GMC Wants to be the Down-to-Earth Luxury Brand
Photo: The News Wheel
When one thinks of a luxury auto brand, the mind goes to hoity-toitiness, for lack of a better non-existent term. Luxury brands want to give its customers the sense of exclusivity and prestige, and that sometimes results in the feeling of snobbery, which might be enough to rub more blue-collar folks with money away from their products. GMC is hoping to avoid that problem and appeal more broadly by positioning itself as a down-to-earth luxury brand.
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According to Automotive News, GMC truck designer described the formulation of the GMC Sierra AT4 as “kind of like an ‘aha!’ moment,” one in which it was realized that the brand could pull in the prestige of its Sierra 1500 truck, add off-road-friendliness that’d be a hit with enthusiasts, and mix in a healthy serving of premium finish. The result, as GMC and Buick VP of Marketing Phil Brook puts it, is “premium that’s meant to be used.”
Brook tells Auto News that its gambit seems to have worked, with the 2019 GMC Sierra AT4 commanding an average buyer demo that’s eight years younger than buyers of the Sierra Denali on average. What’s more, they’re paying an average of $54,000 per truck, which is only about $4,000 less than the ATP for the Sierra Denali.
Even with its focus on premium quality and high ATPs, the Elevation trim is helping GMC appeal more broadly to drivers with somewhat tighter budgets. According to GMC, the ATP for the Sierra Elevation is between $42,000 and $47,600 depending on the configuration.
“What we want to do is make sure that we get our fair share across the board,” said Brook, “but with a real skew, focus on premium.”
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News Source: Automotive News (subscription required)
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