Jacksonville, Florida resident Ilona Olayan and her husband were recently looking to replace their Acura MDX luxury SUV. Ilona prevailed on her husband to trade it in for a GMC Acadia; and though the husband was the primary driver of the MDX, Ilona is so taken with the Acadia that it is she who drives it to work most days.
"It started when my boss bought an Acadia and I wondered why the owner of a company worth over $100 million didn't drive something more expensive," she said. "But then I looked for myself and as a former BMW driver, I was impressed. The Acadia has great quality, craftsmanship, and all the luxury features I want without being over the top. It's smart luxury."
She added that she has convinced three friends to buy GMC models, and that she convinced her company's CFO to purchase a Sierra pickup.
Apparently, other shoppers share her enthusiasm. GMC sales last month were up 11 percent from August of 2011, the highest they have been since 2008. Year-to-date sales are up 3 percent from where they were in the same period last year.
Acadia sales were the highest ever, up 35 percent from the previous August. Terrain sales were up 13 percent, and GMC believes that the small SUV is going to have its best year ever. Sales of the Sierra were the best they've been for any August since 2008, up 9 percent from August of last year.
GMC claims that nearly half of buyers of its crossovers are coming to the brand from competitors outside of General Motors.
"GMC has entered the second half of the year with momentum as consumers continue to take notice of the quality and utility of the vehicles our dealers are offering," Brian Sweeney, vice president of GMC Sales and Service, said in a statement. "Acadia and Terrain attracting half of their buyers from other brands is testament to our ability to offer competitive products that appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers."
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