General Motors in 2022 started offering buyouts to U.S. Buick dealerships unwilling to make hefty investments required for the sale and service of upcoming electric vehicles, and it turns out the offer was popular.
Buick chief Duncan Aldred told Automotive News (subscription required) in an interview published on Wednesday that roughly 1,000 Buick dealerships will remain in the U.S. after 2023, which according to Automotive News’ data is approximately 47% less than at the start of the year.
Aldred said the dealerships that have left only represented about 20% of Buick’s U.S. sales, and that approximately 89% of the nation’s population are still within 25 miles of a Buick dealership.
Aldred didn’t mention the size of the buyouts, but a similar plan for Cadillac’s dealerships included offers starting from $200,000 and ranging into the seven figures, with the amount varying depending on the performance of the dealership. Roughly one-third of Cadillac’s dealerships decided to bail on the brand’s electric future.
The EV thing is doomed. The grid cannot support it, the cars cannot do what we need them to do, the insurance is too high, the batteries are dangerous, the cars are to damn expensive, repair is to costly, and they are toxic to dispose of.
AC