General Motors Co will make its latest play to bring Buick back in the US when the brand shows off a sporty coupe concept and a Chinese-built sport utility vehicle this weekend in advance of the Detroit auto show, said a person familiar with the plan.
Buick will show the two cars at a party Sunday night before the media days of the Detroit auto show. One is a sporty coupe about the size of the Chevrolet Camaro sports car, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the model is a secret. The other is the Buick Envision, a mid-sized crossover sport utility that has been a hit in China and will go on sale in the US this year.
Both cars are part of an ongoing play to make Buick cool in the US and to ditch its image for making sedans for retirees. And believe it or not, the century-old brand is showing that it can get some younger buyers.
"They're doing all the right things," said Eric Lyman, vice president of industry insights for TrueCar Inc, an automotive-pricing website. "Their newer models are focused on younger buyers and they are getting younger people into the brand."
Buick's average buyer is now 59 years old, said a company spokeswoman. The average Buick buyer was in the mid-60s a decade ago before new models like the Encore subcompact SUV and Verano compact car started bringing in younger shoppers. For comparison, Toyota's luxury Lexus brand has an average buyer age of 57, said a Toyota spokeswoman.
The concept car - which may or may not go into production, according to the person - is small and sporty and could give its buyers a fun option. The Envision has been hot in China, where Buick sold almost 150,000 of them.
"We are beginning to show what Buick is," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick/GMC during an interview in December. "My goal has been to broaden the reach of Buick."
