General Motors’ emphasis on passenger cars reportedly will become even more evident this week with the introduction of two sedans that will compete at opposite ends of the luxury market.
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In the latest in a string of new-car introductions, GM plans to unveil the 2006 Buick Lucerne entry-level luxury sedan and the 2006 Cadillac DTS upscale sedan, both of which are set to reach showrooms this autumn, during the first of two media preview days at the Chicago Auto Show, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
“The all-new Lucerne marks a significant milestone for Buick,” the division’s general manager, John Larson, told the news agency, adding: “We’re rolling out one of the most aggressive product programs in Buick history, (and) Lucerne is the third new Buick launched in just over a year.”
AP said Buick is ridding itself of models such as the Century, Regal and Park Avenue and replacing them with cars the company hopes will be viewed as more elegant both inside and out.
The LaCrosse, on sale last autumn, essentially replaces the Century and Regal while the Lucerne will cover the same territory as the outgoing LeSabre and Park Avenue and will be Buick’s first car to offer a V8 engine in a decade, the news agency said, adding that the new models underscore a renewed emphasis on cars at Buick, the century-old brand that made its name producing reliable passenger cars, particularly for the older set.
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By GlobalDataAP noted that much of Buick’s focus in the past several years has been on truck-like vehicles, namely the Rainier and Rendezvous sport utility vehicles and the Terraza, which debuted last autumn – the 2002 Rendezvous was Buick’s first truck in 80 years.
The Associated Press said Buick’s overall US sales were off 8.4% last year, including a 14.2% decline on the car side – GM officials have said the brand’s future model line will be split evenly between cars and truck-based models.
Cadillac, meanwhile, is hoping to maintain the sales momentum it’s gained with several new models, part of an estimated $4 billion makeover of the upscale line that was America’s best-selling premium brand from 1950 to 1998, AP said, adding that sales were up 8% in 2004 even as GM’s overall business fell 1.4% – Cadillac’s best annual showing since 1990.
New offerings include the XLR roadster, the SRX mid-size crossover utility vehicle and the STS performance sedan that replaced the Seville, the news agency said.
According to the Associated Press, Americans got a sneak peek of the new DTS, which replaces the DeVille, during last month’s presidential inauguration after president Bush rode in a jet-black limousine during the inaugural parade, a vehicle GM said provided a glimpse of the design direction of the mass-produced version of the 2006 DTS.
The Detroit News said the new front-drive luxury sedan rides on 17- or 18-inch wheels and is powered by GM’s Northstar 4.6-litre V8 engine in 275- or 290-hp configurations with a four-speed automatic transmission.
The paper noted that both the Lucerne and DTS will be equipped with the latest frontal air bags which are capable of deploying in two different sizes and two different pressures, depending on where the seat is positioned, whether the seat belt is buckled and the severity of the crash.
When only the small bag is needed, a tether will limit the air bag to the smaller size and release it to full size when appropriate, the paper added.
The Detroit News said the Lucerne and DTS will also feature HotShot – a system by Microheat that heats windshield washer fluid to more quickly clear windshields and headlights of ice, snow, bugs and road grime.
