Buick leans in to premium design for long-term sales growth

PORTLAND, Ore. — Buick's four crossovers sit in some of the most competitive segments in the U.S.

Yet the brand sees an opportunity to carve out white space for itself in a crowded field by positioning Buick as a premium option straddling mainstream and luxury, said Seckin Mart, associate director of Buick brand advertising and media.

The brand's flagship vehicle, the Enclave large crossover, has been redesigned for 2025, completing a product overhaul that began about 18 months ago with the subcompact Encore GX. An advertising campaign highlighting the Enclave's technology and driving experience is slated to launch in October, Mart said, and Buick wants to get itself on more consideration lists earlier in the buying process.

Buick has several things working for it, he said, as it attempts to raise consumer awareness and drive toward long-term growth: a fresh lineup, a sleek new design strategy, updated technology, sales momentum and its first new marketing tag line in more than 15 years.

"When you try to refine a brand positioning or introduce a tag line, if you do it without product support, it never resonates," Mart told Automotive News at a media drive here for the three-row Enclave. "We can actually do things differently. And because we have strong product to support that and a new design language, it is getting people's attention."

Buick's U.S. sales rose 11 percent in the first half of the year. General Motors said the brand has had six straight quarters of sales growth.

Through June, Enclave sales were down 22 percent to 13,987, as Buick prepared to start production of the redesigned model.

U.S. Enclave sales peaked at 62,300 in 2014, when the large crossover segment had nine nameplates, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. Last year, with 14 models in its class, Enclave sales totaled 39,411.

"It's so difficult to revitalize a brand, especially one with a 120-year history," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions.

Buick historically has been known as "an old man's car," but the brand's vehicles today are modern and appealing to a younger consumer, he said. Yet changing brand perceptions can be challenging, and Buick will need to find something distinctive that other upscale brands don't offer.

"Their lineup is only four models, and they all are relatively fresh," Fiorani said. "The issue is there are so many small crossovers and midsize crossovers on the market, that finding a way to break from the pack has been extremely difficult."

Buick believes it has found that differentiator — a premium, design-centric approach that appeals both to existing and prospective customers, Mart said. Positioning the brand that way will lead to more awareness and consideration from shoppers higher up in the sales funnel that ultimately will drive increased volume, he said.

"We don't want people to justify going up from mainstream or going down from luxury," Mart said. "We want to meet them where they are, and that's intentionally the space for Buick. And we have the content to support that."

Buick said target customers for the redesigned 2025 Enclave are 60 percent male and 40 percent female, 35 to 55 years old, married and college-educated, with a household income of $100,000 to $150,000. Pricing starts at $46,395 with shipping for the Preferred trim with front-wheel drive and rises to $59,395 for the top-end Avenir.

Buick streamlined the Enclave's trim levels for 2025, with Preferred replacing Essence as the base trim. Sport Touring, which had been a package for the 2024 model year, becomes the middle trim, replacing Premium. All three are powered by a standard 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, generating 328 hp and 326 pound-feet of torque, Buick said. That combination replaces a 3.6-liter V-6 and nine-speed automatic transmission on the outgoing model.

Yates Buick-GMC in Goodyear, Ariz., has sold some 2025 Enclaves, said Whitney Yates-Woods, dealer principal. It's popular among parents, especially women, for the third row and available space.

Yates-Woods said she likes how Buick is positioning the brand, including at the entry level with the subcompact Envista, which starts below $30,000 with shipping. That vehicle appears to attract more people considering Buick for the first time, she said, including younger consumers buying their first vehicle on their own.

"They're really putting a lot of thought into the design. They're really trying to make it withstand time," she said. "Not quite luxury, but almost, and I think they're really trying to hone in on that."

Design is a core element of Buick's updated positioning. The Enclave incorporates the check mark-style headlights and trapezoidal grille found on the Wildcat electric vehicle concept and now across the lineup.

The Enclave comes with a 30-inch display that puts the infotainment and driver information screens behind one piece of glass. Additional storage was opened up in the center console by moving the shifter to the steering column. The console is not attached to the instrument panel, which creates a floating look.

The Enclave also is the first Buick vehicle to offer Super Cruise, GM's hands-free driver-assist technology.

The Enclave's upcoming marketing campaign will include broadcast TV, and social and digital media, Mart said.

"If you want to change mass opinion, to create mass awareness, then you need to be on mass media platforms," he said, adding that digital media will enable more targeted outreach. "In order for us to achieve what we are trying to achieve for Buick, we need to find that happy medium and balanced approach for Buick, and Enclave is going to be a great example for that."