It was a rather quiet event. Understated if you will. But on May 19th, Buick celebrated its 110th birthday.
The historic “Doctor’s Brand” has had a long and storied history, which,
honestly, I think is the best kind to have. It has gone from a gutsy
independent car maker to one of the pillars of a fledgling General
Motors to a disposable afterthought and then back to a driving force in
GM’s recovery.
When you get to be 110, you’ve been around the block a couple of times,
you’re a survivor. However, merely surviving isn’t always enough. So
how much of a future does this premium brand really have? More than you
might expect.
Just a few years ago, Buick was on the chopping block, ready to become
the next brand discarded by GM. Its once loyal base of customers had
migrated to other brands and its lineup languished. Doctors didn’t drive
Buicks, they drove a Lexus or a BMW. Buick could easily have become
Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac or Saab.
But one group still saw Buick as youthful, exciting and holding a rich
history: The Chinese. They remember their last emperor riding around in a
Buick. They remember Dr. Sun Yat-sen, China’s first provisional
president, and Zhou Enlai, China’s premier, in stately Buicks. And as
the country’s economy took off, a lot of freshly minted middle classers
wanted Buicks.
Today four out of every five Buicks sold are sold in China. In April,
Buick sold 66,923 vehicles in China. Had it sold that many in America,
it would have been the seventh largest brand, right between Nissan and
Hyundai. Last year, Buick broke its worldwide sales record, selling
895,000 vehicles. It’s the fourth year in a row that Buick has set a new
record.
The Buick Riviera Concept car shown in China this year. A version of the
Riviera could be sold in China, but GM officials have not confirmed
that.
Given new life in Asia, Buick has used that muscle to reinvent itself in America for the past five years.
Around that time, Buick’s executives in America told me they had a
single goal: beat the Asian luxury vehicles. Cadillac would go after the
Europeans, and Buick was supposed to take on Lexus, Acura, and
Infiniti. It was an interesting strategy, giving Buick a clear identity
and goal.
It’s modern day revival came from the most unlikely of places: a large
crossover called the Enclave. It was an incredibly quiet vehicle filled
with luxury features. And it attracted younger families to the brand. It
proved that understated luxury was back in vogue and if you could
convince someone to go into a dealership, they would be impressed. The
Enclave made vehicles like the Lucerne feel outdated as soon as it
rolled off of the assembly line.
But there were still problems with the brand’s reputation. In the
shallow world of automotive consumerism, reputation is reality, no
matter what the truth. Think old people drive Buicks? Then the brand is
never even considered. Your neighbor has a Lexus? So do you. And even to
this day, Buick’s reputation is on the mend in America.
But Buick continues to move in the right direction, not by telling
everyone it has great cars, but by showing them. With each new addition
in the Buick family, the vehicles are getting better.
After the Enclave, the LaCrosse arrived with more Enclave qualities than
not. It was clearly part of the new generation influenced by the cars
being sold in China. Both have firm but luxurious rides. They shy toward
more quiet than more sporty and that’s perfectly alright. Too many cars
have moved into the semi sporty segment, which means it is neither
sporty nor luxurious, kind of like all season tires. Some people just
want a smooth ride. They like being wrapped in a cocoon of luxury and
reliable performance. If people really demanded rear-wheel drive
performance vehicles Ford Mustangs would outsell Toyota Camrys. They
don’t.
Today’s Buicks look sharp but are never over the top. They also cost
less than their 2013 Buick Verano direct competitors, making them a
deal. And in today’s economy, everyone is looking for a deal.
More recently, Buick introduced the compact Verano and stayed true to
the brand’s ideals. It’s stylish but not flamboyant. It’s crazy quiet
but still has solid performance and a good ride.
Perhaps the best Buick is the one that feels like a square peg in a
round lineup: The Buick Regal. Personally, I like this car. It’s an Opel
Insigna with a different badge. The GS model is wicked fast, has a
great manual gearbox and handles as well as a 3 Series. But it feels too
sporty for the brand. Buick didn’t ruin its reputation overnight, so
it’s not going to get it back with the first generation of one vehicle.
Now even the tiny Encore is doing well in the market as one of the
hottest selling vehicles in its segment. In the short time I drove one, I
learned it’s fun around town and has a certain go-kart appeal to it.
It’s also roomy inside but still urban small, making it easy to park.
Stature can be measured in many ways and the Encore has a lot of
potential. I don’t know how it will perform over the long term, but it
can certainly bring new customers to the brand. And it should.
Furthermore, Buick has quietly shown it can be a technology leader. It’s eAssist
2013 Buick Encore system has been one of the least discussed hybrid
systems around, and it is ground breaking in how well it works. While
many carmakers have chosen to create horrible start/stop systems that
sputter and clunk, eAssist smoothly restarts the car, allows for very
low speed electric drive and uses regenerative braking for the battery
pack in the trunk. It’s the one hybrid (albeit mild hybrid) that is
offered as the base vehicle. I often wonder if some Buick owners with
eAssist even realize they’re driving a hybrid.
Meanwhile, Buick continues to roll along. Sales are up 23 percent this
year, after three years of continued growth. There have been a lot of
ups and downs over the past 110 years for the brand, but right now,
Buick is doing a lot of things right.
The key to its success this time has been the same to its success in the
past — build good vehicles and people will start to notice. Offer them
for less than the competition while offering more content and more
people will notice. Then do it again with the next vehicle. Repeat.
Happy Birthday Buick, even at 110, your future looks bright.
Courtesy of Motor Trend
