GMC/Buick

GMC provides an example of a U.S. Based automobile manufacturer that during the 2012 and into the 2013 calendar and model years that has taken a streamlining, and more focused approach within the line overall.

The company made news during 2012 with one of major steps in this process. GMC eliminated three of its sub-lines of vehicles. In what initially came as a surprise move to industry observers, GMC dropped the Pontiac, the Oldsmobile, and the Saturn vehicle brands.

While the remaining GMC sub-brands all generally seemed to benefit somewhat degree from this streamlining of focus within the GMC line, the bulk of advantage seemed to go to the Buick brand vehicles in general and to a couple specific models in particular.

Buick, in comparison with other automobile brands – both foreign and domestic – made limited technical changes to its existing models between 2012 and 2013 model years. So far as Buick did make modifications to the vehicles, the streamlined focus as evaluated by automobile industry professional observers went into improvements in two primary areas and most of those improvements focused on the interior of the vehicles. The emphasis in terms of modification to existing Buick models went primarily towards improvements in passenger comfort and improvements in passenger safety elements of the vehicles.

Industry observers, in trying to retroactively figure out GMC's objectives in eliminating three brand families and re-directing the company's more narrowly defined focus in the the Buick family vehicles, generally concluded that GMC had a coherent vision of its overall objectives in linking its improvements to a definable market strategy.

The two Buick brand models that benefited the most out of the streamlining within the GMC family of vehicle brands involved the Enclave and the Verano.

Automotive industry observers classify the Enclave into the category of a luxury, mid-sized, SUV. Industry observers classify the Verano into the compact category of vehicles. While it would seem that this category determination would put the Enclave closer to the earlier roots of the Buick line that traditionally incorporated luxury level models, that's not altogether the case. Observers make note that that Buick has designed the compact Verano model more as a somewhat scaled down Regal luxury model vehicle than a somewhat scaled up Cruze compact model.

Overall, the GMC streamlining and Buick brand vehicle model modification strategies revealed the general marketing and sales objectives for the Buick brand line. GMC and the Buick sub-brand sought to obtain market share in two particular consumer categories: attracting purchasers in a younger age demographic and attracting purchasers away from competitors, or what professional industry observers refer to as “conquest purchasers.”

Towards the end of 2012 and into the start of the 2013 model and calendar years, the sales figures suggested that the GMC brand streamlining strategy combined with the Buick brand modification and marketing strategies had begun to show precisely those types of sales results.

For more information on Buick's or GMC's currently available models, or to take a test drive of any Buick vehicle, contact our local dealership such as South Florida's Williamson Buick Dealership.

Reference:

Buick Enhances Enclave, Verano for 2013, Car Review Soup, http://www.carreviewsoup.com/buick-enhances-enclave-verano-for-2013

[Other references gathered in too many bits and pieces to include.]