Who Should Buick REALLY Be Targeting? Lexus, Acura Or Someone Else?

If you listen to Buick lately they have been singing a new song.

No longer considering themselves as a middle man between main stream Chevrolet and upper crust Cadillac, Buick has decided to focus on the value minded luxury shopper. We can read the as Lexus to the not so informed.

In fact over the last few months, press release after press release from the automaker has been salted with parallels between the the two with Buick always listed favorably but at a price advantage as well.  The strategy is very familiar to that of Lexus when it first entered the market against the Germans. Basically 90% of the car at 70% of the price.  Was price more important than a name plate?

We all know by history just how that worked out. 

Droves of disenchanted German luxury car owners fled from the Germanic pedigree to the lower cost and lower to maintain luxury car brand in hopes of a prestigious nameplate with out the implied cost of ownership.

Why can't Buick do the same?

First of all, we have to admit a few things, like Lexus has a much broader lineup than Buick.  But the same was true when Lexus first entered the market with a handful of models. Buick is a lot less expensive as well, but that didn't stop Lexus from gaining ground on the Germans. Buick doesn't have pedigree roots, well neither did Lexus.  Some may argue it still doesn't.

The point is you can make any argument you want, however when you compare the LaCrosse to the ES, or the RX to the Enclave you can see advantages on both sides of the equation.  So much so, that a recent press release by Lexus, they chose to point out that the next gen ES would leave the LaCrosse in the dust!, Obviously  Lexus is feeling some sort or heat or they never would have acknowledge the LaCrosse compares to the ES in the first place.

So my question of the day is...

Should  Buick even be considered a player and uttered in the sentence as Lexus? How about Acura instead?  Are they on the verge of taking on Lexus with models that finally can compete?  Should Lexus be more worried about Buick, the Germans or perhaps Hyundai?

Have fun with that one!

Autopinion - 1/12/2012 2:22:35 PM

+1 Boost

Its a great opportunity for GM's Buick brand. Let's hope, for the market's sake, as well as the US workers', that Buick continues to execute well in the next decade!

Joe_Limon - 1/12/2012 2:45:08 PM

-6 Boost

It's hard to say I guess pseudo luxury brands like Acura. If they go too high end they interfere with Cadillac.

Agent009 - 1/12/2012 2:54:38 PM

-4 Boost

After all GM says Cadillac is now toe to toe with BMW. Buick needs a new playground, so the Pacific Rim is their goal.

Joe_Limon - 1/12/2012 3:16:32 PM

-9 Boost

*slow clap* (any faster might confuse you)

You just compared a $38,000 car to a $48,000 car.

Have you spec'd any Acuras? Their list of standard equipment is quite barren, if I'm not mistaken, most Fords will have a longer feature list.

Joe_Limon - 1/13/2012 12:25:00 PM

-5 Boost

Angry, did some research into the base Taurus and the TL, they are pretty equal in terms of options. The Taurus has some standard options the TL has, and the TL has some standard options the Taurus doesn't have. Wouldn't one expect a Luxury brand be loaded with more standard features then a mass economy brand?

Also, pondosinatra, those options are lumped together in packages, but those packages aren't standard equipment, they are simply expensive options. Lumping them together lowers costs and creates a scenario where the buyer doesn't get to choose what they want, but rather get what the car manufacturer thinks they should have. You end up paying for a lot of extra features you normally wouldn't have gotten.

Joe_Limon - 1/13/2012 1:36:08 PM

-5 Boost

lol, you listed features, 80% of those aren't luxury features. You listed everything from cd changers to the automatic transmission lol. Furthermore, things like the automatic climate control aren't included on the base model.

Finally, why do you hate the TL? Is the fair price comparison showing that maybe Acura does compete in the economy class?

Joe_Limon - 1/13/2012 1:37:52 PM

-5 Boost

also, where did I state anything about the RL? It's you that seems to have a hard on for this $50k car lol.

Joe_Limon - 1/13/2012 2:04:42 PM

-6 Boost

Spin spin spin, are you dizzy yet?

Can you quote where I said an RL?

Joe_Limon - 1/13/2012 2:36:03 PM

-6 Boost

Oh wow, in a round about way you just admitted that you're trying to put words in my mouth.

Congratulations, but I think you have the definition of spin backwards. Spin isn't sticking to my inital point, spin is taking someone elses point (i.e. mine) and trying to manipulate it into something it isn't (what you did in regards to the RL).

Joe_Limon - 1/13/2012 2:36:20 PM

-6 Boost

initial*

g2ok - 1/12/2012 3:07:49 PM

+2 Boost

Buick is targeted towards the upscale Chinese family. It is finished in the USA.

FromThePassengerSeat - 1/12/2012 4:20:59 PM

+5 Boost

They should fill the niche they used to: boring seniormobiles. With Lexus and Cadillac trying to become more exciting, Buick would have little competition resuming its former post.

Caraficionado - 1/12/2012 4:49:24 PM

+1 Boost

Lexus, Acura and Cadillac. Lincoln is dead

pchera01 - 1/12/2012 5:09:50 PM

+1 Boost

go drive a Cadillac then tell me
I used to think the same way, (even though Cadillac alots of room to improve)

pchera01 - 1/12/2012 5:07:54 PM

-5 Boost

Lexus,

Acura is on its last legs...

irishmike - 1/12/2012 7:36:17 PM

+2 Boost

As somebody who hasn't purchased an American brand in 25 or 30 years, I can still say I would like to see Buick succeed. I think it will take a continued effort/investment over a number of years in order to prove to the buyers that they are for real. They are on the path.
If they think that a couple of new designs and mediocre improvement in quality and reliability for the short term is enough, they will be proven wrong.
If all the top executives run with the money at the end of the year, or the unions continue to get greedy, they will fail eventually.
Reinvest. Introduce new product before the market even expects it.
Look back on how the Asian companies got to where they are.

85bmw745i - 1/12/2012 8:06:36 PM

0 Boost

Lexus and Acura. Acura would be the best target because the new Buick compact can compete with the TSX, the Regal with the TL and the La-crosse with the RL, and the Enclave with the MDX. The upcoming encore may compete with the RDX, but looks a little small in comparison. Too bad there aren't much sales to gain from attracting Acura customers, as there aren't many left. And the only Lexus they can really compete with is the ES and RX, although competing with the RX would interfere with the Caddy SRX. They don't have the performance to compete with Infinity, and the rest of Lexus's lineup is out of reach and more in line of Cadillac. Basically buick is a competitor to entry level front wheel drive luxury cars. Not necessarily a bad thing, because not everyone can afford a 5 series, and not everyone that can wants the sporty stiffer ride. Thats where Acura and Buick and the Lexus ES come in to play.

knowitall1985 - 1/13/2012 2:40:44 PM

+2 Boost

They should target hun-day the dealer's are ripe for the picking....

Willis - 1/13/2012 7:29:37 PM

+3 Boost

Kia.

thetruth01 - 1/13/2012 7:59:06 PM

+1 Boost

Why do I bother.....
"that a recent press release by Lexus, they chose to point out that the next gen ES would leave the LaCrosse in the dust!" It wasn't a press release, it was an off the cuff remark, unattributed. Good Lords.

The LaCrosse competes DIRECTLY with the ES, TL, Maxima, Avalon, Taurus, MKZ, Azera, 300. This is a specific class of near luxury, Lexus chooses to field an entrant here. 3, A4, C, IS, G, etc are also near luxury, but a different sort, rear drive luxury sport sedans. Buick has no product here. Fine. Lexus chooses to field entries in both. (Infiniti used to, but the I and J lines just didnt cut it.) Buick has a market niche with many competitors, and who do they peg as their competition??? The Lexus. Why? Is Lexus most vulnearble? No, Lexus sells a bajillion ES350s. But Lexus is the most visible competitor. That's all. Simple marketing. By continuing to say ES, ES, ES, Buick is merely spotlighting how important they know that car is, by whatever metric they want to measure it by-quality, sales, history, demographic.

We could do the same for the Enclave, but i think my point is clear. Again. For the 10th article. For the past 2 years.

Good job Buick, you have a few fine vehicles now, which compete with a lot of other fine vehicles from a lot of fine manufacturers. But no matter how hard Autolies tries, you are not Lexus circa 1989. You are Buick, the same Buick you have always been, only better. Now maybe you should just rethink that Encore. ugh.

MeanVulcan - 1/16/2012 11:11:40 AM

+3 Boost

Buick's major flaw ... it is made by UAW, or GM... take your pick, as the major reason NOT to buy it.

skytop - 1/17/2012 9:56:15 AM

+2 Boost

Buick had better target Hyundai. That is their REAL threat.

Traditional GM reliability and design is suspect by the American buyer. Hyundai will eat up the Buick customers with its styling, pricing, warrantee and reliability.

GM and Buick only has obama to support them and that is a losing proposition.