2014 Buick Encore Leather on 2040-cars

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Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.

Buick celebrates 110 years by naming most significant model of each decade

In May of 1903, Buick began work on its first vehicle, the 1904 Model B, the first example of which was sold to a doctor in Flint, Michigan. That first sale was appropriate since later on, Buick became known as a "doctor's car." The Model B is the first of 11 cars chosen by Buick to highlight each decade of the company's 110-year history.
The 1916 D-45 Touring with a six-cylinder engine was Buick's highest seller that year, and helped push overall sales past six figures for the first time, making Buick the top-selling automotive brand. In 1931, Series 50 got an eight-cylinder engine, which helped the company survive the Great Depression. The 1936 Century was the first Buick that could hit 100 miles per hour, the 1949 Roadmaster had a supporting role in Rain Man, the 1953 Skylark had Italian wire wheels and the owner's name engraved on its steering wheel.
Then we have the iconic 1963 Riviera, the V6-powered 1975 Regal, and in 1987, the legendary GNX. With a turbocharged, intercooled V6 pumping out 276-horsepower it could hit 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. In 1999 Buick built the first car in China, the Century, and that country remains the brand's largest market.

2022 Buick Envision Plus three-row crossover is like an Envision, plus

Buick exited the sedan segment when it axed the Regal, but it's going all-in on crossovers and SUVs. It released a dark preview image that gives us an early look at a three-row family-hauler named Envision Plus. Announced only for the Chinese market as of writing, the Envision Plus is — as its name implies — positioned above the Envision in the company's range, though it's smaller than the Enclave. It's mechanically related to the crossover it shares its nameplate with, but it appears to receive a specific design with a new-look front bumper and a more upright grille. It also wears a boxier silhouette that allowed Buick to add a third row of seats. Extra seating aside, we expect the Plus will offer an interior close to the standard Envision's, which we described as "a scaled-down take on the Enclave's interior" in February 2021. Similarly, Buick will likely offer the Envision Plus with the same turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder as the smaller model. It produces 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and it spins the front or the four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. Buick will release more details about the 2022 Envision Plus in the coming weeks, and it will unveil the model at the 2021 edition of the Shanghai auto show opening its doors on April 21. While the company hasn't confirmed plans to sell its latest crossover in its home market, we wouldn't be surprised if it arrives here before the end of 2021. Auto shows were put on hiatus in 2020, at the height of the on-going coronavirus pandemic, and the upcoming Shanghai show is the first major industry event in over a year. In addition to the Buick people-mover, we'll discover Toyota's first global electric car. It will arrive as a near-production concept close in size to the hot-selling RAV4. Related video: 2021 Buick Envision Running Footage