(September 16, 2010) CHARLOTTE, N.C. — General Motors dealers in the Charlotte area are bullish on Buick — and General Motors. They say 2010 is turning into a blockbuster year for the brand.

The grassroots enthusiasm for GM products has to be good news for America's largest carmaker after emerging from Chapter 11 reorganization in July 2009.

About a dozen dealers meeting here Wednesday said that showroom traffic has increased, sales of Buick — and GMC vehicles —are on the rise, and several dealers who also sell Chevrolet and Cadillac were just as excited about those brands and were anticipating the arrival of the new compact Chevrolet Cruze that has drawn considerable attention over the past couple of months.

According to Bradley Flaaen, regional Buick/GMC sales and marketing manager for the Southeast Region, dealers have reason to be upbeat. Flaaen said sales of Buicks were up 108 percent in the Southeast in August compared to August 2009. That, he noted, was a better performance than Buick nationwide, which was up 66 percent.

Buick for the first eight months of 2010 is up 60.6 percent with 101,125 units sold, according to the trade publication Automotive News.

2011 Buick Regal

And those figures include only 3,878 mid-sized Regal sedans, which have just started reaching dealerships in larger numbers. A couple of the dealers felt that Regal, currently being built in Russelsheim, Germany, on the Opel Insignia platform, would become Buick's top-selling nameplate. Production will move to a Canadian factory early next year.

While at present only the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder model is available, Flaaen said the turbocharged 4-cylinder, which has been touted by several auto writers as an outstanding sports sedan, will start arriving in November. And that should boost sales considerably.

The new product lineup includes the Enclave crossover, the top-line LaCrosse and the just-arriving Regal. The aging Lucerne will be discontinued after this model year.

Flaaen pointed to a recent Advertising Age story that touted Buick as the fastest growing brand in the U.S. Marketing chief Joel Ewanick told the magazine that, "Buick is nothing but blue sky. It's the fastest-growing brand in America, and we're selling LaCrosse as fast as we can get them. It's a great success story."

Flaaen also noted that Buick is rapidly losing the image of a "senior citizen's car" and attracting younger buyers. He said the average transaction age has dropped from 64 to 61 in the last 18 months.

Ewanick, quoted in Advertising Age, also praised dealers. "That dealer network is underestimated; it's one of the best there is. You give them good product, they can sell it. That's what they've been asking for, for years. We are going to see design and marketing work together. I don't know why it's never been done like that before."

The dealer enthusiasm was evident at Wednesday's meeting — at least as it pertains to the Charlotte area.

(Rear the "First Drive" review of the Regal at MotorwayAmerica)

— Jim Meachen