2012 Buick Enclave Dual Sunroof Nav Rear Cam Xenons 11k Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Trademarks indicate Buick Regal wagon could be on the way

American wagon fans have been waiting for General Motors to import a Buick-badged version of the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer since the current Insignia-based Regal hit dealers. If a new patent filing is any indication, that day could be coming soon. Then again, it might not mean anything. AutoGuide reports that Buick has filed two trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office for "Motor land vehicles, namely automobiles." You can see the trademarks for "Tourx" and "Regal Tourx" here and here. "Tour" smacks of wagon models, while the "x" – for all-wheel drive – makes us wonder if maybe we'll be seeing a rebadged version of the high-riding Opel Insignia Country Tourer (shown above). This isn't the first time Buick has stoked the hopes of US wagon fans, though. Earlier this year, trademarks were filed for the "Regal Sport Touring," a name that's very close to the Euro-market wagon's title. In fact, that trademark had the same description as the Tourx/Regal Tourx filings. As we've established before, automakers file trademarks all the time. It's far from a guarantee that anything will come of such trademarked names. Still, two wagon-ish filings with the USPTO from Buick in under a year makes it seem like there's at least someone at the Trishield brand that's campaigning for a long-roof Regal. Fight the good fight, friend. Related Video:

GM laying off 500 workers to slow Chevy Sonic production

Due to slow sales of the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano, General Motors is cutting a shift at the Orion Township plant that builds the pair. The move lays off about 500 workers, but most of them are expected to get offers to transfer to other factories, Automotive News reports. The move came just a day after GM announced adding 1,200 employees to the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. GM has been trying all year at the Orion Township factory to align production of the Sonic and Verano with their demand. The automaker first attempted idling the plant several times and eventually resorted to laying off about 100 workers. It also reduced the production rate there. With the huge rise in popularity of crossovers, demand for the plant's small cars is on the downturn. According to Automotive News, there's currently a 116-day supply of Sonics and 100 days of Veranos to sell. Delivers tell a similar tale because the Chevy is off 35.2 percent from January to September, and the Buick does little better with a 27.2 percent drop from the same period last year. While the situation at Orion Township might look rough now, big things are on the horizon. Soon, the new Chevy Bolt electric vehicle will be built there when it hits the market around 2017. Plus, the plant will also get a $245-million upgrade and 300 new jobs for another, unannounced vehicle.

Buick Encore blitzes first-year sales predictions

With its first full year of sales in the bag, it's safe to say that Buick has a hit on its hands with the Encore. US buyers have snatched up 31,046 of the small, premium crossovers since the Encore went on sale in January of 2013, while 97,311 were sold globally (not counting its counterparts from Opel and Vauxhall).
While we liked the Encore when we first drove it, we'll admit, we weren't sure how the tiny CUV would do. In fact, the first thing Executive Editor Chris Paukert wrote about the Encore was, "We admit it. We have no earthly idea how this whole thing is going to shake out." But it's done well, and has been subject to heavy demand over the past year, blowing away the estimates of analysts, who, according to an August story from Automotive News, projected no more than 18,500 units would be sold in 2013.
"Right out of the gate, demand for the Encore was high," Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing said in a statement. "It accounted for most of the segment's growth last year and that's because it offers the right safety, technology and features in the right-sized vehicle for many customers."