AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY Buick looks to new models to turn around sales slump

The company is focusing marketing efforts on its trucks.
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Flint, Mich., is a happening place this weekend as Buick celebrates its Centennial with displays of classic cars, fireworks and rock concerts designed to point the way to the future.
Clearly aware that its General Motors twin Oldsmobile bit the dust just months after its 100th anniversary, Buick executives are going all out to emphasize that the past is simply prologue for a strong future.
"Within the next three years, Buick will bring out five new vehicles that will give this division a totally new look," says Buick General Manager Roger W. Adams said. "We're not re-inventing Buick, but we're placing renewed emphasis on power, passion and style. Our trucks will have a premium brand character built on the strengths Buick established over its 100 years."
What's planned
To embellish its image as a purveyor of quiet, powerful cars graced with sophisticated styling, Buick will expand its offering of V8 engines while stepping out with some bolder styling cues, Adams said.
While the words "Buick" and "truck" still seem to clash in the same sentence, the truck market has proved a significant arena for Buick's new marketing efforts.
Buick moved into the truck market for the first time in nearly 80 years with its introduction of the Rendezvous "crossover" vehicle as a 2002 model. More than 61,000 were sold in the first full year. Buick is also adding an SUV called the Rainier as a 2004 model. The Ranier's optional V8 engine is exclusive on GM's short-wheelbase midsize SUVs. A seven-passenger premium crossover sport van is planned for introduction late next year.
Adams is targeting a 20-percent increase in sales over the next few years with the new models. But 2003 has been unkind to the Buick division, with sales slumping 11.3 percent in the first six months. The one bright spot was the Rendezvous, whose sales increased 12.4 percent.
A movie car
To show that the Buick division still has imagination, designers rolled out the Centieme as a 2002 show car that made an impression in the movie "Bad Boys II." The concept car features a 400-horsepower 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. Those who don't keep up with auto racing may not realize Buick's role as an engine maker for motor sports.
Buick Motor Co. was incorporated in Detroit on May 19, 1903, and became one of the industry's major manufacturers after moving to Flint, Mich., later that year. A year after its creation, Buick flirted with bankruptcy before gaining altitude. Buick claimed to lead the industry in production in 1908.
Buick became the foundation for the creation of General Motors in 1908, under the promotion of William C. Durant, a Flint carriage manufacturer. GM, of course, eventually became the world's largest industrial corporation. With 35 million cars under its belt, Buick returned to Detroit in 1998 as GM decided to place all of its marketing divisions at Renaissance Center.