[mgarblik]

Buick survives and Pontiac is gone. Buick continues to build and sell cars for the over 80 set with styling only a mother or grandmother could love. But in July 2016, Buick will provide a new vehicle for American consumers to purchase that will make history. The Buick Envision will go on sale in the US. It's a 5 passenger SUV. What is so special and wonderful about this Buick first? It will be the FIRST "American" vehicle, built in China for export to the US market!! With THAT kind of forward thinking from GM, my anger toward Pontiac being gone lessons a little. It was bad enough to endure the Pontiac LeMans! (the Daewoo Korean one).

[60man]

Maybe Trump will get them back.
Sad deal.😬

[sdbob]

You gotta be kidding!? Another communist vehicle like the yugo!! Buicks to me are old man's car.guess I'm dated.Dealers gotta sell them! Ugh.I can imagine getting parts.

[pugslyx234]

sdob: youve gots to a honda lover! Buick had some real power houses, GSX, GS, Wildcat, c.i. 425, 400, 455.

[sdbob]

I know.no Honda lover. GMC trucks,Pontiac cars. Those Stage IIs were something.I grew up going into local Pontiac,Buick dealer.See playground was across the alley. We used their water fountain a lot.Got to see all the Buicks. I did like the styling.Still Pontiacs for me..

[bird72]

Buick was stodgey all along. GSX.... dual quad Riviera's..... GNX.... these all were exceptions to the image Buick had since I remember giant porthole fenders. Elektra's...... big weird angular cars in the 60's..... 4 door Buicks were family man law to many.... but they had great ones mixed in the sedan array.... and now they have evolved into the geriatric choice of zillions..... a 25mph Buick in a 35mph zone with way slumped down short people with gray hair and fuzzy animals in the back window is a norm anymore.... waiting on the Buick Regal Limited Depends Edition

[sdbob]

Arnie Palmer was getting his cars at dealer I mentioned. I think Buick had some kind of deal.Anyway I remember a brand new fire red Riviera with dual quads! It was his wife's new car. I was friends with the guys there. We bought there.

[Sirrotica]

Still Mike's favorite T shirt:

[beertracker]

Originally Posted by bird72

Buick was stodgey all along. GSX.... dual quad Riviera's..... GNX.... these all were exceptions to the image Buick had since I remember giant porthole fenders. Elektra's...... big weird angular cars in the 60's..... 4 door Buicks were family man law to many.... but they had great ones mixed in the sedan array.... and now they have evolved into the geriatric choice of zillions..... a 25mph Buick in a 35mph zone with way slumped down short people with gray hair and fuzzy animals in the back window is a norm anymore.... waiting on the Buick Regal Limited Depends Edition

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Buick Regal Catheter & Urine Bag Limited Edition. Not that I need one! Just think how reliable the Chinese could make this model?? bt

[Formulabruce]

NOT your "over 80 set" car ,( 2016 Buick Cascada) , .. and ANY GM truck has parts from all over the world, CHINA included..
I am NOT a fan of the 5 Buick plants in China, but hey, Even if the corp tax rate is lowered, the US has no industrial capacity to do many manufacturing needed. Then there the EPA letting plants get built, and the union labor stuff...
Oddly enough the Pontiac Solstice manufacturing in Europe is making that car with LS engines in it now ...
2009 Pontiac G3 was an import , and the Pontiac G2 is sent to and also made in Mexico, some have been imported to US privately.

The G2.... 51 hp, inline 3

[sdbob]

GMS mark of excellence! Wonder what the business sense was behind this venture? $$$$.I'm too glad Pontiac wasn't involved.A friend was having glass block made in China. The first containers were fine afterwards quality declined.he was or is involved in the courts over this .OVER there.

[Vengeance Race Engines]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Buick survives and Pontiac is gone. Buick continues to build and sell cars for the over 80 set with styling only a mother or grandmother could love. But in July 2016, Buick will provide a new vehicle for American consumers to purchase that will make history. The Buick Envision will go on sale in the US. It's a 5 passenger SUV. What is so special and wonderful about this Buick first? It will be the FIRST "American" vehicle, built in China for export to the US market!! With THAT kind of forward thinking from GM, my anger toward Pontiac being gone lessons a little. It was bad enough to endure the Pontiac LeMans! (the Daewoo Korean one).

Wasn't Buick supposed to be going out of business way back when? Or just rumored to?

[mgarblik]

I try to follow this stuff pretty carefully and I don't recall Buick EVER mentioned as a division to cancel or go out of business. It seems Chevrolet and Buick are untouchable, as long as Obama and his cronies are willing to give GM handouts anyway. Cadillac was rumored to be on the chopping block back in the early 90's right before the "Northstar" conference which really changed their direction and launched a new engine platform. Similarly, the Corvette was possibly going to be dropped after the C4 series, but Chevrolet got much more serious about building a truly great sports car and the model was saved. Pontiac had a few murmurs of being axed prior to it actually happening, but the strong sales of Grans Ams, Grand Prix and Bonnevilles probably kept them alive longer than some thought. Then GM discontinued all their strong sellers and gave them the Aztek. That pretty much finished things up for them. Buick just continues to plod along, boring cars, with styling that at best is generic, at worst a Hyundai copy. I understand the Chinese love them, they can have them.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Pontiac had a few murmurs of being axed prior to it actually happening, but the strong sales of Grans Ams, Grand Prix and Bonnevilles probably kept them alive longer than some thought. Then GM discontinued all their strong sellers and gave them the Aztek.

I think you have your info wrong.

The Aztek had a brief run (2000 - 2005), but was discontinued at the same time as the Bonneville and the Grand Am. The Grand Prix was still being produced through 2008.

The G3, G5, G6, G8, Solstice, Torrent and Vibe were the vehicles in production at the end in 2009 - and Pontiac was still a pretty vibrant brand with models that were desirable.

Pontiac, in 2006 (without the Aztek, Bonneville and Grand Am) sold 410,000 vehicles compared to Buick's 240,000 in the United States.

In 2008, in the midst of all the turmoil in the auto industry, Pontiac (without the Aztek, Bonneville and Grand Am) sold 267,000 vehicles compared to Buick's 137,000.

Buick biggest seller for Buick was the Enclave in 2008 - a vehicle that already had the GMC and Chevy clones. Buick had nothing the American public wanted. Nearly 45,000 of the total 137,000 Buicks in 2008 were Enclaves.

Our thanks to the current administration for the forced elimination of the Pontiac brand.

[77 Canamman]

The G6 was sold as a 2010 model, as was the G3.

[johnta1]

GM and Pontiac

Who was in office when Olds went away?
Who was in office when Firebirds went away?

Don't blame current admin. for GM's (Lutz) problems.

I think Lutz used prez as a convenient escape goat.

Lutz was already planning to get rid of Pontiac (and the others) but didn't have the balls to straighten GM out.
Had to have someone else do his job.

[Don Keefe]

I had a chance to see some internal GM documents about future products about 10-11 years ago and there wasn't anything for Pontiac beyond 2011 or 2012 (can't recall exactly)- certainly no new product. It appears as though a G8-based GTO was being considered for 2010 but that was about the only thing of significance to enthusiasts.

[bird72]

With America's history of building cars, and that we do still build things (boats, planes, big stuff with lotsa metal) I believe it is totally bottom line oriented what is happening with offshore manufacturing and not some restrictive atmosphere explanation. It is important to America's future we discuss and find ways to change this trend. Pretty bad when our part of the labor for the automotive food chain is primarily the car salespeople. Asking people to not buy foreign is about impossible though anymore.

[Diego]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Buick continues to build and sell cars for the over 80 set.

Actually, this is not true, and it hasn't been true for several years.

[Old Blue 66]

[QUOTE=Formulabruce;5566100]NOT your "over 80 set" car ,( 2016 Buick Cascada) , .. and ANY GM truck has parts from all over the world, CHINA included..
I am NOT a fan of the 5 Buick plants in China, but hey, Even if the corp tax rate is lowered, the US has no industrial capacity to do many manufacturing needed. Then there the EPA letting plants get built, and the union labor stuff...
Oddly enough the Pontiac Solstice manufacturing in Europe is making that car with LS engines in it now ...
2009 Pontiac G3 was an import , and the Pontiac G2 is sent to and also made in Mexico, some have been imported to US privately.


I saw this car at one of my accounts last week. Its really good looking. I would think the focus with this model is to attract the younger hip crowd.