Buick, faced with an aging Regal and U.S. consumers that continue to abandon midsize and large sedans for crossovers and SUVs, is lowering prices as much as nearly 9 percent on the car for 2016.
Duncan Aldred, head of Buick, told dealers on Friday the Regal lineup is being “simplified and attractively priced” to appeal to a broader slice of American buyers.
The Regal will be offered in 4 trim packages for 2016 -- down from five for 2015. The biggest price cut -- $3,320, or 8.7 percent -- will come on the high-performance GS, from $38,310 to $34,990, Buick said.
The price for the Regal with premium II trim will drop by $2,535, or 7.2 percent, to $32,490 for 2016.
Pricing on the Regal Group package is falling by $1,000 to $29,915.
For 2016, the base Regal’s price will remain unchanged at $27,990. All pricing includes destination charges.
Content among the four packages will remain the same for 2016, Buick said.
Aging model
The Regal hasn’t been substantially redesigned since it was reintroduced in 2010 for the 2011 model year and it is now one of the oldest cars in the midsize segment.
With Buick’s U.S. car deliveries down 20 percent this year through June, and its overall sales off 6.3 percent, Aldred hinted more changes are coming to Buick marketing and product plans.
“Repositioning the Regal to more aggressively compete in the midsize sedan segment is the first of many steps we are taking in advance of next year’s product offensive,” Duncan said in a memo to dealers. “We're giving our customers greater value without sacrificing the features they want.”
U.S. sales of the Regal have slumped 24 percent to 9,387 this year through June in a big midsize car segment that has shrunk 3.4 percent and an overall car market that has slipped 1.7 percent.
Driven by crossovers, SUVs and pickups, the U.S. light-truck market has grown 10 percent so far in 2015. Total U.S. light-vehicle sales are up 4.4 percent this year. Automakers will report U.S. sales for July on Monday.
U.S. deliveries of the current generation Regal peaked at 40,144 in 2011.
Production of a redesigned Regal is slated to begin in mid-2017. The sporty sedan is expected to grow a bit in size to create more space between it and the smaller Verano, which has crimped Regal volume since it was launched in late 2011.
David Phillips
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