Opel Adam, bring it to America?

[Mustangfan2003]

I don't think you would sell it as a Chevy, they have like 9 cars in their lineup now which is insane.  No way it works as a Cadillac.  That leaves Buick.  I think Buick could use some more cars in their lineup but this car doesn't fit with the image of Buick.  It would've worked really well being sold as a Pontiac or Saturn if they were still around.  Perhaps you can sell it at select Buick dealers as an Opel. 

[280Z Turbo]

GMC

[Soup DeVille]

I don't think you would sell it as a Chevy, they have like 9 cars in their lineup now which is insane.  No way it works as a Cadillac.  That leaves Buick.  I think Buick could use some more cars in their lineup but this car doesn't fit with the image of Buick.  It would've worked really well being sold as a Pontiac or Saturn if they were still around.  Perhaps you can sell it at select Buick dealers as an Opel. 

They've done that before, they could do it again- although I wish them more success this time.

[280Z Turbo]

Why would a car have a man's name?

[MX793]

Why would a car have a man's name?

Adam Opel was the founder of Opel.  Kinda like Ferrari naming a car after Enzo.

[Soup DeVille]

Adam Opel was the founder of Opel.  Kinda like Ferrari naming a car after Enzo.

More like the Kaiser Henry J perhaps.

[68_427]

Love these cars

[2o6]

IIRC, not selling well in Europe, not many would buy it hete.

[CALL_911]

Def would flop here

[Speed_Racer]

They could resurrect "Geo"

[Madman]

Call it the Buick David?  (As in David Dunbar Buick) 

Buick needs a small, fun and funky car that will appeal to young urban buyers and to fashion conscious women.  Too many consumers still view Buick as the official car of the old and senile, despite all those TV commercials with Shaq pitching the Lacrosse.

One of the blog sites even suggested selling it here as an Opel in order to play up its European pedigree.  Hey, it worked for MINI and Fiat.  And that's the market they're going after, too.  There's even an historic precedent for doing this, since Buick dealers once sold Opels in America.

With the European car market in the toilet and small cars enjoying a renaissance in America, bringing the Adam to these shores is a no-brainer.  So long as GM markets the car properly, I can see the Adam becoming a serious rival to the MINI Cooper and Fiat 500.  GM's extensive dealer network is a big plus, too.

I'm confident America is ready for a pint-sized Buick.  Just look at the Encore for proof.  Sales are way above expectations and dealers can't keep them in stock.  The Adam can go a long way towards helping to bury Buick's geezermobile image.

[280Z Turbo]

^If it's European it's good^

[Madman]

^If it's European it's good^

It's decent enough car for what it is.  Besides, what else have they got to offer in this segment?  GM has already spent the money to develop and build it, so why not try to sell it in as many places as possible?  Buick needs products that will appeal to people who have never considered the brand before.  If they can lure young, trendy customers into a Buick showroom with the Adam, some of those customers may eventually step up to a Verano or a Regal.  GM desperately needs to grow the brand if Buick is to survive.

As long as they can undercut the MINI and price it closer to the Fiat 500, I can see the Adam selling in respectable numbers.

[280Z Turbo]

They don't need to offer anything in this segment. And federalizing the car is probably not all that profitable.

[CALL_911]

As long as they can undercut the MINI and price it closer to the Fiat 500, I can see the Adam selling in respectable numbers.

The 500's a flop. This doesn't have the 500's H&H advantage, it would flop even harder.

[MX793]

It's decent enough car for what it is.  Besides, what else have they got to offer in this segment?  GM has already spent the money to develop and build it, so why not try to sell it in as many places as possible?  Buick needs products that will appeal to people who have never considered the brand before.  If they can lure young, trendy customers into a Buick showroom with the Adam, some of those customers may eventually step up to a Verano or a Regal.  GM desperately needs to grow the brand if Buick is to survive.

As long as they can undercut the MINI and price it closer to the Fiat 500, I can see the Adam selling in respectable numbers.

The Mini and 500 sell on their nostalgia factor (moreso the former than the latter in the US).  Additionally, Fiat is not a brand associated with pensioners.  Buick isn't ready to start pitching trendy city cars.  In a few years, if they stay the course of trying to transform the brand from Grampa-mobiles to serious entry-lux, then they may have a shot.

[280Z Turbo]

Let's not forget that the Mini Cooper S (especially in JCW trim) is actually good.

[Madman]

The 500's a flop. This doesn't have the 500's H&H advantage, it would flop even harder.

The 500 started slowly but sales are now booming.  A lot of fairly big cities (mine included) didn't even get Fiat franchises until fairly recently, so sales were limited by a patchy dealer network and short supplies of the cars themselves.  With more dealers opening every month, plus the addition of the 500L, Fiat sales will jump even more.  Not bad for a brand that didn't even exist here two years ago.

[CALL_911]

I don't think they're booming, dude

[Madman]

The Mini and 500 sell on their nostalgia factor

Not in America.  Americans were never really exposed to the original Mini nor the 500, so the nostalgia factor really doesn't come into play.  Only the modern-day Volkswagen Beetle can trade on warm, fuzzy memories of the original because Americans actually bought those way back when.  Not so with the Mini or 500.

Today's versions sell on their own merits.  Most of today's MINI/Fiat owners in America are completely ignorant of the cars which inspired the ones they are now driving.  They bought them because they were  fun and stylish alternatives to the dishwater dull appliances the rest of the industry are pushing.  The MINI, in particular, proved to Americans that small cars didn't have to be stripped out penalty boxes fit only for the terminally poor.

Buick needs to compete in segments were it never did before.  Here's a ready-made product already sitting on the shelf it can use to go after those customers.  But let's say the Adam does fail.  So what?  Better to try and fail than not to try at all.

[CALL_911]

But let's say the Adam does fail.  So what?  Better to try and fail than not to try at all.

lol okay madman

[Soup DeVille]

I don't think they're booming, dude

They seem to be doing pretty well. It didn't take off right away like Mini did, but they seem to be selling.

[Mustangfan2003]

I still wonder if the Buick was the right brand to keep.  Old people still had the Impala to buy. 

[Madman]

lol okay madman

If GM listened to you, Buick would still be making Wimmer's dream car.  A huge, vinyl roofed barge with wire wheel hubcaps, crushed velour seats and a Geritol dispenser in the dash! 

Funny how everyone here said the Buick Encore wouldn't sell, either.  If that's the case then why can't dealers keep them in stock?

[Raza]

I think it's a nice looking car that could have some success in major cities, but would be an overall very low volume car.  However, GM doesn't have a brand to sell it under.  Chevrolet already has too many small cars, Saturn and Pontiac are dead, and putting a Buick badge on this is a great way to ensure that no one buys it. 

[hotrodalex]

I still wonder if the Buick was the right brand to keep.  Old people still had the Impala to buy. 

Buick's success in China was the main reason for keeping it, IIRC.

[2o6]

I don't think they're booming, dude

It's actually moving pretty decently. They had some dealer network issues at first, but it's actually selling pretty well.



If you compare it to the absolutely retarded sales projections, then yes it is a "flop". (50K a year....for a niche product, with a half-functioning dealer network?)


Real sales are about on par, if not better, than the Mini lineup and the Chevy Spark/Toyota iQ. They blow the Smart Fortwo out of the water. It did 55K last year, which is pretty respectable.

Buick's success in China was the main reason for keeping it, IIRC.

And despite what the internet says, it still has wayy more brand equity and public image than Opel would. No one knows what the fuck Opel is.

[93JC]

Buick needs products that will appeal to people who have never considered the brand before.  If they can lure young, trendy customers into a Buick showroom with the Adam, some of those customers may eventually step up to a Verano or a Regal.

If you want to entice younger people into a GM showroom you have a plethora of smaller, more affordable Chevys.

[93JC]

And what the fuck is a Buick Encore?

[Soup DeVille]