GM to build smaller Buicks

DETROIT – General Motors Co.’s Buick brand will take another step toward attracting younger buyers with a small crossover vehicle to be built at a Michigan factory, a person briefed on the plan said.

GM is starting to equip a plant in Orion Township, Mich., north of Detroit to build the new vehicle, which will share underpinnings with the new Chevrolet Aveo subcompact, said the person.

Spokeswoman Dayna Hart on Tuesday confirmed that GM is planning a small crossover vehicle that will look like a baby version of the Buick Enclave. Crossovers generally have the passenger room and storage capacity of a sport utility vehicle but are more efficient and handle better because they are built on car frames.

Buick executives are scheduled to brief reporters on product plans today in Detroit.

GM is moving equipment into the Orion factory to build a new version of the Aveo that will get about 40 mpg on the highway and appear in showrooms sometime next year. It will compete with the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris subcompacts.

GM is hoping the smaller Buicks will help pull younger people into the brand, which for years has attracted senior citizens.

The average age of the Buick buyer was 66.2 in 2000, GM said. Last year it dropped to 65 as the company has tried to remake Buick’s image as sportier luxury brand that’s competitive with Acura and Lexus. But its average age is still 11 years above the industry average of 54 for all cars in the U.S.