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2019 Buick Regal TourX sells better than expected, has brand's wealthiest buyers

Being a wagon fan in America is tough, since it seems everyone prefers the higher ride heights and SUV looks of crossovers. But today we have some good news for wagon fans via Buick. Apparently the 2019 Buick Regal TourX is popular with well-heeled buyers, and it's been selling quite a bit better than Buick expected. A representative from Buick revealed that Regal TourX buyers have the highest average income of any of the brand's products. He even noted that TourX buyers' average income is higher than the Buick Enclave Avenir, the extra-plush variant of the three-row crossover and the most expensive vehicle in Buick's lineup. To put the price difference into perspective, the most expensive Regal TourX starts at $35,995, while the Enclave Avenir starts at $54,695. Besides selling to people of some means, the Regal TourX has proven to be more popular than Buick expected. Buick's representative said that initial estimates were that the wagon would make up about 25% of sales, but it's actually making up about 40% right now. Buick has sold 3,408 Regals in total this year, so that means about 1,400 of them were TourX wagons. That number doesn't quite translate over all of 2018 since the TourX was released a little later and the supply was still ramping up through the year. As such sales were closer to 3,000 out of a little over 14,000 for the whole year, or somewhere above 20%. But the increased percentage from the model's release is still impressive. Granted, sales still favor crossovers. Buick's least popular crossover, the Envision, sold about twice as many units as all Regals last quarter. Yet, we count this as good news on the wagon front. Better still, the TourX's top rival, the Subaru Outback, has moved 76,000 units so far this year. Times may be tough for the wagon fan, but there are still some small wins to celebrate. UPDATE: The estimate of Regal TourX numbers for 2018 was higher than actual sales as the TourX was launched later than all Regal models, and the supply wasn't up to full steam for the whole year. The corrected number is now in the text. Related Video:

GM announces $7 billion Michigan factory investment, most going to EVs

GM announced a $7 billion investment in Michigan manufacturing, much of which is earmarked for EV production. Four sites are included, but the key elements are a new battery cell plant in Lansing and the conversion of GM's existing Orion Township facility to expand production of the forthcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and its GMC Sierra sibling.  GM says it is the largest investment announcement in company history and that it will create 4,000 new jobs. It also says 1,000 jobs will be retained. "We are building on the positive consumer response and reservations for our recent EV launches and debuts, including the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Equinox EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV," said GM CEO Mary Barra.  GM says the Orion expansion and new battery plant will support an increase in full-size electric truck production capacity to 600,000 units. This is in addition to the Factory ZERO facility in Detroit that will also be constructing the electric Silverado and Sierra.  The Orion Township factory current builds the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV, and will continue to do so during the plant's conversion. GM did not indicate what will happen with the Bolts once that conversion is complete or whether all will continue to be built at Orion. They do not use the Ultium vehicle architecture. GM will build other EV models at three other factories that are under construction or being converted. They are located in Spring Hill, Tennessee, Ingersoll, Ontario, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. GM says that it will have the ability to produce 1 million electric vehicles by 2025. The Ultium Cells Lansing facility is a $2.6 billion joint investment by GM and LG Energy Solution. GM says it alone will create 1,700 jobs once fully operational by late 2024. It will join two other GM Ultium Cells battery factories currently under construction in the United States, one in Ohio and the other in Tennessee.  Not all of the $7 billion investment will be for EVs. It also announced $510 million of the total will go toward upgrading the Lansing Delta Township Assembly to produce the next-generation Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. Money will also go to upgrading Lansing Grand River Assembly.

Nearly half of Buick dealers choose buyout over investing to sell EVs

In 2022, General Motors gave Buick dealers across the nation a simple choice: invest a significant amount of money to prepare for EVs or opt for a buyout. Over a year later, the brand has reportedly lost nearly half of its dealerships as it prepares to roll out its first electric cars. Trade journal Automotive News reported that the number of Buick dealers in the United States dropped by about 47% during 2023. At the beginning of the year, the network included 1,958 stores; fast-forward to December and that figure stands at approximately 1,000. More dealers could throw in the towel in the coming weeks, as the publication adds that the buyout program remains open and will continue. Dollar figures haven't been released, so we don't know precisely how much money a dealer who opts out can claim from General Motors or how much money a dealer needs to spend to stick with the brand. However, the latter figure falls somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000, Automotive News learned. Dealers notably need to invest in equipment (such as charging stations) and training. Buick doesn't seem fazed by the exodus. "I'm really pleased with where we are. The network, where we are now, is a good size. It's with dealers who are focused on the business, who've shown that they can recover the volume that the dealers who transitioned away were doing," company boss Duncan Aldred said. According to Automotive News, the dealers who chose to stop selling Buick models accounted for about 20% of the brand's sales in the United States. Buick told the publication that around 89% of the American population still lives within 25 miles of one of its dealerships. General Motors extended the same offer to Cadillac dealerships in 2020, and about 150 stores allegedly chose to leave. For context, the dealer network consisted of 880 locations in the United States before executives floated the buyout offer. The dealers who left received between $300,000 to $500,000, the report adds, while preparing to sell electric cars would have set them back by around $200,000. Related video: