Buick topped 2012 Toronto Auto Show

Free coffee bar captivated an audience

By Michael Comstock –

Buick wins the audience at the 2012 Toronto Auto Show.  There is curious similarity in the displays of the many competing car companies.  It maybe driven by show organizers, or the logistical dynamics but most of the cars are rotated, displayed, lit and polished basically the same way.  Unless you are in the Classics, hot rods or the complete history of every Triumph motorcar ever built, then all the displays look the same.

In the middle of the room, in the middle of the models GM still makes, sits Buick.  This is the car my Dad told me that Doctors like.  It peaked in the 1950s with The Roadmaster.   When the great restructuring came I would have bet a thousand bucks that Buick would be gone, but no!   I was totally surprised that they killed Pontiac.  Pontiac, Wide-Track, GTO gone and the Buick Regal still lives on.  Life is not fair.

At the Auto show I saw the Detroit come back.  The Asian cars had a lot of style and the European continued to impress, but for all those things and price as well, the Detroit big three are certainly back.  Standing out was the Buick Lacrosse as about the best value and sharpest looking ride.  The Lacrosse starts at $30,000 (but never by the stripped down version).  Stripped down means resale value is much less and you miss the fun of those toys while it’s your car.  The show model was really loaded for $42,000.  I would compare it to a $55,000 Japanese our $65,000 German ride.

Buick’s display had a free coffee bar which created a captive audience of those lined up for a cup and those at the highboy tables.  The audience received an enthusiastic pitch from a guy rather than the typical Vana White spokes-models. He was great, read notes from his iPad, got all the tect and specs.  He opened the doors as it revolve to play this little group.  He was all about the Buick Verano, a base price of $22,000, four door, 4 banger with an interior as quite as a Mercedes v-12 limo.  All of them now have electronics, which allow you to speak control, the radio, phone and temperature. Good show.

The big three all looked appealing.  Of course, there was the far to large for downtown Ford F-150, the most popular vehicle in North America.  And the Chevy Cruise, the least expensive four door, that looks better than a much more expensive Toyota. I can see why the U.S. cars (many made in Ontario) have found a resurgent market.