Buick Fills Pontiac Void at Dealership

Losing the Pontiac franchise has been overcome by the Sellers Buick-GMC dealership in Farmington Hills, MI, which enjoyed a 52% spike.

“Fortunately, Buick's line of sedans and SUVs appeals greatly to Pontiac owners and we managed to complete a new showroom just as the Pontiac brand was being wound down,” says dealership owner-president Sam Slaughter.

He adds that Buick's Enclave, LaCrosse and Regal models proved attractive for Pontiac G6 and Vibe owners who had never considered trading up to Buick because they thought it was “too pricey.”

As the demise of Pontiac neared, Buick lowered accessory prices to help keep owners of off-lease Pontiacs in the General Motors family.

The suburban Detroit dealership stepped up its inventory of Buicks over premium levels, when Pontiac was still alive. “With upscale foreign brands knocking at the door of Pontiac owners, we wanted to stock every Buick model in as many colors as possible, leaving nothing to chance,” Slaughter says.

A new building “helps greatly in showing customers that we've moved to premium products.”

Sellers's Pontiac sales were two or three times higher than Buick's before Pontiac joined Oldsmobile, Saturn, Saab and Hummer in GM's RIP club.

At first dubious about the prospects of the Buick brand making up for the loss of Pontiac, a salesman at the dealership says, “I've had my best year since I've been here.”

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