Buick’s future: more trucks and premium American style

The new Buick Rainer, due in September, may be the most upscale of General Motors’ SUVs.

By: Bob Hall

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"Plus its quality and quiet, we’ve added lots of content to our vehicle such as laminated glass, insulation and sound-deadening material in the cabin, and what we think is representative of a Buick interior that exudes elegance."

Kurt Ritter


   NEW YORK – Christine Mazglad is the new marketing director for Buick trucks.
   Think about that for a minute. Prior to introducing the 2002 Rendezvous in mid-2001, Buick hadn’t made a truck since 1923, long before brand managers, marketing directors or vehicle line executives entered the automotive stage. But it’s a 21st century reality that almost every make of automobile needs more than conventional passenger cars to survive.
   I cite as exhibit A: the Porsche Cayenne. How else do you explain a Porsche sport utility vehicle? Buick’s first foray into the SUV market has been amazingly successful, especially considering that the Buick Rendezvous is first cousin to the much-maligned Pontiac Aztec. Recently, Buick announced the new Rendezvous Ultra at its annual pre-New York Auto Show luncheon at Manhattan’s Le Cirque restaurant.
   Rendezvous’ slightly more conservative exterior styling found favor with thousands of Buick’s "traditional customers" looking for a sedan alternative, and with lots of other folks as well. A second SUV, the Buick Rainier, arrives in dealerships in September. Akin to the Chevy Trailblazer/GMC Envoy/Oldsmobile Bravada, it will be the only one of these "360s" (GM’s internal designation for its short-wheelbase, mid-size SUVs) to offer a V-8.
   We were able to get the full picture of Buick’s current truck plans (with perhaps a glimpse into the future) during an exclusive sit-down interview with Chris Mazglad and her new boss, Kurt Ritter, the just-named general manager of both the Buick and Pontiac-GMC divisions of General Motors.
   "How’s your new job?" we asked the 32-year GM veteran.
   "It’s exciting; you get invigorated by doing something new," he answered. "From a channel perspective, we’re trying to fashion a product portfolio that will minimize overlap (within the two divisions) and maximize coverage."
   Mr. Ritter knows product, having just served four years as Chevrolet’s overall marketing manager after stints as Silverado (pickup) brand manager and Chevy’s truck marketing manger. Thus he knows trucks and their marketplace, making him a natural to shepherd Buick’s fledgling lineup. So, we asked, what about possible similarities between GMC and Buick offerings?
   "In most cases, they’ll be of different character, although (GMC) Denali and (Buick) Ultra versions have similar places they’ll play in. But GMC’s ‘professional grade’ character and the feel of a GMC interior will be different from a Buick Ultra," said Mr. Ritter.
   Ms. Mazglad picked up Mr. Ritter’s theme, saying: "The ride will certainly be different. We ought to have the best ride of all sport utes," she emphasized. "That’s why rear air suspension is standard on Rainier. Plus its quality and quiet, we’ve added lots of content to our vehicle such as laminated glass, insulation and sound-deadening material in the cabin, and what we think is representative of a Buick interior that exudes elegance."
   Looking at said interior I’m reminded of Buick’s Park Avenue Ultra. This is not what your father’s truck looked like inside.
   I asked Mr. Ritter the truck expert how he thought Rainier would sell in relation to its GM cousins.
   "Until we really get to the marketplace we won’t know," he answered, "but my gut feeling is because it’s more upscale, we’ll increase incrementally."
   Ms. Mazglad added that Rainier buyers are expected to have a higher household income than other 360 buyers do. I asked if making the 5.3-liter V-8 an exclusive Rainier option was a conscious marketing decision.
   "Absolutely," came the quick response.
   Mr. Ritter, Ms. Mazglad and PR chief Pete Ternes couldn’t say enough good things about Rendezvous, both the current iteration and upcoming Ultra.
   "This really is a crossover vehicle," Mr. Ritter pointed out. "What amazes me is its conquest rate; 40 percent were new to GM and 80 percent were new to Buick." (A "conquest" sale is a customer who’s never purchased one of your vehicles previously.)
   "Rendezvous is the industry’s most successful crossover vehicle," Mr. Ternes added, "with documented buyers from 18 to 81 and median age of 53," well below Buick’s overall average customer age.
   The Rendezvous Ultra is the first use of GM global V-6. The 3.6-liter gets variable valve timing to help it produce 245 horsepower, a substantial 60-hp increase over the current Rendezvous.
   What other truck-like Buicks might be on the horizon? Mr. Ritter reminded us that Buick told its dealers back in January that a third truck was on the way — "sort of an SUV/minivan crossover, but with walk-through space, something we don’t have now."
   That got us thinking. "Would you go down market with Buick?" we asked.
   "I wouldn’t want to say no to a smaller vehicle, or close the door to it," Mr. Ritter said. "If there are important markets where we could be playing, then we should probably be there if we could do it with that sense of premium American style."
   Wow, we were surprised. Stay tuned. You soon may see Buick trucks everywhere.
For more on trucks, visit the Carlisle All-Truck Nationals’ Web site at www.carsatcarlisle.com.

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