The 2012 Buick Verano rolls onto the stage during its Detroit Auto Show unveiling.
It’s a Cruze, it’s a Regal….no, it’s the Verano.
The 2012 Buick Verano shares its platform with the Chevrolet Cruze and its engines with the larger Buick Regal, but despite those facts, Buick folks are quick to point out that the Verano isn’t just an exercise in badge engineering, a la the old GM.
They’ll tell you that the Verano offers more amenities than the Cruze, along with a quieter cabin and more luxurious ride. And while we haven’t driven it yet — meaning we can’t verify the latter two claims — we have to admit that the proffered amenities list is deeper than that of the Cruze.
That doesn’t mean customers won’t need convincing. It’s true that Lexus ES 350 customers, for example, often know that they’re buying a more-opulent Camry, but they don’t seem to care.
With GM, it’s a different story. The “old GM” often took heat for having too many badge-engineered vehicles – for the uninitiated, products that are virtually identical but for the nameplates bolted to their trunks. To that end, the company has worked hard to differentiate vehicles that share platforms, and the Verano represents the latest effort.
Buick reveals its third new sedan in three years.
Buick officials insist that the Verano will separate itself from the Cruze. It’s “substantially different,” said Jim Federico, the global vehicle line executive for the Verano. He doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the Verano’s Cruze roots—“We use the goodness of the Cruze”—but he insists that the Verano will be different from the economy compact it shares a platform with. “Underneath it, it’s not just a Chevrolet,” he says.
The Verano does mark a new thought process at Buick—instead of following its competitors into a segment, it’s leading the way into an under-populated niche. The Verano isn’t the first premium compact on the market, but it’s going where Lexus hasn’t yet gone (at least with front-wheel drive, the rear-drive IS can be a premium compact). And while Acura, Audi, Infiniti, et al, are worthy competitors, it seems likely that Buick has Lexus in its sights.
Buick boss John Schwegman at the introduction of the Verano premium compact sedan.
Buick knows they have a chance to blaze a trail in this segment. “There’s a little bit of a hole there,” Federico says. And if the Verano delivers what Buick has promised, it could scoop up buyers by filling up the hole.
Of course, that’s the rub. If the Verano delivers a great driving experience at a good price, buyers will forget that it shares its platform with an economy car and its engines with its big brother (the Regal). If it doesn’t, it will go down as a failed gamble by a company that has otherwise been making all the right moves recently.
The proof is in the product.
(But does GM have enough product coming soon? Click Here for more.)