• Boston Globe , Thursday, October 14, 2010 9:33 AM

About 400 guests attended a "Regal Remix" party in Boston recently as part of Buick's effort to redefine itself as a brand that is fun and stylish for Gen X drivers in their 30s and 40s, Johnny Diaz reports. They were invited through a viral marketing and word-of-mouth campaign. Similar events are being held in major cities across the country to appeal to middle- to upper-class consumers who may not previously have considered the 100-year-old brand.

The redesigned Regal, which has been absent from U.S. showrooms for six years, is the centerpiece of the new thrust. It's based on GM's German-designed Opel Insignia, which was named European Car of the Year last year.

"The Buicks of recent past were really nice appliances for getting you from A to B,'' says James Bell, an auto market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "But, he says, "Regal is an American Acura -- a smaller, more spirited, more fuel-efficient, younger person's vehicle. It will help change perceptions.''

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