Back to the future for GM
DETROIT — General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it is bringing back its “Super” line of Buicks, about five decades after the premium models last were sold, as it makes broader efforts to reinvigorate the 104-year-old brand in the U.S. and grow in China.
Buick General Manager Steve Shannon said the automaker soon will unveil the “Super” line, last used in 1958. For now, he said, it will include versions of the LaCrosse and Lucerne sedans.
“These vehicles will elevate in terms of design, power and performance,” Shannon said during a presentation to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.
The line comes amid a push of new vehicles, including the Enclave luxury crossover sport utility vehicle in North America and the Park Avenue sedan in China, that Shannon says will help better define the brand — reflecting a focus on design, comfortable and quiet interiors, and quality.
“We think we can develop great products jointly that can do well in both markets,” Shannon told reporters after the event, adding there aren’t plans to build Buicks in China for the U.S. market.
After bringing out a fresh face for Cadillac and Saturn, GM is turning more attention to Buick, which traditionally is known for its appeal to older drivers. Longer-term, Shannon said there will be a focus on rolling out fewer — but better — Buick models to keep the brand profitable for Detroit-based GM.
Nearly all of Buick’s new vehicle sales are in the U.S. and China. Buick’s worldwide sales rose about 3 percent last year to more than 567,000 as sales in China jumped 25 percent to about 304,000.
Buick’s U.S. sales, however, were down nearly 15 percent in 2006 to about 240,650. GM’s effort to cut low-profit sales to rental car companies, as well eliminating aging models such as the LeSabre sedan, accentuated the drop.
Michael Robinet, vice president of global forecast services for CSM Worldwide, an auto industry consulting company based in Northville, said future Buicks will be designed to more clearly reflect the brand.
Robinet said GM has had success with its Cadillac and Saturn revivals, helping set the brands apart, and will carry those lessons over to Buick.