2013 Encore Receives IIHS, NHTSA Safety Accolades

2013 Encore Receives IIHS, NHTSA Safety Accolades

All five models in luxury brand’s showroom now share IIHS Top Safety Pick designation

DETROIT – The 2013 Encore luxury small crossover brings a smaller footprint and high efficiency to the Buick showroom, but the brand’s newest model maintains the commitment to safety, joining all other current Buicks as an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2013 Top Safety Pick. The Encore with all-wheel drive also received a 5-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
With every model sharing the IIHS designation, Buick is one of just a few brands with a full line of 2013 Top Safety Picks. The Verano, Regal, LaCrosse and Enclave all have a NHTSA 5-star overall rating.
The IIHS tests vehicles to determine occupant protection in front, side, and rollover crashes, and specifically tests seats and head restraints for neck protection in rear impact crashes. To earn a 2013 Top Safety Pick designation, a vehicle must be rated “good” in all four tests.
NHTSA tests for its 5-star safety ratings program include front, side and rollover testing, along with a side pole test simulating a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.
The Encore has 10 standard air bags, a standard Rear Vision Camera and the security of OnStar – a combination unmatched by any competitor. In a rollover crash, sensors in the vehicle deploy standard head curtain air bags prior to impact and leave them inflated for an extended period.
Encore’s advanced body structure is comprised of more than 60 percent high-strength steel that provides a protective safety cage around occupants. Other safety measures include standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, panic brake override, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, and a collapsible pedal system that reduces the risk of leg injury.
Available active safety features for the 2013 Encore include Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning, a pair of technologies that use a single forward-looking camera to read traffic patterns and lane markers on the road ahead. Visual warnings and audible tones alert the driver to unsignalled lane changes or a slowed vehicle.

“Safety is a top priority in Buick’s product renaissance, as evidenced by receiving these latest safety accolades for Encore,” said Gay Kent, GM executive director of Vehicle Safety. “Our customers can have confidence in the safety performance of every Buick for sale today.”

Buick News

Buick Delivers Best May Retail Sales Since 2005

Buick Delivers Best May Retail Sales Since 2005

Consumers choose more premium features as brand marks 13 straight months of retail sales gains

DETROIT – With an expanded lineup featuring three sedans and two crossovers, Buick posted its best May retail sales in eight years. Led by the 2013 Enclave luxury crossover, Buick retail sales were up 9.9 percent from May 2012, marking 13 consecutive months of year-over-year retail sales gains.  Buick total sales were down 3.1 percent.
Calendar year-to-date retail sales are up 16.9 percent, while total sales are up 16 percent.
Enclave had its best May ever with retail sales of 4,912, up 18.6 percent year-over-year. The redesigned three-row crossover has delivered year-over-year retail sales gains each month since it was introduced last year and is up 27.4 percent year to date.
The all-new Encore luxury small crossover also continues to sell well with 1,974 vehicles delivered in May.
Buick customers are selecting more premium features and colors in the brand’s newest crossover models.
The top two models (1SL and 1SN) for both the Enclave and Encore represent the largest percentage of sales for each vehicle – more than 90 percent for Enclave and more than 50 percent for Encore – with the feature-rich 1SN packaged model spending the least time on dealer lots.
Buick crossover customers are also opting for premium tricoat paints, with the Enclave’s White Diamond and Encore’s White Pearl representing the highest percentage of sales for each model.
“Enclave has be our best-selling model since its introduction in 2007, so it’s no surprise the redesigned model is leading our growth this year,” said Brian Sweeney, vice president of Buick Sales and Service.  “More importantly, we’re seeing demand for the premium trim level models within our crossover line-up, which is indicative of the customer that’s considering Buick today.”
Enclave was recently named a 2013 Total Quality award-winner in the Near Luxury Utility category by Strategic Vision, which examines 155 specific aspects of Total Quality to measure the most meaningful experiences for customers across all automakers.

The Verano luxury sedan also marked its best month of the year in May with retail sales up 9.4 percent over May 2012.

Buick News

2014 Buick Lineup Offers Active Safety Suite

DETROIT – Every 2014 Buick model – Verano, Regal, LaCrosse, Encore and Enclave – will be offered with a suite of available active safety systems that watch the front, side and rear of the vehicle to help prevent crashes.
Buick will be the only brand in the industry to offer Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Side Blind Zone Warning, and a Rear Vision Camera on every vehicle.
Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning are a pair of technologies that use a single forward-looking camera to read traffic and lane markers on the road ahead. Visual warnings and audible tones alert the driver to unsignaled lane changes or a slowed vehicle.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Side Blind Zone Warning use radar to watch spots the driver may not see – and provide visible and audible warnings to help prevent collisions.
When the vehicle is in reverse and the Rear Vision Camera is active, Rear Cross Traffic Alert will flash a red icon and directional arrow if another vehicle is approaching from either side, which is especially useful backing out of a tight driveway or parking space in a busy lot.
Side Blind Zone Alert detects other vehicles in a Buick’s blind spot and alerts the driver with a yellow icon on the glass of either side view mirror. If a turn signal is engaged while a vehicle is detected in the next lane, the icon flashes to discourage merging.
“Striking design, uncompromised comfort and purposeful safety technology – those are the core attributes of every Buick,” said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick Marketing. “Our 2014 lineup will tell an active safety story exclusive to the Buick brand and, more importantly, one that helps protect our drivers and passengers better than ever before.”
Passive safety is equally important to Buick. Although 2014 models have not been rated, every 2013 Buick model available today has been designated as a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Current Buick models make extensive use of high strength steel and, with the Verano compact luxury sedan and Encore luxury small crossover, offer as many as 10 standard air bags.

The Enclave luxury crossover comes standard with the industry’s first front center air bag, which helps protect drivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes. It deploys from the inboard side of the driver’s seat and positions itself between the driver and front passenger, offering protection that no other airbag can offer.

Buick News

GM global sales up 4% in first half of 2013, ahead of Volkswagen shared by Borcherding

General Motors reported a 4% increase in global vehicle sales for the first half of the year, placing it ahead of Volkswagen.

Toyota, which was the world’s biggest automaker last year, has not reported its first-half sales.
GM gained a tenth of a percentage point in global market share to 11.5%, as sales hits 4.85 million. That outpaced Volkswagen’s 4.7 million vehicles, up 5.5%.
GM posted an 8% sales increase in North America to 1.64 million vehicles, as market share rose from 17% a year ago to 17.2%. In GM’s International Operations unit, which includes China market, sales rose 7% to 1.92 million vehicles, with market share rising from 9.3% to 9.4%. But sales fell 6.5% in Europe.
Separately, Goldman Sachs raised its rating on GM’s stock Tuesday to “Conviction Buy,” up from “Buy.” The firm’s analysts said GM’s stock could hit $45 within the next 12 months, “driven by a global product story.”
GM shares slipped 32 cents to close at $36.18.

GM Media

Star quarterback returns to Buick to promote safety features

DETROIT – Football star Peyton Manning returns to TV screens across the country during this weekend’s NCAA® Men’s Basketball Final Four®. The spot, called “Blindsided,” is Manning’s second contribution to the “Experience Buick” campaign. It focuses on safety features of the 2013 Verano compact luxury sedan.

“We’re talking about the new Verano but using important football lingo. Last year we were calling audibles and this year it’s a spot called ‘Blindsided,’” said Manning. “No one wants to be blindsided, especially a quarterback. Usually you have one guy protecting the blindside but these features are so good, it’s really like having 11 guys blocking your blindside.”

The 2013 Verano has a standard Rear Vision Camera and an available safety package that includes Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. These two technologies share a set of radar sensors hidden in the corners of the rear bumper that can help drivers avoid crashes when changing lanes or backing.

Rear Cross Traffic Alert senses cross traffic up to 65 feet away that may not be visible to the driver when backing out of a parking space or driveway. The driver is alerted with a red directional arrow displayed on the Rear Vision Camera screen along with three directional beeps.

“Peyton Manning is approachable, and that’s synonymous with what Buick is – an approachable, down-to-earth luxury brand,” said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick Marketing. “And while he’s certainly elevated and premium in terms of his position in the NFL, he’s easy to relate to and likeable.”

Source: GM Media

Recounting the biggest, the fastest and most significant from Buick history

DETROIT – Buick vehicles today are built in state-of-the-art facilities around the world. The Enclave luxury crossover’s Lansing Delta Township plant was the industry’s first LEED Gold-certified manufacturing facility. The brand has evolved in many ways since 1903, when the first Buick was hand-built in a small barn behind David Dunbar Buick’s Detroit home. Here are 11 top highlights from Buick’s first 11 decades:

• Through the end of 2012, Buick has sold more than 43 million vehicles. That’s the equivalent of every vehicle sold in the United States over the past three years.
• The 1938 Buick Y-Job, credited to famed designer Harley Earl, is regarded as the first concept car ever built. Its waterfall grille is still used on Buicks today, and it featured futuristic technologies like power windows. Earl drove the car himself for more than a decade.
• The 1963 Riviera, often regarded as one of history’s most beautiful cars, celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year. The powerful sport coupe was said to be inspired by a Rolls-Royce that Buick design boss Bill Mitchell saw through a fog in London.
• Buick has a deep motorsports history, proving its performance on race tracks as early as 1908. A Buick has served as Official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500 six times, and the brand also won two NASCAR Manufacturer Championships, in 1981 and 1982.
• After just over three decades of engineering progress, the first production Buick topped 100 mph. It was the appropriately named 1936 Buick Century.
• The fastest production Buick in history is today’s Buick Regal GS luxury sport sedan. At the 2012 Nevada Open Road Challenge, it recorded a top speed of 162 mph.
• Buick’s quickest car was also one of the brands rarest. Car and Driver magazine recorded 0-60 mph acceleration for the 1987 Buick GNX at just 4.6 seconds. Just 547 were built.
• Powertrain innovation is a Buick hallmark. Today, the company’s turbocharged, direct-injected 2.0L delivers 259 hp, but displacement was king in the 1960s and ‘70s. Buick’s largest engine, a 455-cubic-inch (7.5L) V-8, was introduced in 1970.
• The Buick Electra 225 nameplate was introduced in 1959, with the “225” referencing the model’s overall length in inches. By 1975, the Electra grew to become the longest vehicle ever produced by Buick. It measured 233.7 inches from bumper to bumper.
• Buick’s first vehicle, the 1904 Model B, was also the shortest, riding on an 83-inch wheelbase. The 2013 Encore luxury small crossover isn’t quite as small, but it does have the shortest wheelbase (100.6 inches) since the 1912 Model 34 (90.7 inches.)
• Buick has made many models with seating for two, four, five or six passengers. But only twice in 110 years has the brand produced vehicles with seating for up to eight: the 2008-2013 Enclave and the 1991-1996 Roadmaster Estate.

Buick is a modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors with thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning luxury models, including the Enclave crossover, LaCrosse sedan, Regal sport sedan, Buick Verano sedan and the all-new 2013 Encore crossover. Learn more about Buick cars and crossovers at www.buick.com, on Twitter @buick, on Pinterest or at www.facebook.com/buick

GMC Pickups 101: Busting Myths of Truck Aerodynamics

DETROIT – The all-new 2014 Sierra full-size pickup truck spent more development time in a wind tunnel than any GMC pickup before it, resulting in design changes that benefit both fuel efficiency and interior quietness.

To achieve improved airflow, aerodynamic engineers like Diane Bloch examined every millimeter of the truck to find areas of improvement, debunking some popular myths along the way.

To study the way air passes over, under and around the Sierra, engineers used General Motors’ state-of-the-art Aerodynamics Lab, a 750-foot-long tunnel through which a 43-foot-diameter fan powered by a DC electric motor with the equivalent of 4,500 horsepower can generate winds of up to 138 mph. Aerodynamic advancement is one reason why the 2014 Sierra will be the most fuel-efficient V-8 pickup on the market.

“We can’t stop air; we can only guide it through the path of least resistance. It’s like electricity, without the shock,” said Bloch, GM aerodynamic performance engineer. “The biggest misconception is that it’s all about single components. But a certain side mirror design doesn’t create a certain amount of drag, its interaction with the rest of the vehicle does.”

For example, a new air dam below the 2014 Sierra’s front bumper successfully reduces drag because it directs air toward the ground and away from the truck’s rough underbody. And Sierra’s ducted flow path between the grille and radiator prevents air from swirling inside the truck’s front cavities.

Even the top of the Sierra’s tailgate and the center high-mounted stop light are optimized to guide air cleanly around the truck. And because Bloch’s team detected unwanted airflow between the cab and bed, new sealing has been added.

“We discovered that in the computational analysis we perform,” said Bloch. “The most harmful air between the cab and bed was coming over the cab and down through the gap, so we paid the most attention to that specific area.”

The pickup market has a great number of available aftermarket accessories, and Bloch says those have varying impact on aerodynamics.  Add-ons like bug deflectors on the hood, wider tires or aftermarket bumpers can raise the drag coefficient, which is the measure of how air pushes on a vehicle as it moves down the road. The result: added noise and increased fuel consumption.

A long-disputed topic among truck owners is whether a tailgate raised or lowered is better for aerodynamics, but Bloch says a tailgate in the up position is more aerodynamically efficient. As air flows over the truck, it falls over the cab and pushes forward on the rear of the truck. With the tailgate down, the benefits of that airflow are diminished.

“Replacing the tailgate with an aftermarket net is worse than having no tailgate at all,” Bloch said. “Imagine dragging a solid object and a fishing net through water. The net is going to require more muscle.”

So what accessories can truck owners add to help aerodynamics? Tonneau covers for the bed help smooth airflow over the truck, and Bloch says soft covers are more beneficial than hard covers because they form to how the air wants to flow. Running boards can also help air flow smoothly down the truck’s sides.

“Round, tube-style running boards can provide a minor improvement to the truck’s drag coefficient,” said Bloch, “Fully integrated, flush-mount running boards are even better.”

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Innovation and engineering excellence is built into all GMC vehicles and the brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. The 2014Sierra half-ton pickup boasts all-new powertrains and design, and the Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks ever built by GMC. Every retail GMC model, including Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs, is now available in Denali luxury trim. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc. 

Source: GM Media