GM buys out nearly half of Buick dealers in the US who opt to not sell EVs

electrek.co

15 points·IronWolve··8 comments

The corporate spin on this being a positive is hollow. Buick dealerships disappearing may be good for those remaining dealerships in the short run, but not for the Buick brand. They won't sell more cars with less dealerships.

I took a look at both the Buick and Chevy lineup of SUVs and Crossovers and I wouldn't know one from the other if I saw one on the street. Same goes for most any brand right now.

>They won't sell more cars with less dealerships.

Only if dealership remains the primary channel. This decade is going to see a large shift to direct to consumer even in states that desperately try to resist it.

I doubt that's going to work very well. I would never buy a car without test driving it first.

I have to admit that nowadays folks might do that, so I could be wrong. But my guess is that closing dealerships is going to fall flat. Those car companies still have to deal with recalls and warranty issues and asking someone to drive 50+ miles to get those issues fixed will become a huge pita.

Who cares? Who's buying crappy Buick cars?

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2023/11/buick-ranks-first-in-j-...

"vehicle purchasing experience"? That's a pretty silly metric. You purchase vehicle only once but you use it many many times afterwards. And Buick isn't first in customer satisfaction. (But it is apparently in top 10, good job I guess...)

I dont think Buick has been relevant anytime during my lifetime. There was a time when it was, no doubt, but it was before my time.

My understanding is that GM and other car dealers have chronically wanted to get rid of underperforming dealerships but their hands are tied and they only do it when some crisis comes up.

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