Enclave sales remain strong as Encore deliveries ramp up

DETROIT – Buick sales were up 26 percent retail and 37 percent total in March. Combined with sales growth in January and February, the brand’s sales in March and for the first quarter were the best since 2006.

Enclave luxury crossover sales, up 38 percent to individual buyers and 55 percent total in March, have increased year over year every month since a 2013 redesign was introduced in November last year. Four in 10 used Enclaves traded in this year have been from drivers buying the new model and year-to-date retail sales are up 37 percent.

In late January, Buick’s crossover lineup grew with the addition of the Encore luxury small crossover. It arrived at dealers two months ago with a starting price of $24,950, including a $750 destination charge. Standard features include IntelliLink connectivity and a rear vision camera.

So far, more than 4,953 total Encores have been delivered, including 3,003 in March, the first full month of sales across the dealer network. Dealers like Autumn Henderson, general manager at Liberty Buick in Peoria, Ariz., are seeing a lot of new customers coming in.

“We sold our first three Encores on the day they arrived,” she said. “We’ve seen customers of a wide variety of age and background, with trade-ins like a Nissan Maxima, a Ford Edge, and other crossovers and sedans.”

The Encore’s combination of luxury, space and efficiency is the subject of media coverage. Autotrader.com named Encore to its list of “Top 10 Must Test Drive Vehicles for 2013,” and About.com included Encore among its “Best New Cars for 2013.” An EPA estimated fuel economy of 25 city/33 highway also earned the Encore a place on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy list of “Greener Choices 2013.”

Last month, Buick received a 2013 Brand Image Award from KBB.com for being the “Best Value Luxury Brand.”

“Luxury customers want the space and high seating position of a crossover, but they don’t want to sacrifice quietness, luxury and efficiency,” said Brian Sweeney, vice president of Buick Sales and Service. “With the redesigned Enclave and new Encore, our dealers have a complementary set of vehicles that cover a wide range of needs while offering great standard and optional luxury features.”

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New and returning customers opting for more luxury amenities

DETROIT – The redesigned 2013 Buick Enclave luxury crossover is the brand’s best-selling model through the first quarter with retail sales up almost 40 percent. And it is a second-time-around choice for nearly four in 10 owners trading in a first-generation Enclave.

As it builds Buick brand loyalty, the Enclave also continues to pull in first-time Buick buyers as it has since being introduced in 2007.

“The new Enclave is the first model in the second generation of the modern, rejuvenated Buick brand,” said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick Marketing. “In previous years we’ve talked about the new, younger, luxury-minded buyers coming to Buick for the first time. With the redesigned Enclave, we’re still seeing those new buyers, but we’re now also seeing the buyers who gave us a try with the first Enclave stay with us.”

When the Enclave launched in 2007, customers taking surveys gave reasons like “value/price” and “familiarity with dealer” among their top reasons for buying the brand’s other vehicles.  Enclave owners consistently list things like “overall quality of vehicle,” “ride comfort” and “overall exterior styling” as their top reasons for purchase.

First time and repeat Enclave buyers are choosing more luxurious amenities. In fact, 8 percent more owners select the top-level Premium Group.  And standalone options like 20-inch wheels, Rear Seat Entertainment, Bose audio, sunroof and navigation are more popular. For example, 15 percent more Enclave have been ordered with navigation so far in the 2013 model year.

Since the new model arrived at dealers in November, Enclave had its best retail sales month on record in December, followed by year-over-year retail growth of 57 percent in January and 22 percent in February.

“If you want a bellwether for the where the Buick brand is heading, look no further than the Enclave,” said DiSalle, “It’s a very modern, very smart crossover that delivers what our luxury-minded customers want.”

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Buick’s luxury crossover SUV is also IIHS 2013 Top Safety Pick

DETROIT – The 2013 Buick Enclave, equipped  with a standard front center air bag, has received the highest possible five-star overall vehicle score for safety as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.

Previously, the luxury crossover SUV was also named a 2013 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

“Safety is a key consideration for all car buyers, and particularly when it comes to family-oriented luxury vehicles,” said Gay Kent, GM general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness. “The Enclave is designed to provide excellent crash safety, and goes one step further by offering a front center air bag – an industry first in crash protection.”

The front center air bag is an inflatable restraint designed to help protect drivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes where the affected occupant is on the opposite, non-struck side of the vehicle. When a severe impact occurs, the air bag deploys in milliseconds from the inboard side of the driver’s seat and inflates between the driver and front passenger, providing added protection for both front occupants.

Other Enclave safety features include:

• Available Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert systems use radar to watch spots the driver may not see – and provide visible and audible warnings to help prevent collisions.
• Standard head curtain side air bags with rollover protection for outboard occupants in all seating rows. In addition to providing protection in moderate-to-severe side crashes, the roof-mounted head curtain air bags will deploy in a rollover to help provide increased occupant protection and containment.
• StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover mitigation technology is standard on all models and incorporates full-function traction control.
• Standard rearview camera system is designed to provide the driver with added capability to view what is in the rearward path of the vehicle.
• Standard four-wheel-disc brake system with ABS featuring smooth, quiet operation, longer pad life and more resistance to brake pulsation.
• Safety belt pretensioners reduce forward movement during a collision, and are standard on the front safety belts, along with load-limiting retractors that help limit the belts’ impact on the occupants’ chest. The dynamic locking latch plate locks to hold the occupants’ pelvis in place.
• LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) child seat attachment system is included in outboard second-row seating positions.
• Tire pressure monitoring system is standard on all models.
• Strong body structure to absorb crash energy and provide a protective “safety cage” around occupants.
• Standard hill start assist brakes help reduce the tendency of a vehicle to roll forward or backward on a hill after the brake pedal is released by momentarily retaining pressure on the brake discs.
• Standard OnStar uses GPS and cellular phone technology to automatically call for help in the event of a crash. OnStar subscribers also can use the service to be Good Samaritans by sending help to other motorists, and to call for help in other non-crash emergencies.

Starting with 2011 models, NHTSA introduced tougher tests and more rigorous requirements for its five-star safety ratings program that provide more comprehensive information about safety performance and crash-avoidance technologies. Changes include a new side pole test simulating a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.

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Verano, Enclave and Encore help drive retail sales growth of 13 percent

DETROIT – Buick’s February retail sales were the best since 2004 with a 13 percent year-over-year increase, the 10th consecutive month of higher sales to individual customers. Total sales, including those sold to executive fleets and other commercial customers, were up 15 percent.

Buick’s newest models continue to drive retail sales growth, with Enclave, Verano and the all-new Encore leading February’s gains. The Enclave luxury crossover SUV continues its sales momentum for the fifth consecutive month with retail and total sales up 22 and 26 percent year over year respectively. Both represent the best February ever for the Buick Enclave.

The Verano compact luxury sedan continues to sell well representing a significant growth over 2012. One in two Verano customers come from outside General Motors’ brands and the luxury sedan was recently named U.S. News and World Report Top 2013 Cars for the money.

The all-new Encore small luxury crossover is off to a strong start with more than 1,834 sold since shipping to dealerships began in mid-January.

“New models like the Verano and Encore continue to bring new customers to Buick showrooms,” said Brian Sweeney, vice president of Buick Sales and Service. “With the introduction of the redesigned Enclave, we are seeing a new generation of loyalists returning to the showrooms for another Buick.”

Speech engine picks up accents and dialects from IntelliLink voice commands

DETROIT – When General Motors speech recognition engineer Robert Sims worked to develop one of the industry’s first in-car hands-free calling systems years ago, his goal was to make the call quality clear enough that his wife wouldn’t hang up on him.

Today, Buick’s IntelliLink system can do far more than place a call, and QuietTuning technologies like those in the LaCrosse luxury sedan make using voice controls easier for owners regardless of marital or relationship status.

QuietTuning is Buick’s comprehensive engineering process to reduce, block and absorb interior noise. For LaCrosse, that means features like laminated window glass, triple door seals and liquid applied sound deadening.

“There’s definitely an advantage when we’re developing voice controls in a quieter cabin,” said Sims. “The system’s ability to hear a command relies on SNR, or signal-to-noise ratio. If noise is extremely low like it is in the LaCrosse, the user’s voice, or signal, can be lower. In other words, a LaCrosse driver can easily speak to the IntelliLink system at a normal, conversational volume.”

As someone who drives an 80-mile commute each day, quietness and minimizing distractions are a personal matter for Sims. That’s helped drive him to make Buick’s IntelliLink voice commands simple, intuitive and designed around the controls drivers need most.

With IntelliLink – standard on every 2013 Buick – drivers can use voice commands to control navigation and audio functions with the push of a button while keeping eyes on the road. With a smartphone paired, IntelliLink’s voice commands can even tune to a Pandora internet radio station or “like” a song.

How does it work? Using a microphone in the cabin’s headliner – optimally placed by Sims and his team – the system uses a speech engine to match spoken words to known voice commands. When the engine finds a match, that command is executed.

“We’ve also designed the system with speaker adaptation, which means the engine is trained for different accents or dialects,” said Sims. “It can begin to predict speech patterns based on those models. Your LaCrosse remembers your speech patterns even after the car is turned off and on, but it can also identify another user and predict his or her patterns as well.”

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Regal, Enclave propel 18th straight month of retail sales gains in March

DETROIT – Buick, the fastest growing major automotive brand in the United States in 2010, finished the first quarter of calendar year 2011 with retail sales up 49 percent and total sales up 39 percent. March also marked Buick’s 18^th straight month of growth with retail sales up 24 percent and total sales up 21 percent.

“Regal, LaCrosse and Enclave continue to attract new-to-Buick buyers seeking fuel efficiency, luxury and style in the midsize sedan, full-size car and crossover segments,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president of Buick & GMC Sales and Service. “We fully expect the arrival of the fuel-efficient LaCrosse with eAssist and all-new Verano luxury compact to attract even more new customers to Buick.”

Approximately 38 percent of Buick buyers come from non-GM brands and 17 percent come from imports.

Regal, which launched last April, continued to help Buick grow in March with demand for the sporty sedan accelerating thanks to increased availability of the all-new Regal CXL Turbo, which accounted for 30 percent of Regal’s retail sales in March. The turbo’s 2.0-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine delivers better horsepower and torque than the Acura TSX, and with its manual six-speed transmission, it also delivers better fuel economy, with an EPA-rated 32 mpg highway.

Retail sales for LaCrosse also were up in the first quarter by 4 percent. The 2012 LaCrosse will feature eAssist, which uses an electric motor and lithium-ion battery to capture energy created during braking. Electric power used for starts and stops and light power boost while cruising.

Enclave, which had the strongest sales in its four-year history last year, continued to grow in the first quarter of 2011 with retail sales up 24 percent and total sales up 17 percent. Enclave’s monthly total sales also were up 8 percent year over year. So far in 2011, Enclave has the highest conquest rate of any Buick at 46 percent. The crossover delivers better fuel economy than any eight-passenger crossover, with 24 mpg highway (2WD).

“Fuel efficient vehicles and positive word of mouth continue to draw new customers to Buick showrooms,” Sweeney said. “Consumer interest in the brand also is evident by a 31-percent year-over-year increase in traffic at Buick.com, which is an important sales generator.”

Some of Buick’s hottest markets in the first quarter included Miami, New York and Houston; the latter is hosting the 2011 NCAA Final Four^® basketball tournament, of which Buick is a sponsor.

Buick’s new partnership with the NCAA started during March Madness^® and continues to generate buzz online at www.ncaa.com/buick, the home of the Buick Human Highlight Reel. This collection of videos celebrates the achievements of former student-athletes who are making a difference in their communities. Buick also is the exclusive title sponsor of a 30-minute television show featuring select Human Highlight Reel stories airing prior to the 2011 NCAA Men’s Final Four^® semifinal games on April 2.

Award-winning luxury crossover employs safety measures before rollover impact

DETROIT – Rollovers are among the rarest of vehicle crashes, but the 2011 Buick Enclave still provides maximum protection against them.

High-tech sensors designed to predict rollovers and help protect vehicle occupants before a crash occurs are part of the standard comprehensive safety package on the 2011 Enclave, recipient of NHTSA’s highest five-star overall vehicle safety score and recently awarded a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Enclave’s StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover mitigation, traction control, Panic Brake Assist and anti-lock brakes help drivers avoid such crashes. In addition, the luxury crossover’s new rollover sensing technology ensures timely deployment of occupant crash protection systems.

The sensors can predict in a fraction of a second whether a rollover is likely to occur. If it senses a rollover, the system sends a signal to deploy front seat safety belt pretensioners and head curtain side air bags to protect occupants. Pretensioners reduce safety belt slack, and load limiters moderate the load of the safety belt on the occupant in a crash. Both technologies work together to help keep occupants in place during a crash.

“It’s like we gave the Enclave special powers when it comes to rollovers,” said Bridget O’Brien-Mitchell, the General Motors engineer who led the team that developed predictive rollover sensing. “But we’re using technology as part of our commitment to protect customers and their families.”

According to the NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2009 annual report, rollovers accounted for 2.2 percent of all vehicle crashes, while fatalities from these crashes amounted to 35.4 percent of all traffic deaths.

Rollover sensing is part of a suite of Buick advancements that provide continuous safety before, during and after a crash. All Buicks, including Enclave, feature the safety and security of OnStar technology. In the event of a crash, OnStar’s Automatic Crash Response alerts first responders to get medical assistance on site as quickly as possible.

O’Brien-Mitchell, who has been working on vehicle safety for 20 years, began her career with GM as a co-op student at 16, working on designing cars and trucks just as she earned her driver’s license. She shares office space with her canine pal Curtis, a Future Leader Dog.

“Curtis helps keep the team in a cheerful mood,” said O’Brien-Mitchell. “When we’re tackling a tough engineering problem, it helps to have a furry friend to cut the tension around the office.”

While the Enclave is loaded with safety features, O’Brien-Mitchell reminds drivers that the best safety technology is still the safety belt: “The safety belt is the most effective safety system in a vehicle, so it’s important to always buckle up.”

Highest possible ratings achieved in all Insurance Institute safety tests

DETROIT – The 2011 Buick Enclave today received a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for all models built after January this year.

“Car buyers shopping for safety get a big head start with vehicles earning our Top Safety Pick designation,” said Institute president Adrian Lund. “This award highlights the elite group of vehicles that earn top Institute safety ratings across the board, and that have electronic stability control.”

Vehicles named Top Safety Picks must achieve the highest possible IIHS ratings of “Good” in front, side, rear and rollover crash protection tests in addition to having electronic stability control.

The Enclave previously earned a 5-star overall vehicle score under the revised New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The 2011 Enclave has a comprehensive safety system designed to protect passengers – before, during and after a crash.  Before a crash, active safety features like StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover mitigation and Panic Brake Assist help drivers avoid crashes. When an emergency braking maneuver is detected, the Panic Brake Assist system automatically develops additional brake pressure to more quickly engage antilock brakes, potentially reducing overall stopping distance by eliminating the delay that can occur if a driver does not brake hard enough and/or soon enough.

Technologies like rollover sensing, six standard air bags, front seat safety belt pretensioners and load limiters help protect occupants during a crash. Pretensioners reduce safety belt slack, and load limiters moderate the load of the safety belt on the occupant in a crash. Both safety belt technologies work together to help keep occupants in place during a crash.

All Buicks, including Enclave, feature the safety and security of OnStar technology. After a crash, OnStar’s Automatic Crash Response alerts first responders to get medical assistance on site as quickly as possible.

“The Enclave’s Top Safety Pick Award clearly demonstrates our commitment to protecting customers and their families,” said Jeff Boyer, General Motors executive director of vehicle safety. “We stand behind Enclave and the variety of active and passive safety technologies it offers – all engineered with precision to meet the high expectations of our customers.”

After posting its strongest sales in history in 2010, the Enclave is on its way to another strong year, with retail sales up 45 percent in February compared to the same period in 2010. Total sales for the luxury crossover were up by 38 percent for the month, outselling the Acura MDX and RDX combined.

Vincentric Picks Enclave over Other Full-Size Crossovers Based on Lower Costs of Ownership

DETROIT – Buick Enclave took top honors in the full-size crossover category of Vincentric’s seventh annual Best Value in America awards announced today, beating Ford Flex and other competitive models. Enclave previously earned the honor in 2009.

Vincentric, a privately held automotive data compilation and analysis firm, headquartered in Bingham Farms, Mich., selects winners based on calculations of total cost of ownership relative to price within industry segment.

“Winning the Vincentric ‘Best Value in America’ award reaffirms what Consumer Digest said of Enclave last year – that it’s a ‘Best Buy,’” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president, Buick Marketing. “Enclave is a smarter choice for crossover buyers, not only for its lower cost of ownership, but also for its winning blend of sleek, contemporary design, luxurious quiet-tuned interior and superior ride and handling.”

In addition to winning the “Best Value in America” award twice and the “Best Buy” designation four times, Enclave was recently nominated for About.com’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Award in the “Best New Crossover Vehicle” category.

“We picked Enclave over other full-size crossovers, because its low depreciation rate and low service costs resulted in a cost of ownership that is 3 percent lower than expected for similarly priced vehicles in its segment,” said David Wurster, president of Vincentric.

Enclave buyers have helped Buick become the fastest-growing mainstream automotive brand in America. The crossover’s retail sales grew in February by 45 percent compared to the same month in 2010 and total sales were up 38 percent.

Enclave has the highest “conquest” rate of any Buick, with 51 percent coming from non-GM brands, approximately half of which are import brands.

Learn more about Buick Enclave here.

Every Second Buyer of Luxury Crossover Leaves a Non-GM Brand

DETROIT – With a baby on board and another on the way, Rick and Heather Suchocki of Surprise, Ariz., needed a new family hauler, one with enough room for strollers, playpens, diaper bags and the other necessities of a growing family.  They decided the Lexus in their driveway wasn’t cutting it anymore, and started shopping crossover utilities including luxury imports and – much to their own surprise – the 2011 Buick Enclave.

“I’d never thought about shopping Buick before, because I’d never pictured myself in their older models,” said Rick, a 41-year-old grocery store manager. “But the Enclave is designed for my generation. It has great styling and ride quality. It’s very quiet, luxurious and roomier than the other crossovers we shopped. We couldn’t get our baby seat into the back seat of the Lexus RX350, but it fit perfectly in the Enclave. It’s lived up to our expectations, and then some.”

Exceeding expectations is something at which Enclave excels. The luxury crossover enjoyed its strongest sales in history in 2010, with total sales up 28 percent, and retail sales nearly double what they were in its first year on the market. After having its best retail month ever in December, Enclave’s retail sales grew in January by 37 percent compared to the same month in 2010.

Enclave is a four-time winner of Consumer Digest’s Best Buy award, and was recently nominated for About.com’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Award in the “Best New Crossover Vehicle” category.

“As a contemporary people mover, Enclave has a high level of luxury appointments and is, at a glance, very upscale,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, a marketing research and consultancy firm. “The fact that Enclave’s retail sales are so robust is testament to the appeal of the product itself and Buick as a brand as well. As the economy continues to improve, prospects for the Enclave do as well.”

Enclave has the highest “conquest” rate of any Buick, with 51 percent coming from non-GM brands, approximately half of which are import brands.

“Enclave has brought a new kind of customer to our showroom – young professionals with families who previously owned an Acura or Lexus,” said Tim Fitzgerald, general manager, Bowser Buick GMC of Pleasant Hills, Pa. “They have very high expectations for styling, interior amenities and quality materials, and they’re finding out that the Enclave delivers in all of those respects and more.”

One of the hallmarks of interior quality is quietness, and Enclave is the only crossover in its segment that benefits from QuietTuning, a Buick-exclusive engineering process that reduces, blocks and absorbs unwanted noise from entering the vehicle’s cabin. Noise-reducing components include an acoustic-laminated windshield, laminated safety glass for front doors, triple-door seals, flat-blade windshield wipers, and aerodynamic rearview mirrors.

Among Enclave’s many interior amenities are three rows of seats that accommodate up to eight passengers, offering more space than the Mercedes R-class or Acura MDX. Enclave’s second-row seats feature General Motors’ Smart Slide system, a feature that allows easy entry to the third row with the pull of one handle. With Smart Slide, the second-row seat cushion flips up while the seatback slides forward, providing more room for passengers to enter and exit the third row.

Enclave’s smooth car-like driving experience is attributed to its stiff structure, its purpose-built suspension and aerodynamic shape, the latter of which contributes to Enclave’s 24 mpg highway (2WD), which is better fuel economy than any non-GM eight-passenger crossover.

“Buick has come a long way,” said Lori Ashmore Peters, an attorney and mother of two in Dallas, who recently traded in an SUV for an Enclave. “Honestly, I had some reservations about buying a Buick at first, but the Enclave’s ride, handling, styling and amenities sold me on it. I would definitely consider Buick again.”