USA - Buick earned the highest marks, 809/100 in J.D. Power’s 2016 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index 2016.

• J.D. Power study notes new owner education key to higher satisfaction

As Buick continues to delight customers with its beautiful, whisper-quiet and quality-driven cars and SUVs, it is also ensuring they have the greatest possible experience learning about their vehicles. J.D. Power’s 2016 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study ranks Buick the highest among mass market brands. 

A brand’s ability to help new-vehicle owners understand technology and enhance the overall ownership experience are key to high SSI rankings. 

In brand sales satisfaction rankings, Buick earned the highest marks with a score of 809 (based on a 1,000-point scale).

“We know a positive customer experience goes well beyond great product,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. 

“Our sales satisfaction ranking shows that our ability to deliver a meaningful purchase-to-ownership process is paying off for our customers well beyond when they leave our stores.”

The SSI Study is a comprehensive analysis of the new-vehicle purchase experience that measures customer satisfaction with their dealer. It is based on responses from nearly 29,000 buyers who purchased or leased their new vehicle in April or May of 2016.

USA - Buick has hit the million mark with three months still to go in the year, this represents a 23% growth so far this year.

• 23 percent year-over-year growth highest among major international brands

Through September, global Buick deliveries worldwide totaled 1,046,746 vehicles for 2016. At no other point in the brand’s 113 years of business has this milestone been reached so quickly. 

Compared to the same span in 2015, nearly 200,000 more customers have taken delivery of a new Buick car or SUV.

Buick’s year-over-year growth of 23 percent is the highest in the industry for major brands selling vehicles in both North America and China. With three months left in the year, Buick is on track for its fourth consecutive all-time global sales record.

“Demand worldwide continues to grow for attainable Buick luxury and the beautiful, quiet and comfortable cars and SUVs we offer,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. “We complement that driving experience with customer service that consistently ranks among the highest in the industry.”

Buick currently ranks as the second-largest passenger-car brand in China and outsells key competitors including Acura, Audi, Infiniti and Lincoln in North America. In the U.S, year-to-date retail sales are the highest in 11 years.

Buick’s modern, smart SUV lineup is fueling the nameplate’s international growth. The compact Envision is on pace for more than 200,000 global sales in its second year in the market. Sales in North America began in May and demand has been strong, with Envisions averaging just 23 days on dealer lots. That’s far below the industry average of 65 days.

The Encore small SUV has increased its global sales each year since its launch less than four years ago and had its best U.S. sales month ever in September with 7,197 deliveries. A redesigned 2017 Encore just started arriving at dealerships with a standard 8-inch touchscreen, 4G LTE Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ― a suite of connectivity features not offered by any competitor.

Recent U.S. Buick buyers cite quality and value among their top reasons for purchase, and the brand continues to provide top safety ratings as well. In September, the new Envision was given a Top Safety Pick Plus by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ― the organization’s highest rating. The Cascada recently became the only convertible on sale today with a NHTSA 5-star rating.

USA RECALL - General motors is recalling 3.64 million units for software defects that impact on the airbag system.

GM is voluntarily recalling approximately 3.64 million 2014-17 model year vehicles in the United States. The sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) in these vehicles, which controls airbag and pretensioners deployment, contains a software defect that may prevent the deployment of frontal airbags and pretensioners in certain rare circumstances when a crash is preceded by a specific event impacting vehicle dynamics.

The recall includes certain:

• 2014-2016 model year Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet SS and Spark EV
• 2014-2017 model year Chevrolet Corvette, Trax, Caprice PPV and Silverado 1500; Buick Encore; and GMC Sierra 1500
• 2015-2017 model year Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado HD; GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and Sierra HD; and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV

GM will notify customers, and dealers will update the software free of charge. Customers also can look up their vehicle identification number (VIN) at either NHTSA or GM websites to see if their vehicle is part of the recall.

The cost of the recall is not expected to be material and will be included in GM’s third quarter earnings.

USA - Buick continues to build on a sound footing with nearly 700,000 units sold in the first six months of the year.

• Momentum speeds after three years of record global sales 

Among the top automotive brands — those selling more than 200,000 units internationally so far this year — Buick is growing at an unmatched pace. With 675,964 sales through June, Buick ended 2016’s first half up 20.1 percent over the same period in 2015.

In this year of rapid growth, Buick has risen to the fifth-largest passenger vehicle brand in China and is outselling key competitors including Acura, Infiniti and Lincoln in North America.

The growth has been fueled by core international products including the Encore small SUV, which this year surpassed a half-million sales since it was introduced 3.5 years ago. Encore has been a success story in every market, though North America has led the way thus far in 2016 with 36,365 sales through June.

Buick’s award-winning Envision compact crossover concluded its first full month of U.S. sales with 1,436 customer deliveries amid limited availability. A full model range starting at $34,990 launches for the 2017 model year this fall. The Envision has quickly become Buick’s best-selling model sold internationally, followed by Encore and LaCrosse.

Buick’s all-new LaCrosse flagship sedan is launching now. Beautifully crafted and thoughtfully innovative, the 2017 LaCrosse launches globally in the second half of the year as a showcase of design and technology for the brand. More than 950,000 customers worldwide have chosen the LaCrosse since the current model was introduced in 2009.

“2016 has been a year of optimism and excitement for Buick as we’ve outpaced our top competitors,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. “As new products continue to arrive to our stores, there’s never been a better time to take a fresh look at Buick’s range of premium SUVs and cars.”

Buick’s momentous 2016 has also included the launch of the Cascada convertible in the U.S. market and continued growth for the Excelle GT, Buick’s best-seller in China. Cascada, which offers a lower base price than an Audi A3 convertible but space and power similar to an Audi A5 convertible, has outsold both of those vehicles combined through the first half of the year.

In the U.S., Buick was named KBB’s “Best Value Luxury Brand” for the fourth year in a row.

USA - The Buick Encore has placed it's self as the core model to own in the Small SUV Segment.

Representing nearly a quarter of all small SUVs on U.S. roads today, customers have discovered attainable luxury and quality in the Encore

Small SUVs represent one of the fastest growing segments in the industry. U.S. sales of small SUVs have tripled since 2011, according to Polk registration data. 

Buick Encore sales have accelerated this growth by nearly 30 percent since 2013, despite entries in the segment having more than doubled since the Encore hit showrooms in 2013. 

Today, one quarter of small SUVs on the road are Buicks.

“The Encore is a pioneering force in a segment hugely popular with customers, with one in four Small SUV owners in the U.S. today driving a Buick,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. “The upcoming 2017 model doubles down on what’s made it successful, like extensive soft-touch interior materials not offered by the competition.”

Through the first six months of 2016, the U.S. has become Encore’s top market, with more than half of all sales coming from that market. In June, it reached 30 straight months of year-over-year sales growth, with more than half of new owners coming from outside GM brands.

In July, Encore is on pace for its best sales month ever, in one of its last months before a fully refreshed version comes out in September.

The Encore continues to gain popularity against competitive brands among key audiences including women and professionals. Women represent nearly 60 percent of Encore buyers, which is 16 percent higher than the industry.

“The Buick Encore provides buyers with a luxury experience in a nimble, compact, value-packed vehicle,” said Rebecca Lindland, senior director of commercial insights for Kelley Blue Book. “Not only is it chock-full of the latest in safety technology, it also is fun to drive and provides a wonderful, quiet cabin experience. It seats five – or fits a full day of shopping – comfortably, and is the ideal ride height to conquer snow without needing a step ladder. There's really no better small crossover, which is why I own one!”

The 2016 Encore most recently earned Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own Award in the luxury compact SUV category.

Buick is an international modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors and thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning luxury models in North America and China.

USA - Buick achieves an all time high for conquest sales and this makes three years of continued growth.

• Convertible attracts new customers ahead of three more launches

Shattering expectations has led to three consecutive years of Buick global sales growth, and that momentum is carrying through into 2016. Last month, Buick reached an all-time high in conquest sales, or customers trading in models from competitive brands. 

Two models — the new Cascada and the popular Encore — have been growing the Buick community the fastest. In 2016 alone, more than 35,000 new customers have switched to the brand.

Through April, 64 percent of Cascada buyers traded in vehicles from outside Buick or any other General Motors brand. Previous Audi, Toyota and Honda customers have been among the most common. Demand for the Cascada has outpaced supply with 2,487 sales year-to-date through April and 1,090 sales in April alone.

“The lasting impact of the Cascada will be a change in perception that only a sexy, sleek convertible can provide,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick Global Sales, Service and Marketing. “It’s changing minds and attracting customers in the country’s biggest convertible markets, with nearly half of sales coming from New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas and California. These are all key markets for Buick’s continuing success.”

The Cascada is the first of four new vehicles arriving in U.S. showrooms for Buick and one of two in new segments for the brand. The first-ever Envision is now arriving at dealers and will have a 2017 model year starting price of $34,990. In the industry’s most popular segment, Envision will offer the longest available list of standard safety and a starting price $1,300 below the Acura RDX and $6,000 less than an Audi Q5.

More than 57 percent of Encore customers in 2016 have come from competitive brands, with customers citing value, quality and exterior styling as the top reasons for purchase. Priced to offer a premium entry point into the brand, the Encore now represents 40 percent of Buick sales.

As some competitors prepare their first entries into the small SUV segment, Buick is already doubling down on the Encore with an updated 2017 model available later this year. In addition to more sophisticated styling, it offers the connectivity features customers want most, including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and 4G LTE Wi-Fi for up to seven devices.

Positioned as attainable luxury, Buick’s pricing strategy gives customers the refinement and technology expected in the luxury market with starting prices closer to that of mainstream competitors. This approach has earned Buick recognition as Kelley Blue Book’s “Best Value Luxury Brand” four years in a row.

“With the 2017 Encore, along with an all-new LaCrosse sedan, the Envision and the Cascada, Buick will have four new vehicles this year in U.S. showrooms alone,” said Aldred. “It’s a year in which we’ll stop asking customers to question their preconceptions of the brand and instead make a strong statement about what the brand is today.”