Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, SEMA, Sedans/Saloons, Buick
Buick crashing SEMA with 11 custom Lucernes
Like a dad descending the basement steps and asking in on a round of Halo 2 with his son and his buddies, Buick will be showing up at SEMA this year with no less than 11 customized Lucernes. It will be the first time in the event's 43-year history that General Motors' elder-brand will appear on the show floor. Just to give this some perspective, the median age of a Buick buyer is 65, which happens to be a decade shy of the life expectancy for males in this country.
If you're expecting to see 11 Lucernes that look like part of an Xzibit rental fleet with woofers, LCDs and automatic Red Bull dispensers, you'll likely be disappointed. The Lucerne's will reportedly be customized in the "VIP style" that's popular in Japan right now in which vehicles forego the bling for modifications that enhance their luxury and status. We say good luck to Buick in its efforts to be hip and immerse itself in youth culture, because we know how serious those kids take their Halo 2.
[Source: BrandWeek]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Paul 4:24PM (10/05/2006)
VERY seriously... until 14 yearolds show up on the servers then I just get pissed off...
I think this is a great move by GM, they really have to shake the stale image of... well of everything. If they can show they can be the coolest kid on the block, sales may reflect that.
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Justin 4:24PM (10/05/2006)
It takes a lot of work to make people think your car is cool when the name you chose for it is more recognized as a brand of grocery store dairy products than your car...not to mention the city in Sweden they got the name from. They'll need 50 cars there for me not to think either "cottage cheese" or "uptight grandpa car" when I here the name Buick Lucerne.
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whatajoke 4:26PM (10/05/2006)
This looks liek a fusion/500 car, with a buick grille and ground effects, nothing more.
Sad, really.
I recall back in 1979, when Buick had cars like Skyhawk and Skylark, better built GM entry level cars, that sold.
That Buick Excelle( Daewoo) in China, looks good enough to call an American-entry-level- Buick.
If they would put say that I-4 from the G6 in it(167HP, or is it more now>?), add some insulation, better seats/materials, and tweak it some(suspension, etc)... and brought it here for 17-19K msrp... I would consider one. Call it Skylark, again.
This is a waste of energy and time, by GM/Buick.
They just don't get it, although Lutz is what, 70+ years old, so maybe this IS cool, to him?
Get someone under 50 to design and approve stuff for GM, not Lutz!
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Dan from Delaware 4:28PM (10/05/2006)
Could this kill the "VIP Style" trend in America before it even starts?
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Stoneman 4:34PM (10/05/2006)
That buick looks sick...
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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JS 4:34PM (10/05/2006)
Remember those old "boost mobile" commercials with the old people in them...man I wish GM had been a little quicker cause it would have been perfect to drop one of the "pimped" Buicks in there with the old peeps trying to be thug.
Who is GM kidding with this.....Buick hasnt been "cool" for sometime now.
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David 4:37PM (10/05/2006)
You need to give Buick some credit. The Skylark wasn't a badly built car, but it looked (again) just like every other GM offering in that size. Kudos to Buick for trying somethng new. Wait til the Enclave arrives. It's different from anything Detroit is making today. Too bad GM didn't give Oldsmobile this chance.
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B-NOIT 4:37PM (10/05/2006)
RE: 3.
The Buick Excelle is nothing but a Chevy Optra/Suzuki Forenza. Bringing the Buick version over wouldn't work, since the canadian-market Chevy Optra isn't selling, and neither is the Forenza. IMO Daewoo's products are nothing short of bland and poorly adapted to the North American market.
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James 4:42PM (10/05/2006)
I can't believe the 65 year ag median!!!!! I would have thought much closer to high 40's. But 65 - I guess they could use the slogan "Buick - The Last Car You'll Ever Buy". :-)
So what will the Buick car models look like at SEMA? I'm guessing not like this:
http://www.cartv.com/content/research/channels/index.cfm/channel/cartv_video/action/showvideo/vid/e_0097/vscat/SEMA/vcat/Event/
James
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scrapper 4:49PM (10/05/2006)
I wouldn't underestimate Buick. I am in Oakland and they're popular with the urban ghetto youths.
Heck, my employees (HS kids) both male & female aspire to own Buick "scrappers."
These kids load them up with 22" wheels. I asked them why would anyone buy a cheap $2000 buick and load them up with a $4K rims?
Apparently it is in like myspace. I guess I'm showing my age at 35.
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Tal D 4:55PM (10/05/2006)
If we are all lucky , perhaps we will live to reach the 65 year milestone and then maybe we will understand the attraction of the Buick line, if it is still a part of GM when we reach that point of life.
The plush upholstry and ride probably feels good to an old skeletal system.
#2 I've never heard of Lucerne , Sweden but do know of Lucerne , Switzerland but maybe I'm confused.
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Otto Ingineer 5:09PM (10/05/2006)
If they were showing up with "VIP-Style" Grand National GNXs...maybe, just maybe, some cred. Lack of power/handling/rear wheel drive makes this more laughable than smart marketing move.
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Chris 5:15PM (10/05/2006)
Ahem, and where is the Buick Super?
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Shotter 5:32PM (10/05/2006)
...a decade shy of the life expectancy for *white* males in this country...
Closer to 48 for me and my ilk.
Damn right I'm envious.
On topic, Lucernes are nice cars. I wouldn't buy one now (age 24) but if I haven't "made it" by say 50, and they're still around, I might consider it...then buy a Camry anyways. :)
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Donald Hindle 5:42PM (10/05/2006)
Wow! A supercharger...and an in dash geritol dispenser!
Get the enthusiast rags on the line.
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HughJazz 5:46PM (10/05/2006)
You can polish a turd all you want, but at the end of the day... it's still a turd.
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Scarsdale zipper 6:00PM (10/05/2006)
My seventeen year old son wants a black Buick Lucerne with spinner rims to take to college. Seems that we dads and older guys and gals only think we know what the young are about. I'm kind of happy though, we are 200 miles from his college choice and I'm glad he wants a larger automobile for the weekend trips.
I drive a Acura and he says it's too small to haul him, all his friends and their "stuff".
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Moses 6:04PM (10/05/2006)
16. You can polish a turd all you want, but at the end of the day... it's still a turd.
Posted at 5:35PM on Oct 5th 2006 by HughJazz
That's right HughJazz, you will always be a turd, a polished turd, but none the less a turd.
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HughJazz 6:09PM (10/05/2006)
Thanks Moses!... did you think that up all by yourself?
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Bultaco 370 6:49PM (10/05/2006)
why all the hate for Buick? Yeah they're luxury boats but theyre good luxury boats. My friend's Park Avenue Ultra doesn't seem to have too much trouble pushing its way through traffic and scaring the piss out of anyone who sees it barreling down the road. Not to mention you can fit endless amounts of beer cases and beach equipment in it.
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