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Junkyard Gem: 1984 Buick Skyhawk Custom Sedan

Many laughed in 1982 when GM's Cadillac Division began selling the Cimarron, essentially a luxed-up Chevy Cavalier, at about twice the Cavalier's price. One rung below Cadillac on GM's Ladder of Success, the Buick Division got its own version of the Cavalier at the same time: the Skyhawk. Nobody laughed at the 1982-1989 Skyhawk's respectable sales figures. We saw an '85 Skyhawk coupe in a California boneyard last winter, and now here's an example of the sedan version in Colorado. This was the second generation of the Buick Skyhawk name, the first being applied to a Buick-ized version of the Chevrolet Monza during the 1975-1980 model years. That Skyhawk was available solely as a sleek two-door hatchback. This generation of Skyhawk could be purchased in coupe, sedan, hatchback (1986-1987 only) and wagon (1983-1989 only) form, with the coupe proving to be the most popular. For the 1984 model year, the base Skyhawk engine was the 2.0-liter pushrod four-cylinder from the Cavalier, rated at 86 horsepower and 110 pound-feet. If you opted for a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission instead of the base four-on-the-floor manual, you could spend an extra 50 bucks (about 149 bucks in 2023 money) to get this higher-revving, Opel-designed/Brazilian-made 1.8-liter SOHC four-banger with 84 horsepower and 102 pound-feet. A turbocharged version of this engine with 150 horses was available on the Skyhawk T-Type. Buick was proud of both the overhead cam and the electronic fuel injection in this car, applying these badges to brag a bit. You'd have thought that a buyer sacrificing torque for a better-breathing engine would have selected a manual transmission, but such was not the case with this car. The three-speed TH125 slushbox cost $395, or about $1,179 after inflation. The cheapest '84 Skyhawk trim level was the Custom. The MSRP on this car was $7,345 ($21,922 now) before options. Its Chevy Cavalier sibling started at $6,214 ($18,546 today), while its Pontiac 2000 Sunbird and Olds Firenza counterparts were $6,791 and $7,293, respectively ($20,268 and $21,766 in 2023 dollars). Meanwhile, the King of J-Bodies, the Cadillac Cimarron, listed at $12,605 ($37,620 today) in 1984. That $7,345 sticker price didn't include plenty of features we now take for granted in new cars. If you wanted air conditioning in your new Skyhawk, as nearly every Buick buyer in 1984 did, the cost was $630 ($1,880 after inflation).

GM sees 'strong year' in 2018, then gold in Chevy Silverado for 2019

DETROIT — General Motors said on Tuesday it expects earnings in 2018 to be largely flat compared with 2017, but that profits should pick up pace in 2019 as its revamped line of high-margin pickup trucks hits the U.S. market. The 2018 earnings outlook was above market expectations, sending GM shares up more than 3 percent in premarket trading. "GM had a very good 2017 as we continued to transform our company to be more focused, resilient and profitable," GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. "We are positioned for another strong year in 2018 and an even better one in 2019." GM and its Detroit rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, are bringing on new trucks at a time when overall U.S. new vehicle sales have been falling, but truck sales continue to grow as consumers abandon passenger cars in favor of pickups, SUVs and crossovers. GM on Saturday fired a new round in the battle for profits from one of the U.S. auto industry's most lucrative segments when it showed a new generation of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the Detroit auto show. The new Silverado, a highlight of the event, is the successor to GM's best-selling vehicle in North America. Sales of the current Silverado rose nearly 2 percent to 585,000 vehicles in 2017. In the coming months, the company will also reveal a revamped GMC Sierra pickup truck. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 after hitting a record high in 2016, and are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. GM said on Tuesday that while it retools a factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to make the new pickup trucks, it will shift some production to an Oshawa, Ontario, plant in order to avoid missing sales in a hot market for the vehicles. The No. 1 U.S. automaker said it will record a $7 billion non-cash charge for its fourth-quarter 2017 earnings related to deferred tax assets. GM said it expects capital expenditure in 2018 of around $8.5 billion, about $1 billion of which will go toward funding self-driving car technology. Last week, the company said it is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker's first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019. GM said it expects 2017 earnings per share at the high end of its previously forecast range of $6 to $6.50.

Next Buick Regal coming in 2017, could be imported from Germany

The Buick Regal is based on the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, a pair of sedans from General Motors' European and British outfits. In fact, over 46,000 Regals from model years 2010 and 2011 were screwed together on the same lines as the Insignia twins, before GM's Oshawa, Ontario factory took over production fully. Considering this closeness, rumors that claim the next-generation Regal - due for 2017 - could move back to Europe aren't terribly surprising. Here's why, according to Automotive News.
Oshawa is home to three other vehicles, aside from the Regal - the Chevrolet Camaro, Impala rental queen and the Cadillac XTS. We already know next-gen Camaro production is headed to Lansing, MI, and that the fleet-only Impala will (finally!) die in 2016. As for the XTS, as AN explains it, sales are so slow that GM will either kill it or just shuffle its production volume elsewhere.
Taken along with the fact that Unifor, the Canadian labor union repping workers at the Oshawa factory, claim GM hasn't made any guarantees about future production at the nearly 60-year-old factory, it seems fairly clear that the Regal's current factory is going to be put out to pasture.