Buick Enclave comes to market bearing $1,000 rebate
At first we thought it had to be a mistake. General Motors is already paying customers to take the 2008 Buick Enclave off their hands? It's not even on dealer lots yet, but Automotive News reports Buick is offering $1,000 "Conquest Bonus Cash" and 4.9% financing available on the $32k+ CUV.
Though the "Conquest Cash" is intended to draw non-GM-driving customers away from the competition, no matter the name, rebates on brand new vehicles are obvious admissions of overpricing that only enforce car shoppers' addiction to cash-back offers. If the Enclave performs as well and is as reliable as it is gorgeous, it shouldn't need any incentives.
On the other hand, a drop-dead body and cash back could be irresistable to all but the most diehard import buyer.
[Source: Automotive News (Sub. Req.)]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Petey 7:44AM (4/16/2007)
4.9% financing? No thank, GM, give me 0% or its no deal. And, those chrome rims are hideous.
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Avinash machado 7:44AM (4/16/2007)
Does GM not have enough confidence in its cars that it has to offer such schemes? It will only devalue GM's image in the minds of the public.
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rrr 8:05AM (4/16/2007)
What losers
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Puffy C 8:25AM (4/16/2007)
That's just a normal business practice for many cars these days, domestic and import. Buyers are so used to incentives that this may keep some people from waiting for rebates to come at the end of the year and go ahead and buy now. Really this is a non-issue.
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Snix 8:54AM (4/16/2007)
So much for building product equity........WHY do they keep doing this? Price the damn car competitively and release it! If it DOESNT SELL, then do a rebate.
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Dennisctc 8:35AM (4/16/2007)
Why can't GM just price it right the first time i.e...Market Price? What it's actually worth! They jack up the price, then drop it accordingly, and the then you see articles on the poor resale value of domestics (because Edmunds and others uses MSRP values to calculate it!!)
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rrr 8:35AM (4/16/2007)
only few weeks ago everyone was on Chrysler's case for giving discounts on Avenger from the get-go. Now GM does it.
What a joke this company have become, instead of building great cars this company spends more time talking about the cars they will build in 2015, how high fuel economy will kill GM.
Just to show you an example, i am not a big Toyota fan but this is a great example. Everyone is anticipating the new Prius, which will comeout in mid 2008, also one of the best selling cars in USA is Toyota Corolla, which will be out in Fall of 07 if i am not mistaken.
Now these cars are not exactly lookers, but once they comeout people will be all over they because they are completly new and (most likely will be) much better looking than previous ones.
That BUZZ sells a lot of cars, and this is exactly what GM is killing. GM was showing pictures of Camarro since early 2006, but the car itself comesout in 2009. By now even guys who are not into cars have seen Camarro, because it was in the news and papers and web. By the time that car comesout it will not be fresh anymore, it will be an old car that everyone has seen many many times before.
This is what GM managment has been doing, they have nothing to show to people NOW so they are showing (and in effect killing) future products. Yeah this Camarro gets everyone off Wagoner's back for now, but by 2009 when Camarro will FINALY go on sale and GM will be forced to give incentives on that car after six months............Wagoner won't be there, he will be at home with that golden retirement pacage.
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roadside observer 8:46AM (4/16/2007)
"Why can't GM just price it right the first time i.e...Market Price? What it's actually worth!"
Dennis, the same could be said for the new Tundra, could it not? Toyota has $3000 on the hood of the new Tundra, and that truck has been on the market for barely two months. Did Toyota overprice the Tundra?
Or is it that domestic rebates are bad, while foreign rebates are good?
"Does GM not have enough confidence in its cars that it has to offer such schemes?"
Avinish, the same could be said about the Tundra, couldn't it?
I find it amazing how some of you bash the domestics for offering incentives, yet you turn a blind eye when the foreign brands do the very same thing.
And let's not get on the fuel-economy bandwagon. If fuel economy was so important, tell us why even the foreign nameplates keep coming out with larger, heavier, and more fuel-thirsty vehicles.
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Jesda 9:16AM (4/16/2007)
It seems like incentives are the new SOP for the auto industry. Toyota, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are making it par for the course.
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Dave-in-PA 9:08AM (4/16/2007)
From the late '70s thru the '90s the domestic car companies were run by the bean counters. Now it seems they are being run by the marketing department. I thought Bob Lutz was the "Car Guy" that would stop this kind of nonsense and insist they get back to building great cars that people want to buy.
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MikeW 10:03AM (4/16/2007)
Apparently the front drive has the correct axle ratio, fix the 'versatrak' axle ratio and they wouldn't need to offer a bribe.
http://media.gm.com/us/gm/en/news/events/autoshows/07la/brands/buick/enclave%20specs.htm
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Steve C 10:07AM (4/16/2007)
I don't get rebates. They make just as much sense as the fact that gasoline is still priced at something + 0.9 cent per gallon. When gas was way less than a dollar per gallon, that 0.9 cent might have meant something, but why today?
As others have said, just price the car at its market value.
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Mike 10:19AM (4/16/2007)
Morons, all. Including the friggin author.
"Conquest Bonus Cash is available to customers who currently own or lease a non-GM vehicle (non-Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, GMC, Saab, Saturn, or HUMMER). See dealer for details."
AND this is on ALL the lambda's, not just the enclave.
I would say that is a decent incentive to get people from othe makes into the lambda, and they aren't giving away the farm to get it. *cough*$3k Tundra*cough*
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Gizmo25 10:23AM (4/16/2007)
Why do you report in a negative way regarding every American made Car?????????? Buick is offering a CONQUEST REBATE!!!!!!!!!!!! If you own a piece of crap non GM car....consider a new BUICK.......If Toyota has a rebate it's an honor to the public! This Autoblog is as bad a those stupid car magazines..do the imports give you a kick back that GM, Ford, and Chrysler don't? They must to get all positive reports no matter what! If every Toyota was blowing up on the road....you report "It's still the best value on the road"..........YOU GUYS SUCK!
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Ben 10:32AM (4/16/2007)
If it gets a car in the driveway of someone who would have bought an import, it is money well spent (lost?)...
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Gale 10:49AM (4/16/2007)
That's just rediculous, GM. Thanks for continuing to sully the waters for all manufacturers by managing for short term cash.
When are the geniuses in Detroit going to price their cars for the prevailing market and get out of the incentives vortex. Hello? It's NOT WORKING GM!
Design a car people want. Price it at a point where people will buy it. If it doesn't sell after 6 months to a year, THEN discount it and discontinue the friggin model.
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Drew 11:01AM (4/16/2007)
It's a rebate only for conquest buyers... i.e. buyers who currently own non-GM product. It's designed to lure soccer mom's out of their RX330s and MDXes and into something classier.
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Chuck 11:23AM (4/16/2007)
Chrysler had a $1000 incentive when the 300 debuted. Within a month there were dozens of articles about above MSRP sales. A modest conquest incentive like this is just advertising.
It's the $6,500 incentives that burn a car's credibility.
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Chuck 2:27PM (4/16/2007)
Chrysler had a $1000 incentive when the 300 debuted. Within a month there were dozens of articles about above MSRP sales. A modest conquest incentive like this is just advertising.
It's the $6,500 incentives that burn a car's credibility.
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rrr 11:27AM (4/16/2007)
CRAZIEST POST OF THE DAY:
#17 It's designed to lure soccer mom's out of their RX330s and MDXes and into something classier.
Posted at 11:01AM on Apr 16th 2007 by Drew
How classy can this car be if it is also sold as a Saturn? And a GMC.
This car is no where NEAR MDX or RDX or the RX for that matter. Once again GM made some rebadged junk and expects it to compete with REAL luxury CrossOvers.
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