2002 Silver Custom! on 2040-cars

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Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Detroit Auto Show [w/poll]

Here at Autoblog, we love unexpected debuts at auto shows – and judging by our Detroit Auto Show comments and traffic, you do, too. Surprise reveals have been fewer and farther between in recent years with so many ways for vehicles to be teased or leak out, but this week's show has been a revelation. More to the point, it's been a series of revelations, with automakers from around the globe successfully delivering a brace of concept and production surprises. It's made our jobs a lot more exciting and challenging this week, and even though it's actually more work to react and run-and-gun when the sheet is pulled on a surprise reveal than it is to publish an already-written embargoed story, we've had more fun covering this show for you than any domestic show in memory. We hope you've enjoyed the surprises along with us. To that end, borrowing the words of an unnamed automaker PR flack, we'd like to thank the following automakers for enduring "mountain of antacids" and that "creeping sense of paranoia" necessary to keeping ones' wares totally under wraps until the sheets are pulled off the sheetmetal: Buick Avenir concept Chevrolet Bolt concept Ford GT concept Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept And while we're at it, we'd like to throw in an shout-out to Detroit's substantially revised and revitalized Cobo Center, and in particular, the redone Michelin media center, which is arguably the single best accommodations for writing show stories that we've encountered on the entire international circuit. Well done, everyone. Thank you, and keep the surprises coming. Auto News Detroit Auto Show Buick Chevrolet Ford Hyundai Volvo 2015 Detroit Auto Show

Buick Encore, Chevy Trax reportedly dead after 2022

The Buick Encore will not get an encore, and the Chevrolet Trax is dead in its tracks. Separate unverified reports say the two crossovers, which are essentially identical underneath the sheetmetal, will retire at the end of the 2022 model year without being directly replaced. Citing anonymous sources, enthusiast website GM Authority wrote that production of the Encore and the Trax is scheduled to end in the third quarter of 2022. Both models are manufactured in Bupyeong-gu, South Korea, and General Motors will reportedly use the extra production capacity to build more examples of the Trailblazer, which outsold the Encore and the Trax combined by a significant margin in 2021. General Motors hasn't commented on the report, but we wouldn't be surprised if the end is indeed near for the Encore and the Trax. Buick released the Encore for the 2013 model year, and Chevrolet launched the Trax for 2015, but the model made its debut as the Opel Mokka in 2012. It's at the end of its life cycle, and sales figures reflect this: 20,072 units of the Encore were sold in America in 2021, a drop of 52% compared to 2020, while 42,590 examples of the Trax found a home, a 60% decline. It's further proof that Americans don't like small cars. Viewed in that light, the decision not to replace either crossover makes perfect sense. If the report is accurate, the Encore GX (which is not related to the Encore in any way) will enter the 2023 model year as Buick's entry-level model. The situation is a little more complicated at Chevrolet: The pocket-sized Spark is on its way out in 2022 as well, meaning that the Trailblazer will become the entry point into the range. It's a different story in Europe: Opel, which is now part of the Stellantis group, released the second-generation Mokka in June 2020.

News anchor swaps his Roadmaster for a custom Buick Enclave Woody

Dennis House, self-proclaimed car buff and Connecticut news anchor, thinks that with the impending launch of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, woodies will make their grand return to the car scene in modern fashion. House wanted to get ahead of the potential trend and decided to create a one-of-one woody wrap for his Buick Enclave. On the rear quarter panel of the custom SUV, an aftermarket badge reads "Enclave Estate Wagon." It's a direct call back to one of the vehicles that has inspired House's love of wood-paneled family haulers, the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. House owns two Roadmasters, a black 1996 model and a 1995 woody. In making room for the Enclave, House has decided to sell the '96, which looks spotless and only has a bit more than 71,000 miles on the clock. According to GM Authority, who spotted House's Enclave, the look was achieved with a vinyl wrap. After exploring the idea of a first-gen Enclave woody or a Regal TourX woody, House decided the application worked best on a current Enclave. The mock-ups were done on the computer, and Scranton Cadillac Buick GMC completed the work. The wrap starts just beneath the headlights and wraps around the entire vehicle. Furthering the theme, House took a photo of the woody with a surfboard. For now, the woody look is not a factory option, but House hopes General Motors takes notice and considers offering the choice on future models. If not, just take your ride to Scranton Motors, and they could probably help you out.            View this post on Instagram                   What a cool new 2019 Buick Enclave for CT’s own Dennis House! We couldnÂ’t be happier to have you as a part of the Scranton Motors family!! #scranton_cadillacbuickgmc #scrantonmotors #dennishousetv #carbuyingshouldbeeasy #buick #buickenclave #2019buickenclave #woodpanelingforthewin A post shared by Scranton Cadillac/Buick/GMC (@scranton_cadillacbuickgmc) on Apr 19, 2019 at 10:18am PDT