What's The Best Place For Your Teen To Learn How...

Buick to shun large sedans in favor of midsize segment

 
5 2,591 views Dec 23, 2008

x08ar bu022

The Invicta Concept hints at the look of Buick’s upcoming midsize sedan entrant - the all-new 2010 LaCrosse

The Invicta Concept hints at the look of Buick’s upcoming midsize sedan entrant - the all-new 2010 LaCrosse

Enlarge Photo
The upcoming Buick LaCrosse, sitting on GM's global mid-sized car architecture, represents a new direction for the brand according to the vice-president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Susan Docherty. Docherty claims that falling demand for full-sized cars means that GM will not be abandoning large cars altogether, but rather dialing down their importance in its lineup and investing in smaller segments more readily.

According to Docherty, the market for large cars has fallen by "35% this calendar year", and introducing new large cars "wouldn't necessarily be smart". This also means cutting back spending on GM’s existing nameplates to preserve cash for development and promotion of smaller models.

For example, the large Buick Lucerne currently has no plans for a redesign or replacement in the near future, although GM has confirmed that the car will not be dropped from the lineup. Docherty acknowledged this position, stating that GM would rather be spending investment dollars in the mid-size segment rather than "going larger".

Looking to the future, Docherty stated that GM will be increasing its "efforts in market segments that are big and thriving, in ones that don't have a high decay rate."

Other new directions for Buick include the increasing importance of the Chinese market, prompting Buick to source much of its design and engineering from GM Shanghai. This reduces costs for the carmaker and also compliments a new global strategy that should see a greater use of global vehicle architectures, reports Automotive News.

Meanwhile, production of the 2010 LaCrosse was expected to start at GM’s Fairfax plant in Kansas in early 2009, with the first cars are to arrive in U.S. showrooms towards the end of the year, but cost-cutting delays have caused that timeline to be pushed back towards the end of 2009. However, the car is expected to be unveiled in production trim at next month’s Detroit Auto Show.
2008 Buick Invicta Concept
2010 Buick LaCrosse spy shots

HI-RES GALLERY: x08ar bu022

HI-RES GALLERY: buick lacrosse invicta01




Tags:
Posted in:
 
Contribute
Send us a tip Comment Contact the editor
Follow Us

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

  • Posting indicates you have read this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Notify me when there are more comments
Comments (5)

  1. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 12/23/2008 4:42pm PST

    Since it is mainly old people who buy Buicks and old people like big cars, is that really a smart idea?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  2. ma_Chris avatar Chris Posted: 12/24/2008 1:52am PST

    well those same old people arent going to care if the old boat stays.. or if it gets replaced by a new boat. so why not. the design is done, the tooling is in.. just keep selling it until the market dries up.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  3. ma_www.mywheelsonwalls.com avatar www.mywheelsonwalls.com Posted: 12/24/2008 10:16pm PST

    Well, I'm not old and I would have no problem being seen in this!! No where near as ordinary as your Camry/Accord thats for sure...
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  4. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 12/25/2008 1:22pm PST

    Chris, they do care, that is why the the Lincoln Town Car and its Mercury brother stayed in production so long.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  5. ma_Edward avatar Edward Posted: 12/25/2008 2:48pm PST

    Wow! Half BMW and half Jag XF. At half the price and a motor with 2/3's the power, a sure market killer.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

Connect with Facebook

Motor Authority. Now with your friends.

Discover stories your friends read.
Share stories more easily.
You control what you share.
Learn more

Research New Cars

Go!

More from High Gear Media

 
 
MotorAuthority
  • Follow Us
  • Twiiter
  • Facebook
 
 
© 2011 MotorAuthority. All Rights Reserved. MotorAuthority is published by High Gear Media. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC. Send us feedback.