Wednesday, June 3, 2009

2010 Buick LaCrosse


The car above is the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse...this is one of the cars that will bring GM back from the depths of bankruptcy. GM has decided to have their Buick brand compete against Lexus....so, the LaCrosse is aimed squarely at the Lexus ES350.
It appears that Buick has done an exceptional job on the interior of the car....it is a far cry from Buick's of the past. The is blue ambient lighting that emanates from a number of different points....the dash has plenty of wood and there is hand stitching on the dash and seats.
There are three trim levels for the 2010 LaCrosse. The base CX a front wheel drive automobile powered by a 255-hp, 3.0-liter direct-injection V-6....with a six-speed automatic. The next level up offer the same powertrain but has available all-wheel drive. The top of the line LaCrosse CXS is equipped with a 3.6-liter direct-injection V-6 with 280 hp. Fuel economy will be about 18 mpg city/27 highway for the 3.0-liter, according to GM.

An interesting feature of the car will be a head-up display for the gauges. Actually, GM developed the head-up display back in the 1980's. They did deploy them on a few early 1990's cars...the head-up display did not attract much consumer attention and it was shelved.

A head-up display was a technology originally developed for the the military in fighter jets. The system has a projector that displays the images on the windshield. That way the pilot had his head-up during difficult maneuvers. In the automobile world, it is virtually the same technology but with a few key gauges...ie speedometer, tachometer, gas gauge etc.

The LaCrosse has available options of a rearview camera, rear sunshade, adaptive, steering directed headlamps. It does have blue tooth connectivity, USB input jacks and navigation. This is a video from Car and Driver video.

Buick's reliability has been exceptional based on the J. D. Powers rankings. So, this should be a very reliable car.

Pricing is attractive for CX in USD at $27,835, CXL at $30,395 and the top of the line CXS at $33,765. A comparable Lexus starts at $35,145 and can reach $45,000 with options.


Summary:

The Buick LaCrosse is one of the best efforts that GM has put forth lately. They finally decided to compete against Lexus one on one. They have added Lexus like options which were not available before.

It appears that they have decided to market the Cadillac brand against BMW, Mercedes and Audi. It is an interesting marketing strategy!

Buick should have made the exterior styling more attractive to distinguish Buick from Lexus....the interior is the strong suit for the LaCrosse.

Buick has priced the LaCrosse to be a bargain!

10 comments:

  1. Hi Pete .. I did watch the video .. and it's a good one .. I still don't understand what a
    head-up display means ...even watching the video?!

    Looks good though .. & well priced ..

    I'm not sure either that I understand the marketing strategy for two types of cars and two brands? I'd have thought cost savings would be more attainable with one set of tooling etc .. (not the right words or phrases, but you'll get my gist!)

    All the best - Hilary Melton-Butcher
    Positive Letters

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  2. Hi Hilary,

    That is a great question on head-up display! A head-up display was a technology originally developed for the the military in fighter jets.

    The system has a projector that displays the images on the windshield. That way the pilot had his head-up during difficult maneuvers.

    In the automobile world, it is vitually the same technology but with a few key guages...ie speedometer, tachometer, gas guage etc. I will make changes to the post since there will be other people that are not familiar with the technology.

    Your comment about the marketing strategy is right on! I agree with you that it would be cheaper. I suspect that since Buick is the most popular brand in China that has something to due with their thinking!

    Thank you for the great comments!

    Pete Baca
    The Car Enthusiast Online

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  3. Hi Pete .. thanks for that - I didn't know about the head-up display = so now Iknow.

    The marketing strategy - oh ok I didn't know the Buick brand is the most popular in China.

    Thanks - for answering .. Hilary

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  4. Any word on when these will be available? I hear that production was temporarily shut down. Anyone have insight into when they'll go back into production? I'm thinking to order one...

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  5. Hello Hilary,

    The head-up feature is very cool when you driving. I actually prefer it...you keep your eyes on the road and are not distracted looking at the gages. It can be confusing for some people...so it can be turned off.

    GM Buick is big in China...I dont' think that will last as there are a number of Chinese companies are that coming on line very quickly.

    Thanks for the great comment!

    Pete Baca
    The Car Enthusiast Online

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  6. Hi TLC,

    The prior model LaCrosse was a real sleeper on the automotive scene. But, it is a good car..with great reliability. The new LaCrosse should turn some heads!

    It appears that the bankruptcy judge has allowed GM to continue production, pay suppliers and employees.

    The LaCrosse is built at GM's Kansas City assembly plant. They will have the normal summer hiatus so GM can make tooling changes.

    Production should start this summer with deliveries to dealers starting in September.

    Thank you for your comment! It should be a great car for you!

    Pete Baca
    The Car Enthusiast Online

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  7. Pete,
    The car looks great inside and out. Although Buick is stereotyped as a car for the older crowd. We will have to see how well they do... Great post.

    Dr. Bob Moulas

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  8. Dr. Bob,

    Buick in the past has appealed to the older demographics....the new LaCrosse should appeal to a much broader group of the population.

    The LaCrosse has one of the best reliability records in the industry. The reliability along with the new design should get more people to take a look at the car.

    The new cars that GM has been designing are well designed and built cars!

    Thanks for your comment!

    Pete Baca
    The Car Enthusiast Online

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  9. when will it be in dealers?

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  10. Hi Anonymous,

    The LaCrosse is built at GM's Kansas City assembly plant. They will have the normal summer hiatus so GM can make tooling changes for the new LaCrosse.

    Production should start this summer with deliveries to dealers starting in September.

    Thanks for your question!

    Pete Baca
    The Car Enthusiast Online

    ReplyDelete