NEW YORK -- While the focus at General Motors Co. in the past several months has been on the change to new marketing chief Joel Ewanick, on reshaping Chevrolet and Cadillac and on the automaker's impending initial public offering, very quietly the Buick brand has become a driving force for the company.
A new design and a marketing shift targeting a younger audience have helped U.S. sales of Buick's Enclave, Regal and LaCrosse skyrocket since last year -- and even more so in China, where it is the No. 1 brand.
To steal a line from the classic Oldsmobile campaign, this is not your (grand)father's car any more.
That campaign didn't increase sales of Oldsmobiles that much, and it remains to be seen whether the Buick surge can be sustained. But Ewanick is confident that the brand is back.
