Buick-GMC dealers excited by new products

After significant product launches and redesigns in 2020, Buick-GMC dealers are eager for this year's wave of big-ticket vehicles: GMC's electric Hummer pickup and Buick's redesigned Envision compact crossover.

When GMC unveiled the Hummer supertruck, "people were blown away," said Todd Ingersoll, chairman of the Buick-GMC National Dealer Council and CEO of Ingersoll Automotive.

Reservations for the pickup filled up within minutes, GMC has said. The pickup is slated to go on sale late this year.

"It's great to be at the forefront of the first supertruck ever to come to market," Ingersoll said.

The Envision compact crossover, imported from China, has started to arrive at dealerships. The Envision, which is available in the Avenir trim for the first time, is larger than the previous generation and offers more safety features and infotainment options.

Last year, dealers were excited about the redesigned GMC Yukon SUV and the new Buick Encore GX. GMC sold 24,759 Yukons in the fourth quarter, up 18 percent from the year earlier.

"That's a great example of GM's not only design prowess but their engineering prowess and them absolutely taking complete ownership of a segment and a market. They are the best of the best when it comes to large SUVs," said Ingersoll, who owns three dealerships selling General Motors brands in New York and Connecticut.

The Encore GX became Buick's top seller with 16,965 vehicles sold in the fourth quarter.

"It stands on the strong, steady shoulders of the original Encore, but kicks it up a notch — addresses some of the areas that they could improve upon," Ingersoll said. "It appeals to a broad spectrum of people. And I also think that putting things like automatic liftgates in the vehicle are examples of Buick and GMC's leadership, listening to the dealers and saying, 'Look, there's demand for this, you need to build that in.' And they did."

GMC dealers also will start revamping their dealerships to sell and service the Hummer and other EVs this year. Customers who want to buy a Hummer will reserve the vehicle through GMC and then connect with a dealership.

"There was a lot of angst about that early on," Ingersoll said. But communication from Buick-GMC leadership eased their concerns, Ingersoll said. "The fastest way was [for GMC to] say, 'We're doing this national campaign. We put it out there and we're going to direct them right toward you.' "