Buick is one of the few brands to remain within the GM portfolio as it emerges bankruptcy. With the likes of Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn leaving the fold, it’s wondered what’s in store for the Buick lineup in the near future.

Already the Buick lineup will feature several cars featuring small dimensions, and smaller engines. Those Buick enthusiasts that want to see large V8-powered sedans may be disappointed as it appears those will only be a thing of the past.

As it stands today, the Buick lineup is quite small. Buick features the large Lucerne sedan, the Enclave crossover, as well as the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse sedan which has just been completely redesigned and has already seen massive interest among Buick car loans Birmingham specialists. Soon the lineup will also feature a replacement to the Lucerne, due in 2012. A new four-door, all-wheel drive model may also be on the way, based on a new vehicle destined to become a Cadillac model and the new Chevrolet Impala. Until the 2012 model is released, one used car dealer Washington DC says the Lucerne will be dropped from the lineup in 2012. Farther out in 2013, the Buick Enclave will get an update with freshened styling.

The latest addition to the lineup, the Buick Lacrosse, will compete with other large front-wheel drive sedans such as the Toyota Avalon or the Ford Taurus. In addition to six cylinder engine offerings, the new Lacrosse will also feature a new four-cylinder engine with direct injection, which according to one Body Shop Oklahoma City will make the Lacrosse highly competitive among buyers wanting style, roominess, and efficiency.

Other sedans potentially heading into development include the Buick Regal which could be a rebadged Opel Insignia. Additionally, a Buick Century sedan as well as MPV could be on their way in 2012 to compete with compact offerings from Honda and Toyota.

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All the latest automaker news and more can be read here.

While the Big Three automakers struggle to turn things around, and move away from looming bankruptcy, the domestic car dealers are also facing similar problems. With car dealers closing their doors repeatedly, many dealers that enjoyed relative sales successes just a couple years ago are now simply trying to survive.

The Big Three are looking to Washington to help them remain alive and competitive in a dismal auto market. Even with a potential federal bailout however, many dealers believe the benefits of such as bailout will arrive too late as sales continue to evaporate across the country. In addition to fewer sales opportunities and increased cost of commercial equipment leasing, credit is also evaporating, which is an essential component to the any dealership’s success.

To put the problem into perspective, the National Automobile Dealers Association estimates that about 900 of the 20,700 new car dealers in the US will go out of business by the end of the year, which is slightly higher than their original estimates. Next year, they predict that number could reach into the thousands.

Some analysts believe that some dealerships closing their doors are simply inevitable. There has simply been an overabundance of domestic dealerships in the market. With so many dealers going out of business, it’s estimated that 20,000 employees have lost their jobs in the month of October alone.

Many dealerships are also actively involved in their communities. From Little League sponsorships to philanthropy, dealerships are often prominent fixtures in their local communities. Many dealerships such as a dealer specializing in Pittsburgh 2009 Ford F-150 models has also invested heavily in their businesses in recent years, improving lounges, service bays, and other facilities to encourage customers to return.

Car dealers have faced plenty of hardships within the past two years. Both Los Angeles Ford dealers and Richmond Lincoln Dealers saw skyrocketing gas prices in particular as having a crippling effect on sales of the once-popular sport utility and pickup truck segments, which is precisely where domestic auto sales were strongest. But as the price of gas decreases, the economy continues to falter and credit has become increasingly scarce. Home prices and Wall Street have both tumbled steeply in recent months as well which does not bode well for car sales.

Finance companies such as GMAC, the financial arm of General Motors, have had to tighten their belts as well. In fact, GMAC will no longer be able to finance car buyers with a credit score below 700. This has contributed to fewer customers in dealer showrooms. It also has prevented some dealers from taking on new inventory. Dealers have also been slashing medical benefits for employees and are offering fewer complimentary services to customers in order to curb costs.

Despite the more recent effects of the economic downturn, it has been in the making for quite a while, and doesn’t just affect domestic brands either. With sales continuing to slip, many dealers have bolstered their used car inventory and service facilities in order to make up for new car losses. For example, Denver used cars dealers have seen a resurgence in pre-owned sales thanks to more frugal car buyers. Additionally, the profitability of profit centers has changed at many dealers, causing used cars Reading PA dealers to concentrate on promoting their service facilities as car sales become unstable.

Dealers are not entirely innocent. They could have persuaded Detroit hard to produce cars that offered more efficiency and were built with higher quality. But while sales of trucks and SUVs were strong at dealers such as Lubbock Chevrolet, there simply was no reason to put any pressure on Detroit. While a bailout could be just around the corner, dealers remain skeptical if such help will trickle down in time to save their businesses. Saturn Denver also considers what the bailout will mean for each individual brand under the GM umbrella.

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As the Detroit bailout continues to unfold, check back here

General Motors has been faced with plenty of negative press and criticism lately. With the stalled bailout to add to falling new car sales and the fact that they continue to bleed cash, many wonder why the mammoth automaker doesn’t change its ways before it’s too late. But GM affirms that change is already underway, and that pundits and politicians simply have failed to talk with customers and dealers and see the newest wave of vehicles they’re producing for themselves.

Among the news that has helped confirm GM’s changing ways is a new Sales Satisfaction Index Study from J.D. Power that shows that GM dealers like Detroit Chevrolet dealers or Lubbock Chevrolet dealers are providing some of the best customer service in the auto industry, rivaling that of foreign brands. While GM strives to make additional improvements to its model lineup and dealer network, the automakers contends that change is already in place and is not just wishful thinking.

Quality is another area where General Motors continues to uphold. GM reduced warranty repairs by about 40 percent between 2002 and 2006, and cut such repairs down by 14 percent between 2006 and 2007. Quality is important to car buyers these days, especially when imports have exuded much higher quality than domestic vehicles for quite some time, which has certainly helped fuel sales among Toyota dealers Olympia. As such, GM claims that quality has already improved dramatically and they appear to be on track for continuing to improve quality and manufacturing efficiency.

GM can reference plenty of studies and products that have received kudos recently, but have largely gone unnoticed by the mainstream media in recent weeks. For example, the award-winning Chevrolet Malibu was the segment leader in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study and remains a strong seller at Lewis Automotive and overall within Chevy’s lineup. Additionally, brands such as Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac, and Buick, all ranked well in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study, which was no surprise to Chevrolet Tuscaloosa dealers who have seen commendable improvements in quality in recent years. Other GM brands that also ranked above average in the study included Cadillac, Hummer, Saab, and Saturn.

So for many car shoppers looking for a new car, GM is not folding up and calling it quits. Although the talk of the bailout is far from over, the automaker plans on making progress in the future and continuing the progress it has made so far.

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Learn more about the Big Three bailout right here.