Detroit – Buick attracted more than 40 percent of its customers from outside General Motors in 2011. That number rose to more than one in two last month for the new Verano compact luxury sedan, which went on sale in December.

With my name, I’ve been asked if I drive a Buick for as long as I remember,” said Buick, a distant relative of brand founder David Dunbar Buick. “But the cars were never right for me. The Verano, though, is truly perfect in every way that I ask of a car. It honestly feels like it was made just for me, so it’s amusing that I get to step over my name embossed in the sill plate every time I get into my car.

Buick’s new Black Onyx Verano replaces a Subaru Outback and offers what he says is just the right combination of size and content. “I need some creature comforts, but I’m not interested in a larger, more expensive car. My Verano has a high quality level for the price. Small things like the heated steering wheel make a big difference.

Verano is Buick’s first compact luxury sedan, offering a standard seven-inch Color Touch radio and other features at a starting price of $23,470 including destination. ”A lot of people want small, high-quality cars,” Buick continued. “It’s a little narrow-minded to equate luxury with size. I’m pleased, and proud, to see American carmakers stepping in that direction.

The LaCrosse luxury sedan, which comes standard with Buick’s innovative eAssist light electrification powertrain, also reported a retail sales increase in January of 7.7 percent versus the same period in 2011. LaCrosse’s 4,013 sales topped the Lexus ES350 by approximately 1,400 units.

Overall, Buick retail sales were down 18.5 percent for the month, amid the phasing out of the Lucerne sedan. Despite the decrease, Buick outsold key competitors including Acura, Audi, Infiniti and Lincoln.

Source: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us