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2024 Buick Envista Review: Looks like $60,000, costs less than $30,000

Pros: Compelling design; ample space for the segment; quiet and refined driving experience; punchy and efficient engine; well-equipped; low price Cons: All-wheel drive not available; armrests are a bit hard The 2024 Buick Envista is one of the best, most competitive and most relevant cars to come out of General Motors in a long time. It is wildly impressive and truly surprising. We had multiple people guess the Copper Ice test car pictured above cost $60,000 or even $80,000, and we agree that it certainly looks expensive. And yet, that Sport Touring test car stickers for $29,070 and isn’t even the top-of-the-line. That puts it in the heart of the subcompact SUV segment, but it boasts one of the biggest back seats and cargo areas in that segment. You certainly wouldnÂ’t guess that by looking at its rakish roofline. Its interior looks almost as good as the exterior, and provides lots of features for the money, including tech that looks great and is easy to use. It is rare for a car to be both a sensible choice and an emotional one, but the Envista is just that. So, how can the Envista be such a bargain in these inflationary times? Being built in Korea rather than by North American union members probably helps. Another key reason, though, is Buick cutting costs in smart areas. The engine is not powerful and its 0-60-mph time in the mid-9-second range is on the slow side, but when behind the wheel, the little turbocharged three-cylinder is punchy around town, its pleasingly snarl-like noise is nicely quelled by ample sound deadening, and its six-speed automatic transmission (perhaps a cost savings itself) does its job without fuss unlike the complicated transmissions of most rivals. The interior also sees the sort of hard plastics indicative of its segment, but the plastics donÂ’t look cheap and are mostly in places where your hands and elbows donÂ’t touch. The lack of all-wheel drive might be a dealbreaker for some, but otherwise, its cons are either justified by the low price or covered up by thoughtful design and engineering. ThatÂ’s a mark of the best inexpensive cars. The new Buick Envista is one of them. Interior & Technology   |   Passenger & Cargo Space   |   Performance & Fuel Economy What it's like to drive   |   Pricing & Trim Levels   |   Crash Ratings & Safety Features What's new for 2024? The Envista is an all-new model for 2024. What are the Envista interior and in-car technology like?

It's official: GM selling Opel-Vauxhall to Peugeot-Citroen group for $2.3B

It's a Brexit for General Motors. GM is selling off its Opel and Vauxhall unit, it confirmed today, ending 90 years of automobile production in Europe, and nearly two decades of losses from that division. The deal was announced on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show. The focus for GM now becomes North America and China. "This was a difficult decision for General Motors," CEO Mary Barra said. "But we are unified in our belief that it is the right one." "For GM, this represents another major step in the ongoing work that is driving our improved performance and accelerating our momentum. We are reshaping our company and delivering consistent, record results for our owners through disciplined capital allocation to our higher-return investments in our core automotive business and in new technologies that are enabling us to lead the future of personal mobility." The buyer is French automaker PSA Groupe, maker of Peugeot and Citroen as well as its DS luxury sub-brand. The $2.3 billion deal will make PSA the second-biggest European manufacturer after Volkswagen, with 17 percent of the market share. "We want to create a European automotive champion," said PSA Groupe Chairman Carlos Tavares. "We will totally unleash the potential of the Opel and Vauxhall brands." Tavares gave assurances that jobs would not be lost in the deal. "We respect all that Opel/Vauxhall's talented people have achieved as well as the company's fine brands and strong heritage. We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalizing on their respective brand identities." The two companies have agreements for PSA to continue to supply some Holden and Buick models; it's not yet clear exactly how this will work, as Opel models form the basis for several of Buick's core products, including the Encore small crossover and Regal sedan. PSA also is purchasing GM's financing operations in Europe as part of the deal. GM may invest in PSA shares in the future, and the two companies may collaborate on electric and fuel-cell vehicles as part of GM's joint venture with Honda. The sale of Opel and Vauxhall brings GM's global brand total down to eight, including three that are specific to the Chinese market. Buick GM Citroen Opel Peugeot Vauxhall 2017 Geneva Motor Show

GM admits goal of 500,000 EVs by 2017 won't be met

After a little over four years of Chevy Volt sales, General Motors has a better handle on how many people it expects will buy cars with plugs. And it's less than the company thought back in 2012, when then-senior vice president of global product development, Mary Barra, said that GM expected to sell 500,000 "vehicles with electrification" by 2017. In a sustainability report released this week, GM says that half-million vehicle target will not be met but that it still, "believes the future is electric." In the report, GM says that, "For our commitment to electrification, our forecasted outlook currently projects us, along with the broader automotive industry, falling short of expectations for 2017. ... We continue to aspire to our stated goal." GM's electric lineup includes the Volt, the recently popular Spark EV, the slow-selling Cadillac ELR and upcoming Malibu Hybrid, CT6 plug-in hybrid and eAssist technology in the Buick LaCrosse and Regal. GM says it has 180,834 electrified vehicles on the road in the US today. In 2013, it had 153,034; 95,578 in 2012, and 39,843 in 2011. The company's next big plug-in vehicle will be the second-gen Chevy Volt, which is coming to market later this year, followed by the 200-mile Bolt EV coming, we think, in 2017. GM Employees on Mission to Transform Transportation Sustainability report outlines vehicle and manufacturing progress; sets new targets 2015-05-07 DETROIT – General Motors' just-released sustainability report chronicles efforts by the company's 216,000 employees to live out GM's newly defined purpose and values by earning customer loyalty, applying meaningful technology advances and improving the communities where it does business. These actions – led by CEO Mary Barra – further drive sustainability into the company's culture through building safer and smarter vehicles with less environmental impact. "GM will take a leading role in the auto industry's transformation as it undergoes an unprecedented period of change," said Bob Ferguson, senior vice president, GM Global Public Policy. "From GM's labs to its assembly lines, our people are driving the world to a better place through improved mobility." The company believes the future is electric, with billions of investment to support an all-in-house approach to the development and manufacturing of electrified vehicles. It now counts 180,834 on the road in the U.S – up from 153,034 in 2013.