Buick Prepares Return to Mexico

Pontiac will exhaust its stock in Mexico, maybe by the fourth quarter of the year, or early 2010, and will disappear. GM markets the Pontiac and GMC brands independently here, and plans to keep their showrooms separate from those for Chevrolet and Cadillac. Buick will replace Pontiac in the coming year and together with GMC will try to attract a new breed of customers.

Buick has not been in the Mexican market since the 1990s, when GM decided to focus its marketing efforts on the rest of its brands, including Hummer and Saab. In reality, Buick has not been completely away from Mexican soil, considering the now-defunct Rendezvous was manufactured until 2007 at the Ramos Arizpe facility near Saltillo.

Among the new Buick models that will be sold in Mexico will be the Lacrosse and the Enclave. No sales forecasts have been disclosed so far for the Mexican market.

Buick will likely compete against Acura in the mid-premium market. Despite its decade-long absence from the market, Buick has a broader recognition than Acura, which has only been sold in Mexico for five years.

Inside Line says: It may turn out that China is not the only growth market for the Buick brand outside the U.S. — Loriana Marietta, Correspondent