Is Beijing Keeping Buick Alive?

Is China keeping the struggling Buick brand alive?

A growing number of analysts and investors - including General Motors' former number-one shareholder, Kirk Kerkorian - have been pressing the automaker to dump the troubled nameplate, which has suffered a steady loss in market share.

But several senior company insiders tell TheCarConnection.com that a key reason for keeping Buick alive is the growth potential in another booming market: China. "Killing off Buick here would send the wrong message to China, where it is now the number-one brand," said a senior executive, asking not to be identified by name, during a GM background briefing last week.

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EL34 - 12/13/2006 2:50:13 PM

-2 Boost

Buick is the backbone of Beijing.

Who knew??

99gs400 - 12/13/2006 2:52:54 PM

+1 Boost

Thanks to Tiger wood lol .

EL34 - 12/13/2006 3:04:30 PM

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I'm telling you the Buick Lucerne is a great automobile for driving around town Christmas shopping or heading out to Las Vegas to gamble and catching the Celine Dion and Wayne Newton shows.

nybimmer - 12/13/2006 4:55:54 PM

-1 Boost

Buick is a bargain in the US. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Lexus has taken great pains to replicate the Buick driving experience (sic). Buy a Buick Lucerne rather than an LS460 and save $40K.

EL34 - 12/13/2006 6:48:57 PM

0 Boost

And invest that cash in a nice mutual fund ;)

XYZZ - 12/14/2006 7:12:58 AM

+2 Boost

buick is also RATED HIGHER than CADDY by CR.

truly SMART people would buy one of those chinese buicks (actually rebadged Daewoos) INSTEAD of A CADDY. they'd SAVE big bucks and get a MORE RELIABLE car on top of it! ;)

thole - 12/13/2006 5:16:22 PM

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i dont think the brand matters that much in china
for the price range below luxury ,
Chinese are not taking the brand into the #1 consideration and normally has zero brand loyalty.

OBSERVER1984 - 12/13/2006 7:38:28 PM

0 Boost

New Enclave is prety cool!

woood - 12/14/2006 12:38:50 AM

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Buick is very alive in China because its been around since the early 80s together with VW way before the other brands came in. Buick and VWs are the most common cars in CHina.

audiot - 12/14/2006 1:53:35 AM

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Wow. China drives Buicks. Who knew.

XYZZ - 12/14/2006 7:21:00 AM

+2 Boost

if GM were smart, they'd follow this up by rebadging a WHOLE SLEW of daewoos as caddys, pontiacs, chevys, and saturns AS WELL AS buicks.

stage II: they could copy walmart, and cut costs even more by starting with CHINESE built cars. then EXPORTING all these NEW caddys, buicks, etc. back here to the states.

(ooohhh, the uaw folk will REALLY be after my head now! :o )

EL34 - 12/14/2006 10:17:17 PM

-1 Boost

And be like Toyota.

XYZZ - 12/16/2006 2:30:59 AM

+1 Boost

well toyota DID try a rebadge venture once.

somehow they got conned into rebadging a chevy as a toyota, and tried to flog it in japan.

A TOTAL failure.

people expect, and today can trust, that ALL toyotas are truly toyotas.