Buick GL8, which has dominated the MPV market for a long time, has joined the new energy battle at a time when new forces are besieging and blocking it.
At the 2024 Beijing International Auto Show, SAIC-GM's Buick brand showcased its flagship MPV, the GL8 Luzun. The car launched the first new energy plug-in hybrid model, priced at 359,900 to 419,900 yuan. It wants to take back the crown of the high-end MPV market.
SAIC-GM's self-developed new PHEV system debuted on this car. The pure electric and comprehensive battery life were 138 km and 1,370 km respectively; the new Buick GL8 Lu Zun PHEV also inherited traditional strengths such as safety and comfort.
Another change in the new Buick GL8 Luzun PHEV is intelligence. Wenxin said that smart voice assistants supported by big models, car systems compatible with mainstream mobile phones, thermal management systems under AI algorithms, and hardware pre-embedded for L2 smart driving. Buick even invited leading suppliers of lidars, smart driving chips, and solutions such as Hesai Technology, Horizon, and Momenta to help.
Buick is desperate to change the market's impression of its “bigots,” and has also readjusted its judgment on market demand.
In the past two years, the mainstream market segments of SUVs and sedans have become the Red Sea, and in the new energy era, independent brands have gradually mastered core technology, overflowing share demand and technical capabilities, causing them to focus on popular tracks such as MPVs. Tensei D9, Extreme Krypton 009, Trumpchi M8, Rantu Dreamer, Ideal MEGA, and Xiaopeng X9 rapidly poured in to try to get a share of the pie.
Under this trend, BYD's Tensei D9 defeated the Buick GL8, which had dominated the domestic MPV market for many years with sales of 118,000 units last year, and became the top seller in the MPV field; Extreme Krypton has even set its sights on the million-class MPV series, and recently launched the four-seater version of the 009, which is priced higher than Buick's flagship MPV Century.
The GL8, which has been deeply involved in the high-end MPV market for many years, is the face of the Buick brand. Although it can still maintain a certain sales volume based on the reputation it has accumulated over the past many years and product changes, Buick is unwilling to settle for the status quo, let alone give up its position as the “boss” of the MPV market.
Buick can't lose this battle.
The new GL8 Lu Zun PHEV is a complete counterattack. SAIC-GM General Manager Zhuang Jingxiong called “GL8 is the only one that can surpass GL8” on stage, showing Buick's confidence.
The new GL8 is just an “appetizer”. At this press conference, Zhuang Jingxiong also “spoiled” the plan and layout of the all-electric MPV.
Buick is developing the current trump technology in the pure electric field, such as the CTP battery architecture, quasi-900V high voltage platform, 5C ratio batteries, solid state batteries, and silicon carbide electric drives, and unveiled the stage in the image of the conceptual version of the pure electric GL8.
Zhuang Jingxiong said that the pure electric GL8 will soon cover the MPV market along with Century CENTURY, GL8 Lu Zun PHEV, and GL8 ES Lu Zun. This will be an all-out battle for Buick to recover lost ground.
More than just a product, SAIC-GM had already adjusted Buick's senior management before the launch of this highly responsible GL8 to match changes in the market. A person close to Buick revealed to Wall Street News that Buick Marketing Director Shen Li, who first appeared at this press conference, is a post-80s general and only took up the new important position at the beginning of the year.
From product and technology to the renewal and iteration of the organizational structure, Buick, an American car giant with a century-old history, is urgently integrating into the times, reshaping its brand value, and regaining the glory of the market.