Rainiers Starting to Move DETROIT, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tiger Trap promotion introduced the name, press reviews were positive, and national advertising started at the Emmys in September. Now it's time to sell. And looking at the way the first Buick Rainiers have moved off dealer lots, the company's first truck-based SUV is reaching new customers and is well on its way to a successful launch. As of mid-October, less than 5,000 Rainiers were on the ground nationwide. That works out to about 1.5 Rainiers per dealer. But here are a few stories of early sales of the $35,945 Rainier. * With the official advertising launch still a month away, the first 2004 Buick Rainier was sold Aug. 19. After researching the Rainier through GM's BuyPower site, Phillips B. Hildner III took delivery of a silver Rainier from Martin Buick in Fenton, Mich. A Fenton resident, Hildner, 22, is the owner of Hiltech Computer Solutions. * At Gambacorta Buick in New Castle, DE, the first customer on their call list identified himself as being interested in a Rainier. That turned out to be the understatement of the day. After a quick phone call, the man came in and purchased the first Rainier the dealership had in the store. The dealer actually asked him to wait seven days before driving it out just so they would have one Rainier in his showroom for a week. * At Eckenhoff Buick in Cherry Hill, NJ, a customer was looking for an SUV with the Ford Explorer on top of mind. Somehow, the customer ended up in Eckenhoff's parts department and saw Eckenhoff's first and only Rainier -- not even in the showroom yet -- and bought it on the spot. * Finally, at F.C. Kerbeck Buick in Palmyra, NJ, a couple drove their Jaguar convertible into the dealership in early September looking to replace a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. One of the dealer's two Rainiers was displayed with other SUVs in front of the dealership. During the demonstration drive, the husband was into the "power and gadgets" while the wife liked the "comfort and ride quality." After driving another SUV for five minutes, the couple returned to purchase the Rainier -- a vehicle they hadn't been aware of until they drove to the dealership. More about Rainier The 2004 Buick Rainier offers a level of performance, ride, quiet and style that sets it apart from other mid-size sport utility vehicles. Rainier, a five-passenger, full-frame vehicle based on GM's award-winning mid-size utility architecture, is the first truck-based SUV in the Buick line-up. Rainier has an optional 290-horsepower all-aluminum 5.3 liter V-8, and comes standard with a 275-horsepower 4.2 liter I-6. All Rainiers feature QuietTuning, Buick's exclusive use of sound absorption practices to ensure a quiet ride. More information on the Rainier is available at http://www.buick.com/ . DATASOURCE: Buick CONTACT: John Wray of Buick, +1-313-665-1478 Web site: http://www.buick.com/ http://media.gm.com/ http://www.gm.com/

Copyright