Buick prices redesigned Enclave starting at $40,970

Buick priced the retooled Enclave crossover at $40,970, including shipping, for 2018, almost $1,000 more than the outgoing version.

The first-generation Enclave went on sale in 2007. For 2018, the nameplate shed 400 pounds while boosting cargo space and fuel economy. The revised crossover also adopts sleeker styling than its predecessor.

The Enclave Avenir, part of Buick's new luxury subbrand slated to debut in the fall, starts at $54,390 for front-wheel drive or $56,690 for all-wheel drive. Prices include shipping.

With Avenir, Buick wants to become more of a luxury brand by offering more deluxe features. The Enclave Avenir offers a wood-accented steering wheel, an in-vehicle ionizer and a three-dimensional grille.

"Our customers are also incredibly loyal and are demanding something new and something more from the Enclave," a Buick spokeswoman said. She said offering the Enclave Avenir "will bring them an extensive set of smart, responsible luxury features" for a simpler buying experience.

Buick also hopes to benefit from strong demand for crossovers by pushing average transaction prices for the Enclave higher.

"The Enclave has been a successful formula for the Buick brand, with sales results that have defied traditional product cycles," Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick and GMC, said in a statement.

The Enclave Essence trim package in front-wheel-drive is priced at $45,190 for 2018 or $47,190 for all-wheel-drive, while the Premium trim package with front-wheel-drive is priced at $48,990, or $51,290 for all-wheel-drive. Prices include shipping.

A spokeswoman for Buick said the popular trim levels fall within $750 of outgoing 2017 model sticker prices, bringing added value to drivers "looking for attainable luxury."

The Enclave is the last of four crossovers that General Motors is redesigning this year, and the second-biggest seller in the Buick lineup, after the compact Encore. U.S. sales of the Enclave dropped 16 percent in 2016, compared with a 7.6 percent gain for all crossovers throughout the industry.

Although GM sells fewer Enclaves than the other three newly redesigned crossovers -- Chevrolet's Equinox and Traverse, and the GMC Terrain -- the Enclave generates the highest transaction prices of the four, a spokeswoman told Automotive News.