In 1997, GM took root in Shanghai. As the first brand under SAIC-GM, Buick also began its journey in China, and brought many classic models, composing a legendary story. Today, some models have completed their mission and withdrawn from the historical stage, and some models have been passed down from generation to generation, including the Buick GL8, which was officially domestically produced in 1999.
To this day, whenever Chinese people talk about MPV, they can't get around GL8 after all. It is the pioneer of the domestic MPV market, the maker of the rules of the MPV game, and the guide of the market. After 22 years of development, GL8 has met the needs of multi-scenario vehicles such as home, social and business by virtue of its leading product strength and unparalleled hardcore quality, as well as the continuous enrichment and expansion of MPV connotations, and has won the trust of nearly 1.5 million users so far.
01 How was the Divine Car born?
Turning the clock back to the end of the last century, the GL8 was one of the first models to be put into domestic production after Buick entered the Chinese market. However, at that time, the Buick GL8 did not rely on streamlined styling and luxurious interiors to open the market instantly like the Buick Century, and it can even be said that the start of the Buick GL8 was not smooth, and the MPV was still very strange to Chinese consumers at that time.
At the beginning, GL8 retained the positioning of home models in overseas markets, but for China, where cars have not yet been popularized, whether it is a corporate institution or an individual consumer, the first choice for car purchase is a car. The concept of home MPV is too advanced, and the box car in China has always been a product image with low brand and quality, so the start of GL8 is not smooth.
In front of GL8, in addition to product positioning, the Volkswagen system, which entered the Chinese market earlier than Buick, has seized the opportunity, whether it is the high-end Audi 100 or the SAIC Volkswagen Passat and Santana series for more consumers, which are widely used in the field of business reception and personal travel. In the minds of people at that time, this was the truly decent way to travel.
Buick wants to break that, but it doesn't seem easy.
Fortunately, the opportunity finally appeared. Due to the limited carrying capacity, the car, as the main means of official travel, has gradually begun to expose its shortcomings along with the development of the economy. With the gradual intensification of economic exchanges and the normalization of vehicle travel, some business negotiations have also begun to take place in the car. With the addition of secretarial, assistant and other roles, the usual car is obviously unable to meet the demand, which gives the Buick GL8 the opportunity to enter the room.
With the increase in demand, Buick has made an adjustment to the positioning of GL8, from the initial home to seeking high-end, luxury, business positioning, for the first time to introduce the concept of high-end MPV, playing the slogan of "onshore business class". After that, GL8 also launched the body, wheelbase lengthening, and luzun models with high-end configurations such as wooden trim panels, electric side sliding doors, and audio-visual systems, leaving imported models such as the Dajielong and Previa in the same period far behind, and since then has established the image of domestic MPV benchmarks.
What really makes the GL8 stand firm is its second-generation model. Compared with the original model based on Chevrolet Venture, this generation of models has done the localization to the extreme. This generation of GL8 is named GL8 luxury commercial vehicle, equipped with two engines, 2.4L and 3.0L. The new GL8 luxury commercial vehicle continues the design of the concept car, using the Buick family waterfall front grille, the overall presentation of a thicker, more luxurious shape design.
The second row experience is the trick to the success of the GL8 luxury commercial vehicle, the body length has been increased from 5100mm to 5265mm, and almost all of the space added to the second row has been donated. From the outside, it can also be seen that the rear door length is far beyond the front door, so it has better lighting and legroom. The height of the body was increased from 1729mm to 1800mm, and the head space was greatly increased, so there was less depression. Such a basic shape is also used by GL8 today.
Today, the GL8 currently on sale has formed a large family of GL8 Land Business Class, GL8 ES Lu zun and GL8 Evia. Compared with the entry-level GL8 land business class, the suspension of the GL8 ES Luzun has changed from the original torsion beam non-independent suspension to a multi-link independent suspension, which further enhances the driving quality. On this basis, the Avenir Avia model launched on this basis uses a more exquisite interior amount, a unique seat leather, as well as a different interior space layout of 4-seater, 6-seater and 7-seater and Avenir Avia black card service, which comprehensively improves the grade of Buick GL8 and moves towards the direction of luxury experience as a whole.
02 The future never stops
Recently, the entire automotive market has been shrouded in the cloud of "lack of core" and repeated epidemics, and in the overall downturn environment, Buick GL8 has bucked the current and has always maintained a good momentum of development. According to the latest data released by the Association, gl8 achieved retail sales of more than 11,000 vehicles in November, and is still thriving in the MPV market. In the first eleven months of this year, GL8 accumulated sales of more than 147,000 vehicles, continued to occupy a leading position in the MPV market, and even in some areas there was a situation where a car was difficult to find, which further confirmed its hegemony in the MPV market.
The popularity of the market is inseparable from the hard work of GL8 in China's MPV market in the past 22 years, and it relies more on its accurate market positioning and continuously strengthened self-driving force. For example, the recently listed 2022 GL8 land business class, on the basis of the current model product strength is already excellent enough, continue to innovate and evolve, including the addition of the desert gold body color, and optimize the configuration including the car function, while the whole series is equipped with 48V light hybrid power, more environmentally friendly at the same time, but also makes its overall competitiveness further improved.
Step into the 2022 GL8 Land Business Class and the luxurious texture will greet you. In addition, the new car also through the suspension style interior, 12-inch high-definition touch screen, the first layer of calfskin wrapped seats, double-piece oversized panoramic sunroof, Moon White moonlight white surround mood light, Quiet-tuning Buick silent technology, double-effect nano-scale anti-PM2.5 air conditioning filter and other configurations, from the level of science and technology and humanization, to maximize the travel comfort of drivers and passengers.
The 2022 GL8 Land Business Class also continues to pay attention to the field of barrier-free travel, bringing users a more intimate and thoughtful car experience with the welfare version of the model. In addition to maintaining the luxury and comfort of the seats, the right side of the second row of the welfare version of the model can make the process from wheelchair to entry for people with reduced mobility easier, and travel is warmer, more comfortable and decent.
In terms of vehicle technology, Buick GL8 is also at the forefront of the industry. The 2022 Buick GL8 land business class further iteratively upgrades its advanced intelligent technology, equipped with iteratively upgraded Buick eConnect intelligent interconnection technology, providing intelligent voice assistant, AutoNavi real-time navigation system, Super ID personal account, smartphone mapping, OTA remote upgrade and other functions, and further upgrading the interactive interface and vehicle connection function experience. Moreover, Buick continues to provide users with 100G "OnStar Anji Star Car Union Application Lifetime Free Traffic" service every year in previous years, highlighting the brand's continuous updating and iteration of products and technologies, as well as innovative and efficient brand marketing and service experience.
In terms of safety, the 2022 Buick GL8 land business class is equipped with ACC adaptive cruise system, LKA lane keeping system, LDW lane departure warning, FDI front vehicle distance reminder, FCA forward collision warning system, CMB collision mitigation system, SBZA side blind zone warning system, APA automatic parking system and high-definition streaming media in-rear view screen, high-definition 360 ° panoramic image system and other intelligent driving assistance configurations with high frequency and use scenarios. At the same time, the 652T Comfort model has added front-row side airbags to make travel more secure.
With the development of the times, people's demand for travel is no longer simply moving from A to B. The GL8 family, represented by the 2022 GL8 land business class, on the basis of the consistent advantages accumulated in its 22 years, starts from the details, and is one position ahead of the same class of models in terms of comfort and quality, so that its home and commercial attributes have been strengthened to meet the travel needs of a variety of scenarios.
At this year's Guangzhou Auto Show, SAIC-GM Buick brought a higher-positioned GL8 flagship concept car, which can also be seen from SAIC-GM's understanding and inspiration for the future MPV market. More bold and innovative interior and exterior design, coupled with comprehensive scientific and technological progress, have made this concept car stand out at the guangzhou auto show with strong hands.
The launch of buick GL8 flagship concept car shows SAIC-GM's dual upward consideration of brand and model. In the current Chinese consumer market, with the influence of comprehensive factors such as consumption upgrading, social aging, three-child policy opening, urban purchase restrictions and intelligent development, MPV models have entered an unprecedented Red Sea period. In this context, the competition in the MPV market will obviously become more and more intense in the future. As a benchmark model in the market segment, the GL8 hopes to open up new markets and consolidate its position through pre-emptive innovation.
Master observation
The success of the GL8 car series is inseparable from the original intention of adhering to the demand for business travel, it has done everything that a business car should do, making it the product that understands consumers best at this level. At the same time, while accumulating generations of products, Buick GL8 has gradually integrated more elements of family cars. A more comfortable and luxurious interior, as well as a wider choice of interior space, make the GL8 a model for IKEA IKEA.
Of course, behind this is not only saicel-GM and Buick's keen grasp of market opportunities, but also the embodiment of GM's global resources and SAIC-GM's manufacturing process. After forming a word of mouth in a market, GL8 has gradually formed a new product lineage through upward and downward, which is also a well-deserved performance from GL8 in the MPV field. Only if a product is good enough can it be recognized by the public and can this success continue to be replicated.