai. But they did have a super long warranty at one point if I remember correctly.

tex2670

Absolutely--once they became confident about the product they were putting out, they needed a way to get the message to customers. So they started selling cars with more standard features for the same price as comparable cars, with a 10-year powertrain warranty. And people noticed that.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Iirc the Hyundai warranty is non transferable though. So only applies to original owner. Kind of a gimmick

pbm317

Not a gimmick to the original owner. Hyundai owners could have longer ownership cycles.

Fizzboy7

I believe the Caddies sit on the lot due to their still strange styling that does not mesh with current trends or speak to today's crowd. They get good mechanical and fundamental reviews (rightly so) because most journalists these days know not to write a review based on personal styling preferences. But in reality, a customer will indeed judge a car based on styling- and they have. This is the main reason GM struggles to move them.
So I stick to my original statement. A good car, including styling that is agreeable with the masses, will sell without the use of gimmicks.

pbm317

Cadillac's main problem is PRICING. They moved up to align nearly directly with the Germans in one generation. While yes their products have improved, and yes they may dynamically be equivalent or superior, their general brand perception and pricing power is nowhere near where the Germans have built themselves up to. Cadillac should have exercised some patience, price their vehicles for this generation at a relative discount to the Germans, that would attract people in. Once demand builds, they could then move pricing up.

At equivalent pricing, no one wants to even consider the Cadillac's, no matter how positive the reviews are, or how good their vehicles might actually be.

mmarshall

Actually, Cadilacs provide a refreshing alternative from today's sea of look-alike, jelly-bean, aero-stylng. I think pbm317 is correct that the main problem is pricing, not looks. They have also alienated a lot of their formerly loyal buyers by dropping the big traditional Cadillac sedans....which has cost them sales. The XTS replacement is poorly-done, and has not sold well at all.

mmarshall

Back to Buick, one interesting new addition coming up will be the Cascada convertible, taken from the same Opel Astra roots as the Verano sedan. It could (?) take the place of the discontinued Chrysler mid-sized convertibles, though it is somewhat smaller physically and not as roomy in the back seat.

(And will it sell without the traditional Buick portholes in the fenders?) LOL

pbm317

MMarshall, you continue to harp on the XTS, XTS has moved price up significantly from the DTS days, but even with that in 2013, the first year, XTS sold nearly more retail units than the DTS did in its last 3 years combined. That was of course at the end of a long lifecycle for the DTS. Revenue wise the XTS with its higher average price point can out earn the DTS with fewer units. So it still makes positive business for Cadillac. The market for that type of luxury car, especially one on a FWD based platform, simply doesn't exist in the volumes that it once did. Much like the "large" car market for Avalon, LaCrosse, Impala, etc.

mmarshall

I'll respect your opinion, but I never liked that car, and, sales or no sales, that is not going to change....not because of stubbornness or ignorance on my part, but because IMHO the car simply doesn't deserve a lot of respect. It doesn't drive or ride like the flagship the marketers are trying to present it as. Even Cadillac seems to be admitting it was a mistake, and getting ready to replace it with the CT-6, which, at least on the surface, seems much-better executed, though I'll save any further comments till I can examine it personally.