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Buick dealers clamoring for Enclave before they go on sale
If dealer anticipation is anything to go by, the new Buick Enclave has already exceeded the expectations of General Motors. Buick dealers have put in orders for 6,000 units of the third large CUV to be built on the automaker's Lambda platform, the other two being the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia. This is one of those good news/bad news situations, as GM only has the capacity to build around half of the orders taken for the Enclave by the time the SUV goes on sale by June 1st.
So far, the Acadia appears to be handily outselling the Outlook by over 2 to 1, racking up 5,965 sales this year through February compared to 2,844 sales of the Outlook. The Enclave will be positioned above its two CUV siblings with a starting price of $32,790. Dealers are also ordering Enclaves optioned to the hilt with premium items, so expect average transaction prices to be much higher. The looming question is whether consumers can stomach a premium-priced CUV from Buick after being weened on the heavily incentivised Rendezvous. We think they can, if based solely on the fact that the Enclave is a real looker and the other two Lambda CUVs have been received well by the press so far.
[Source: The Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Buffy 5:04PM (3/22/2007)
Who ate all the pies...
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Don 4:49PM (3/22/2007)
This is what happens when you produce something people WANT!
Good job, General.
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Tool 4:30PM (3/22/2007)
The Enclave is going to be a HUGE hit.
So much content, great looks and the perfect vehicle for the times means that Buick is poised for a rare breakout hit.
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Michael Karesh 4:38PM (3/22/2007)
The Enclave has a higher base price than the Acadia, but its extra standard equipment (such as xenon headlamps) more than compensate. Adjust for these features and it's actually less expensive than the GMC.
The downside is that its interior materials, though flashier, are at best equal in quality to the Acadia's.
So far I have about 22 Acadias and 24 Outlooks signed up to participate in my reliability research, so I'll have some initial results in May. Unless the response rate is exceptional, though, I'll only have fairly solid results in mid-August. Which will still be three months ahead of CR.
TrueDelta's page for the Enclave:
http://www.truedelta.com/models/Enclave.php
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BOB 4:42PM (3/22/2007)
........The looming question is whether consumers can stomach a premium-priced CUV from Buick after being weened on the heavily incentivised Rendezvous.
NO-- IRRELEVANT, Rendezvous and Rainier did not sell worth beans, hardly anyone must have considered them.
I think the 2 questions are:
1-- Do enough people want an "American Sized" version of the Lexus RX to actually shop at a Buick dealer, and make this a hit? (I say YES)
2-- Did GM plan the capacity for a hit? (your article says maybe not.
The RX is one of the most popular cars in California, so the styling of the Buick is already accepted. I have seen some Acadias on the road -- they look to be a good size, although they look like a real SUV, unlike the curvy Buick. I would guess the Saturn is selling more slowly because the Saturn customer may not want such a large vehicle, and GMC is a name meaning substantial.
AND OF COURSE the fancier trimmed models with all goodies are what is going to be wanted in the early selling period of a premium vehicle. What is the point of going to the Buick dealer to buy a car that is like a plain Chevy???
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dearyou 5:20PM (3/22/2007)
looks like a pt cruiser that's been over-inflated
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Adam 4:53PM (3/22/2007)
It does look good.
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Chuck 4:57PM (3/22/2007)
The Enclave is a great opportunity for Buick. It's better looking than the Lexus, and I have a feeling that it's going to get even more cross shopping and first time Buick buyers than the 300C did for Chrysler.
Interior materials are important, but at this stage perfect fit during production is more important than superaltive material quality.
Keep in mind that the new MDX is doing quite well with a huge swath of dark grey plastic across the front of the dash. Does anyone even mention it in their reviews?
With a sensational design, and the right ambience and lighting in the cabin, faux wood instead of real birdseye maple won't scotch the deal for people if it looks right.
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Mike 6:04PM (3/22/2007)
It ain't workin' for me.
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Mike 6:24PM (3/22/2007)
changed my mind... it definately works for me!
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SherbornSean 6:45PM (3/22/2007)
Mike,
Does it work for you, or does it not? We really need to know.
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Tool 7:20PM (3/22/2007)
The real question is can Buick sell a premium vehicle without huge incentives?
According to GM data, the ATP price of the Lucerne is $4,000 higher than the LeSabre, which it replaced.
It shows when you have an attractive design, great content, good quality and on-target pricing that GM can be a serious and credible player in the market.
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Michael Karesh 7:41PM (3/22/2007)
They actually sold quite a few of the Rendezvous, about 70,000 a year IIRC. But at deep discounts.
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Dave-in-PA 8:43PM (3/22/2007)
I'd like it and might have considered it but, just like the late, no-so-great, GM minivans, the second row seats are much too low. No adult over 5'2" can be possibly be comfortable in the second row seats for more than ten minutes or so. Instead we just picked up an R-350 today actually. I would have waited for the Enclave and given it some thought, but the seats in the Outlook and the Acadia were much too low and the Enclave will have the same basic seat structure. I use my vehicle to transport mostly adults, not 10 year olds, so it doesn't work for me. I imagine there will be others who choose not to have their passengers sit with their knees against their chin. In my opinion another one of those little detail/big mistakes by GM.
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Carletti 9:35PM (3/22/2007)
I think that the good thing about the Enclave is that it looks genuinely different. Now that may appeal to some but may also deter others as “different” plus Buick was not a good recipe for Buick in the recent past. But what is the Enclave? A crossover? An SUV? A van? To me, it’s really an unattractive combination of the latter three put together. To be sure, Buick simply does not have any realistic sort of clout in any automobile market it participates in today, let alone the $30,000+ market. I realize that my argument may sound absurd to some but, nonetheless, I think it accurate of Buick’s situation.
The car, itself, is very fat and pretty bulbous to begin with. Along with its decisively un-athletic vibe, there are also present wheels made to fit on the Terraza van, odd curves, and ugly, Hyundai Santa Fe-like, rear light clusters. The RX 350, while it looks marginally better than does the Enclave in my view, at least seemingly has all of the bells and whistles that man has created coupled with proven craftsmanship, an extremely comfortable ride, and the increasingly respected Lexus name. Nevertheless, I really do not see this car as the answer for Buick. For it’s too “in your face” distastefully ostentatious and seemingly economically unattractive to attract middle-class buyers, and rather fat and naïve for those accustomed to shopping at Mercedes-Benz.
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Billy C. 10:08PM (3/22/2007)
This vehicle looks ok, but at 4780 lbs, its just another overweight hog.
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Victor 10:34PM (3/22/2007)
Why does it have to look like an obese bulldog? Do GM designers think that stupid look suits well to Americans?
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Michael B. 11:49PM (3/22/2007)
Looks like the designers drove it too fast before the mold was set and the grille slid up onto the hood. Hope it looks better in person.
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Bob 10:52AM (3/23/2007)
Not a Buick fan............But that is one great looking truck. I would buy it in a minute!
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ebm14 1:00PM (3/23/2007)
With the new direction of Saturn, Pontiac and other platforms shared with the Aussies, they get another plus with the Enclave. It looks a little Lexus/Huyndai-ish but a much better improvement over recent years.
My only suggestion is that they should offer plastic wood as far as the interior goes.
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