2014 Buick Enclave Premium on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Jay Leno recaps Pebble Beach

Each year at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance the picturesque, ocean-side setting of the golf course becomes a parking lot for a vast array of multi-million dollar vehicles. However, if you missed the posh event this year, then Jay Leno has you covered yet again. For a nearly hour-long installment of Jay Leno's Garage, the comedian has dumped his denim in favor of a suit to take viewers on an insider tour of the lavish gathering. He interviewed some of the most talented designers in the auto industry, too. Leno starts off checking out a few beautiful classics by the shore, but things really get interesting for his stroll down the Concept Car Lawn for a scoop on the vehicles of tomorrow. Ed Welburn tells Leno all about the Buick Avenir, and Shiro Nakamura offers a tour of the Infiniti Q60. Plus, there are detailed looks at the Lincoln Continental, Hyundai Vision G Coupe, and Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6. News Source: Jay Leno's Garage via YouTube Bentley Buick Hyundai Infiniti Lincoln McLaren Classics Videos Pebble Beach Jay Lenos Garage infiniti q60 buick avenir bentley exp 10 speed 6

Buick Electra-L, Electra-LT concepts lead the Wildcat to production

Buick loves the Beijing Motor Show, and why shouldn't it? Working with its local partner, SAIC, the brand seems to saves up so much mojo for April in Asia and shows up with stunning designs. Here are another two takes on the brand's latest sheet metal philosophy, penned by the SAIC-GM Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center and riding on GM's Ulitum platform, the Electra-L sedan and Electra-LT wagon concepts. The Electra-L could be seen as a production version of the Wildcat EV concept from 2022 (not the Wildcat from 1985) that launched Buick's new design language. All the major forms and curves are there, so too the turbine-style wheels, but the fastback roof's been stretched to create adequate headroom for a quartet. The edges of the front fascia have been redrawn to be less aggressive and form a canvas for illuminated ornamentation. The four-door stretches 198.3 inches long on a 118.1-inch wheelbase, meaning less than an inch difference in both dimensions between the Buick and the new BMW i5. Power comes from a single motor on the rear axle making 342 horsepower. A battery of unknown capacity is claimed to be good for a 435-mile range under China's CLTC test loop. The light-sensing glass roof hovers over a rectilinear instrument panel with a floating main display and a retractable 7-inch screen for the front passenger, four pressure-sensitive "zero-gravity" seats wrapped in an eco-friendly fabric, and rear quarters with a small inductive cooktop for enjoying tea in the custom tea set.  SAIC and Buick had less to say about the Electra-LT. Looking like the Allroad version of the Electra-L, it's got fender extensions framing the "titanium metal armor" wheel design, an air suspension that can lift the body by 1.6 inches, and that roof box to broadcast its light adventure credentials. Fitted with the same basic interior layout as the sedan, the wagon might add a third row; the description says its "eConnect smart cabin system supports 7-screen interaction." We're not sure if something got left out of the powertrain description, though, as the Electra-LT said to be powered by a 342-hp motor on the rear axle while also possessing "independent four-wheel drive."    Two years ago, Buick said it would introduce five all-new EVs in China by 2025. The sedan is rumored to be headed to the Chinese market next year, a production version perhaps ready by the time of the 2025 Auto Shanghai.