December 10: Buick - an obituary?

Put on your best black outfit. Pull out that box of Kleenex. Oh, this is a very sad occasion for all of us, or at least some of all of us. Let me explain.

Buick, that venerable old American nameplate and the darling of the citizens of China, has just announced, that it will no longer sell cars in the United States of America. That means Canada, too. When I write "cars", I mean that literally.

There was a time when sedans were royalty in our automotive world and Buick was as high as number three in sales. Cars like this ruled the road.........

..........as they cruised by the poor folks, who could only afford Chevs, Fords or Plymouths. Folks who longed to move up the automotive food chain, so that they could ride the highways in Buick glory. Announcing as they drove by, that they too had achieved their slice of the American dream.

Even not that long ago, the Buick line looked like this........

.........one sort of suv and several sedans of various sizes. All that's history, my friends, as the suv tide has washed what was the traditional American sedan out to sea or wherever they get washed out to. So, it's not surprising that Buick's line up these days looks decidedly different........

Not a car to be seen. Well, that's not quite accurate, but it will be next year, since Buick has just announced, that their traditional sedans in North America will be sent to the trash pile of automotive history after the 2020 models. Like I wrote at the beginning of this blog, a sad occasion for some of all of us.

An obituary for Buick sedans or maybe eventually the entire brand? Buick sales in North America are around 200,000, much less than half of where they were in the late '90's. Even with their new line of suvs, they have experienced a steady decline over the past few years. Hard to sustain a brand on those numbers, except for one important fact.

Take a look at a few of these current models........

 

 

All Buicks and no this is not in some alternative universe, only accessible to video gamers or those on heavy medication. If you've been paying the least bit of attention to the world car market or have read my previous blogs, you'll know that Buicks are selling in big numbers in good old China. How about just over a million a year?

And although the Chinese also like their suvs, they are big sedan buyers. The van? Well surprisingly, the luxury van is a status symbol in that part of the world. Go figure.

So, back to my original read it and weep comments. Can Buick stay relevant in our market? While we bid a tearful graveside farewell to the traditional Buick sedan, can their suv sales keep this brand in GM's North American portfolio?

Good question. Anyone know the answer?

Until next time........