Two weeks after its announcement, Buick crossover is canceled

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The fast-paced product scrambling taking place at General Motors Co. these days means one fewer Buick will make it to the street. In the case of a small crossover that was announced only two weeks ago, an executive committee decision was made to eliminate this ‘potential underperformer’ after the product was criticized by automotive experts and consumers.

GM Vice Chairman Tom Stephens wrote in the company’s FastLane Blog that large parts of all the audiences who saw the crossover thought it ‘didn’t fit the premium characteristics that customers have come to expect from Buick.’

In the blog post, Stephens expressed surprise about the quick decision to oust the Buick from the lineup. ‘What gives me pause is how quickly we made a decision and carried it out. In the past this would have been a several-month process involving meeting after meeting of the APB, ASB, and various other acronyms, and also many ‘offline’ follow-up discussions before a decision was reached and enacted. This happened in one day.’

Not yet named, the Buick crossover product was to feature both a traditional combustion engine and a plug-in hybrid version. GM says the hybrid technology, originally developed for the Saturn brand, will still be used on another vehicle. The crossover was one of several new products presented at a showcase a week ago at the GM design studio and Milford Proving Grounds in Detroit.

Although the crossover failed to impress the audience of consumers, analysts and automotive news media there, other products including three compacts from Chevrolet -- the Spark, Aveo and Cruze -- ‘drew great praise,’ Stephens wrote.

-- Joni Gray