Over half of all Buick customers are female. No other brand even comes close to hitting that number. While it accounts for only 6% of GM sales in the US it leads in female buyers. Not only that but more female engineers want to work for Buick than any other US car manufacturer. 

What’s Buick got?

What’s Buick got? According to IHS Markit’s Marc Bland, Buick has what women want. “For too long automakers have looked at a woman’s position as dependent on a man and that is not true in 2020 and beyond,” Bland told Detroit Free Press. “Buick is the best mark for GM on how to get it right for women.” 

Some say that it’s because of the women designing and marketing Buicks. The Freep says Buick’s five-foot-tall senior interior design engineer Sandhya Jackson sometimes is used to make sure pedals and touchscreens are within reach. Says Jackson, “We make sure the interior is accessible for all occupants.”

One of her solutions is the “driver-centric cockpit.” Rather than have the touchscreen face straight ahead Buick’s is tilted toward the driver. “I want it to be something I would drive,” Jackson said. “I’m a mom with two kids, so the most important thing to me is safety. So when I started the process of design, the biggest thing was the touchscreen. We tilted it so that it’s easier for the woman to reach and utilize its features. You can connect to a lot of things through it, but still focus on driving.”

Things like Buick’s center console appeal to women buyers

According to the 2020 Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch men are influenced more by exterior design and technology. Women look at affordability, durability, reliability, reputation, safety, fuel efficiency, and comfort while driving. So things like Buick’s center console appeal to women. 

It opens like a book with space for purses without having to rest them in the passenger or rear seats. It is featured and marketed in all Buick models. There are also small things like the drawer located under the passenger seat. Women use it for cosmetics, pens, and extra keys. 

While Buick leads with women buyers by over 56%, Mitsubishi came in second with 54%. The next highest in the category was Mini, then Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, and Lexus at 51%. At 50% there is a four-way tie with Bugatti, Mazda, Honda, and Subaru. Taking up the rear is Chevy at 36% and GMC at 29%. GMC being at the bottom makes some sense in this survey because it markets itself as “Professional Grade.” 

Buick has been able to get vehicles placed on highly-watched TV shows

Buick has been able to get its vehicles placed on some highly-watched TV shows. ABC’s “Blackish” and HBO’s “Big Little Lies” both feature Buicks. For a live after-show for Big Little Lies on Twitter Buick sponsored it. Buick has also pushed for a larger presence on Pinterest. 

Buick also has an app where actress Reese Witherspoon recommends a book and the book is read to the Buick driver. It is part of a $14.95 a month subscription. Surprisingly, this has helped attract female engineers and software developers for Buick. Applications for these types of jobs by women have increased by 20% in five years.