Susan Docherty: Buick Compact on Its Way!

by Robert Farago

Published: September 1st, 2009

Oh my God. You blew it up! You really did it. Damn you all to hell! Well, actually, I don’t think anyone is THAT bothered about Buick’s future these days, as the sales charts indicate. Still, it’s a shame, isn’t it, that the once-mighty doctor’s brand has become the dictionary definition of amorphous. I mean, a compact Buick? Why? During her live webchat in the FastLane, Buick/Pontiac/GMC supremo Susan Docherty offered no explanation for the company’s plans to introduce not one but two models below the LaCrosse, in both size and price. Chevy overlap? Well I never. Nor would the Old GM vet answer the question “will future production vehicles will be designed for Buick and not simply rebadges from other brands?” But the badge engineering question simply refuses to go away, for some reason. csmcars asks “Susan, GM has eliminated a lot of redundant models in its recent restructuring. Why continue to have both GMC and Chevrolet versions of so many truck models? Will GMC trucks be further distinguished from Chevy trucks? Or will Chevrolet become more of a car-focused brand?”

Chevrolet and GMC have two very different sets of buyers. GMC buyers want a more premium offering with higher levels of equipment and are willing to pay for that. Chevrolet our great foundational brand appeals to a wide variety of consumers in all segments of the market who want great everyday value in the products they buy. In terms of further differentiation between Chev vs. GMC, the best example is Equinox and Terrain, both with very different buyers, different levels of equipments where they only share a front windshield and roof.

What’s with the treble spacing between sentences? Amateur psychologists would suggest something to do with excessive caution and a fear of commitment. Anyway, at least Susan apologizes for killing Pontiac: “Sorry!” As for the future, Docherty nixes the idea of the now-dead Pontiac G8 becoming a Buick Grand National, but sees a Voltuick in Buick’s future. No badge engineering there, obviously.

And now, the REAL NEWS: portholes are here to stay!

Frank, Ventiports or Portholes are a key design element for Buick, just like the Waterfall grill is. According to my peers at design, they are here to stay – however we need to make sure we keep them modern and up to date.

Yeah, wouldn’t want any of them old-fashioned portholes, would we?

Robert Farago

More by Robert Farago

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 44 comments

FreedMike on Sep 02, 2009
mattstairs : September 1st, 2009 at 12:15 pm This is similar to Ford keeping Mercury. The Lincoln dealers wouldn’t make it on their own, and there are those people who buy “Ford” but don’t like Fords themselves. Mercury's a dead brand. Ford is just keeping it around until Lincoln can stand on its own.

Like Reply
Reclusive_in_nature on Sep 02, 2009

Damn your black heart ttac! Showing a Grand National for a Buick compact post. For a second I thought I was going to read about GM turbocharging a G8 and selling it as a GNX or something but instead I got to read about another compact. *sigh*

Like Reply

Recent Comments

ToolGuy First picture: I realize that opinions vary on the height of modern trucks, but that entry door on the building is 80 inches tall and hits just below the headlights. Does anyone really believe this is reasonable?Second picture: I do not believe that is a good parking spot to be able to access the bed storage. More specifically, how do you plan to unload topsoil with the truck parked like that? Maybe you kids are taller than me.
ToolGuy The other day I attempted to check the engine oil in one of my old embarrassing vehicles and I guess the red shop towel I used wasn't genuine Snap-on (lots of counterfeits floating around) plus my driveway isn't completely level and long story short, the engine seized 3 minutes later.No more used cars for me, and nothing but dealer service from here on in (the journalists were right).
Doughboy Wow, Merc knocks it out of the park with their naming convention… again. /s
Doughboy I’ve seen car bras before, but never car beards. ZZ Top would be proud.
Bkojote Allright, actual person who knows trucks here, the article gets it a bit wrong.First off, the Maverick is not at all comparable to a Tacoma just because they're both Hybrids. Or lemme be blunt, the butch-est non-hybrid Maverick Tremor is suitable for 2/10 difficulty trails, a Trailhunter is for about 5/10 or maybe 6/10, just about the upper end of any stock vehicle you're buying from the factory. Aside from a Sasquatch Bronco or Rubicon Jeep Wrangler you're looking at something you're towing back if you want more capability (or perhaps something you /wish/ you were towing back.)Now, where the real world difference should play out is on the trail, where a lot of low speed crawling usually saps efficiency, especially when loaded to the gills. Real world MPG from a 4Runner is about 12-13mpg, So if this loaded-with-overlander-catalog Trailhunter is still pulling in the 20's - or even 18-19, that's a massive improvement.