Aldred 'thrilled' with Buick lineup

NEW YORK -- When Duncan Aldred took over Buick two years ago, he envisioned needing a slew of fresh entries to fill out the brand's relatively thin lineup.

Fast-forward two years, and he's got a certified hit in the Encore subcompact crossover, a dose of fun in the recently added Cascada convertible and the pending addition of the Envision compact crossover in the heart of the crossover market. Is that enough?

Pretty much, Aldred says, though he won't rule out the possibility of a brand-building flagship or halo vehicle down the road, a la the Avenir sedan or Avista coupe concepts.

"It's a wonderful portfolio," Aldred told Automotive News on the sidelines of the auto show here last week. "We'll have three sedans, three crossovers and a halo. I think most brands would say, "Yeah, that's a great portfolio.' I'm thrilled with it."

In the past, Aldred said he'd like to add the Opel Adam minicar to Buick's U.S. stable as a Mini or Fiat 500 fighter. But the sharp shift in market sentiment toward crossovers over the last two years has sapped sales of those vehicles -- and Aldred's desire to import the Adam.

"I very much did feel when I came over that that could really help accelerate the Buick brand story," he said. "I don't see that as much. Whether the market shifted or the fashion nature of those cars has changed, I don't know. But I wouldn't be looking for a small, B-segment car today."

He predicts the additions of the Envision, Cascada and the redesigned LaCrosse sedan that launches this summer will help push Buick sales higher than last year's tally of 223,055. They rose 20 percent through February.