Buick’s new boss looking to attract buyers younger than 70

Brian Sweeney, the third head of Buick-GMC in a month, is carrying on the torch from his predecessors as he looks to attract younger buyers to the Buick brand.

“Buick’s an older person’s vehicle,” says Sweeney. “What can we do to reverse that?” He says the issue poses his greatest challenge at GM.

According to Craig Bierley, Buick’s product marketing director, “younger” doesn’t mean people in their 20s or 30s. Younger to Bierely and Sweeney means people in their 40s and 50s. Currently, the average age of a Buick shopper is 70 while the average age of a U.S. car buyer is 52.

Bierley said he is chancing that a third of the buyers of the 2010 LaCrosse are 55 or younger. Sweeney says he is counting on the 2011 Regal sedan to bring in more young buyers.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)