1961 Buick Convertible Electra 225 Red on 2040-cars

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Biden's tariffs likely won't impact Americans already driving Chinese-built cars

A 2024 Buick Envision Sport TouringGM-DESIGN Chinese car brands are missing from the US market, but Chinese-made cars are still sold in the US.  Americans bought more than 104,000 Chinese-made cars in 2023 and nearly 28,000 in Q1 2024. Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo all sell cars in the US that are made in China.  Of the more than 15 million cars sold in the US last year, none wore the badge of a Chinese car brand. Chinese EV heavy hitters like BYD and SAIC are conspicuously missing from US showrooms. With the government's existing 27.5% tariffs on Chinese-made cars and Tuesday's new 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs imported to the US, the situation isn't likely to change anytime soon. What some people might not realize, however, is that tens of thousands of cars manufactured in China are sold in the US every year. Volvo's S60L sedan was one of the first Chinese-made cars to be sold in the US starting in 2016, followed by Buick's Envision SUV and Cadillac's CT6 Hybrid. According to Automotive News data, US consumers purchased more than 104,000 Chinese-made vehicles in 2023, up 45% from 2022. Americans bought another 28,000 Chinese-made cars during the first quarter of 2024. Currently, Buick, Lincoln, Polestar, and Volvo sell Chinese-made vehicles in the US. Of those, the only Chinese-made EVs come from Polestar, a brand co-owned by Volvo and its parent company, Geely Automotive. The EV brand imported just 2,217 cars in the first three months of 2024. It is unclear how the new tariffs will affect Polestar's future production plans. The company eventually plans to move some of its car production to South Carolina in 2024. In a statement to Business Insider, a Polestar spokesperson said the company is evaluating the Biden Administration's announcement. Here's a closer look at the Chinese-made cars on sale in the US. Buick Envision A 2024 Buick Envision AvenirGM When it launched in 2016, the Buick Envision compact SUV was one of the first Chinese-made vehicles sold in the US. The second generation Envision, which arrived in 2021, continues to be made in China at one of the plants GM operates in a joint venture with SAIC. The Envision was Buick's second-best-selling model in 2023, with more than 44,000 vehicles sold. Last year, Buick sold 167,000 vehicles across its entire lineup in the US, an impressive 61% increase over the previous year. However, this number pales in comparison to Buick's sales in China, which totaled 517,000 units last year.

1969 Buick Riviera is latest Hot Wheels Legends finalist

The Hot Wheels Legends Tour traveled to Southern California, one of the bastions of car culture in the United States, to find the next custom-built car that it will add to its catalog of scale models. The winner of the latest stop is a 1969 Buick Riviera turned into a head-turning lowrider. Owned by Mario and Nora Zamudio of Los Angeles, the big coupe is finished in a color called Pagan Gold and fitted with bright wire wheels. The husband-and-wife team spent four years working nights and weekends to build the Riviera. They removed the exterior trim pieces to achieve a cleaner look, spent a considerable amount of time detailing the engine bay and fitted a hydraulic suspension system. The interior received the custom treatment as well. Pagan Gold accents on the dashboard complement the exterior, there's an aftermarket steering wheel with three bright spokes, and the beige and brown upholstery finishes to the look. Readers familiar with Riviera models from the 1960s will notice that some of the switches aren't original; they're used to control the hydraulic suspension. Power for this Riviera comes from the original 430-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V8, which was rated at 360 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque in 1969. It spins the rear wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission, and we bet it sounds excellent. One Buggy Mud Muncher Raptor View 13 Photos This eye-catching Riviera will move on to the semifinal round this fall, where it will compete against previous winners for the chance to get scaled down into a Hot Wheels model. The list of past winners is stunningly diverse: it includes a Volvo-powered 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, a kei truck turned into a monster truck, and a 1973 Toyota Celica powered by a General Motors-sourced V8 and nicknamed Tokyo Trans Am. Related Video: Buick Wildcat EV Concept Walkaround

Buick Adam a reality after all... but only in China

General Motors may have parred down its brand portfolio, but it still has more under its umbrella than most. That's why, while a company like Ford might market the same vehicle under its own name in markets around the world, GM uses different brands in different markets. But no two are aligned quite as closely as Opel in Europe and Buick in the United States and China.
What we know here as the Buick Regal is sold overseas as the Opel Insignia. Our Encore is their Mokka. Verano? Astra sedan. But one thing we don't get here is the Opel Adam. The diminutive city car is GM's take on the Mini Cooper, Fiat 500, Citroën DS3 et al. Launched at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the Opel Adam is named after the company's founder (like an ironic thumbing of the nose to the Ferrari Enzo). But while it's sold, like most Opels, in the UK as a Vauxhall, the prospect of it porting over to Buick seems slim to none. Right?
Sorta. While the Adam isn't likely to come Stateside, the latest reports (as yet unconfirmed by GM) suggest that The General is planning to sell the Adam in China where the Buick brand is also a strong seller. Local production could ensue, with prices targeting the Fiat 500 and engines - according to CarNewsChina.com - to include inline-fours displacing 1.2 and 1.4 liters with 69 and 100 horsepower, respectively.