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Buick Regal Turns Up the Heat in November

LaCrosse and Enclave Help Stoke Buick’s 14th Straight Month of Sales Gains

DETROIT – Consumer attraction to the all-new Buick Regal continued to heat up in November as NADAguides’ 2011 Car of the Year posted its best sales month since its launch earlier this year.

“Regal is definitely helping us reach new customers, including import owners,” said Sam Slaughter, dealer principal, Sellers Buick GMC in Farmington Hills, Mich. “We’re seeing BMWs and Lexuses traded in as well as Fords and Lincolns. And we expect the Regal Turbo to bring in even more, especially import owners looking for more performance.”

Regal’s rise reflects car buyers’ increasing awareness of Buick’s resurgence among luxury vehicle brands. The fastest-growing major automotive brand in the United States posted its 14th consecutive month of year-over-year retail sales gains in November with a 37 percent increase. Customer demand for Regal, along with LaCrosse and Enclave, has grown Buick’s retail sales 49 percent to date in 2010. Retail sales are those made to individual buyers.

“With each passing month, Regal is attracting new customers to Buick showrooms and leaving dealer lots faster than many cars in the midsize segment,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president of Buick & GMC Sales and Service. “Most impressively, 40 percent of Regal buyers are coming from non-GM brands and 28 percent are coming from imports.”

Regal is a semifinalist for the 2011 North American International Car of the Year awards, as voted by a jury of 50 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada.

In November, LaCrosse also posted year-over-year gains with retail sales up 15 percent year over year and 135 percent for the calendar year to date. Total sales for LaCrosse were up 20 percent year over year and 141 percent year to date.

Enclave also saw an increase in retail sales, up 32 percent versus November 2009 and up 26 percent year to date for its second-best month of the year. Likewise, total sales for the luxury crossover were up 25 percent for the month and 29 percent so far this year.

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Buick Enclave Earns Top 5-Star Safety Rating

Luxury Crossover Excels Under New, More Rigorous Government Testing System

DETROIT – The 2011 Buick Enclave has earned a five-star crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), further building on the luxury crossover’s leading safety rating record.

The Enclave previously received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick signifying best- possible “Good” ratings in frontal offset, side and rear crash tests.

Enclave was tested under NHTSA’s new rating system, implemented this fall for the 2011 model year. The new rating is based on more rigorous frontal and side crash tests in addition to rollover resistance testing. Under the new system, these three test conditions are combined mathematically into an “Overall Vehicle Score.”   Under this methodology, the Enclave achieved an overall vehicle score of five stars – the highest rating possible – even though several individual tests resulted in four-star ratings.

“Earning five stars under the new rating system is an impressive feat – one that clearly demonstrates the strength of Enclave’s advanced structure, overall crashworthiness and effectiveness of its state-of-the-art safety technologies,” said Jeff Boyer, General Motors executive director of vehicle safety.

Enclave has a comprehensive safety system designed to protect passengers before, during and after a crash. Standard safety-enhancing features include a StabiliTrak electronic stability control system with rollover mitigation technology,  Panic Brake Assist and OnStar Automatic Crash Notification. Continue reading Buick Enclave Earns Top 5-Star Safety Rating

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New and Improved Dealerships Excel in Customer Service and Satisfaction

DETROIT – It has often been said that the first rule of good business is take care of your customers, or someone else will. And the second rule is you can’t take care of your customers if you haven’t taken care of yourself first. Buick and GMC dealers know you can’t do one without the other, and the customer survey results show it.

  • “This is the best GM dealership I’ve ever been to.” – Linda S.
  • “It’s been an extremely pleasant experience.” – James P.
  • “We will only buy from this dealer.” – Karen M.

These and other recent customer comments speak to the success of a revitalized Buick and GMC premium dealership experience, with new and renovated facilities providing a higher standard of customer convenience and service satisfaction.

Visit a recently upgraded Buick and GMC dealership and the difference is immediately apparent: An inviting exterior façade with updated signage; a bright and airy showroom featuring a customer greeting station, and a comfortable customer lounge offering free wireless Internet access and in some cases, a café or salon.

“Positive person-to-person interaction will always be the hallmark of the Buick and GMC dealership experience, but our new and improved facilities, services and amenities certainly help make time spent at our dealership more enjoyable and productive for our customers,” said Sam Slaughter, dealer principal, Sellers Buick GMC in Farmington Hills, Mich., and chair of the Dealer Council Customer Experience committee. Continue reading New and Improved Dealerships Excel in Customer Service and Satisfaction