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Buick Encore GX fuel economy out, 1.3L more efficient than 1.2L

EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2020 Buick Encore GX are out, the most powerful engine taking the overall trophy. The new, slighty-less-compact subcompact crossover comes with a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder as its base engine, putting out 137 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque. Available solely with front-wheel drive and with a continuously variable transmission, the powertrain gets 26 miles per gallon in the city, 30 on the highway and 28 combined. The optional engine is a turbocharged 1.3-cylinder with 155 hp and 174 lb-ft. Mating it to the CVT in front-wheel drive guise returns the best fuel economy in the Encore/Encore GX family, being 30 city, 32 highway, 31 combined. That's spot on GM's prediction last year for combined fuel economy. Buyers who opt for the 1.3-liter with all-wheel drive — the engine costing an additional $395, the drivetrain a $2,000 upgrade — get a nine-speed automatic transmission, that combo returning 26 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg combined. Among luxury front-wheel drive entries, the 2020 BMW X1 sDrive28i gets 27 mpg combined utilizing an eight-speed automatic, the Lexus UX 200 gets 33 mpg combined with a CVT. Among less the expensive options, the Nissan Kicks returns 33 mpg as well through a CVT, the Mazda CX-30 rated at 28 mpg combined and employing a six-speed auto. The Encore once offered two versions of its turbocharged 1.4-liter, but is now left with the lesser-powered unit producing 138 hp and 148 lb-ft, paired with a six-speed automatic. Fuel economy with front-wheel drive is 25 city, 30 highway, 27 combined; with all-wheel drive, that shrinks by one mpg across the board to 24 city, 29 highway and 26 combined. The Encore GX is scheduled to hit dealership sometime this spring. Related Video:

The last Buick Cascada unceremoniously rolls off the assembly line

Motorists in the market for a new Buick Cascada need to act fast. Peugeot-owned Opel has built the last example of the drop-top model in its Gliwice, Poland, factory, and there's no replacement in sight. Buick announced the Cascada's demise in early 2019, and GM Authority learned the model went out unceremoniously. There's no indication that the final example received a commemorative plaque on its dashboard, or is headed to a private collection; photos of it aren't even available. The dealership who ordered it might not know it's about to receive the last specimen of the breed. As a non-luxury, front-wheel-drive convertible, the Cascada was marooned on an island that Buick's rivals abandoned halfway through the 2010s. The Chrysler 200 Convertible and the Volkswagen Eos were discontinued after the 2014 and 2015 model years, respectively. Landing in a class of one likely raised more than a few eyebrows in Buick's product planning division, but it was a semi-enviable position that helped the firm sell about 17,000 units of the Cascada between the 2016 and 2019 model years. It proudly pointed out about 60 percent of buyers were new to General Motors. Left-hand-drive examples of the Cascada were sold under the Buick and Opel banners. Right-hand-drive models joined the Vauxhall range in the United Kingdom, and they wore a Holden emblem in Australia. The four flavors were identical with the exception of some brand-specific trim pieces and powertrains. None will get a successor; the aforementioned carmakers are no longer operating under the same roof, and the global convertible segment is steadily shrinking.  The Cascada's multinational provenance made more sense before General Motors sold its Opel and Vauxhall divisions to PSA Groupe, the Paris-based carmaker that owns Peugeot, Citroen and DS. The French firm pledged to keep producing cars for Buick for as long as necessary, but the former sister companies tacitly agreed to stop co-developing vehicles. The sedan and station wagon variants of the Regal are now the only Opel-designed, PSA-built model left in the the Buick portfolio.

GM laying off 510 amidst slow Cadillac, small car sales

General Motors is laying off about 510 workers from two factories beginning in January, and it could be months before the automaker needs some of that latent capacity to come back on line. A combination of poor sales and high dealer inventories are prompting the cutbacks, according to Automotive News.
The largest changes come at GM's Lansing Grand River plant, where the Cadillac ATS and CTS are made. An entire shift of about 350 workers is being laid off, but the automaker hopes to find positions for some of them at other nearby factories. The decision leaves just a single shift building vehicles there. According to Automotive News, the move is partially spurred by Johan de Nysschen's plan to make Cadillac a more exclusive brand.
The lost shift will likely return for production of the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro at the plant, according to the report, but GM isn't saying when that will be. A previous announcement from the Canadian Auto Workers union indicated that the Oshawa, Ontario, factory would lose the coupe in late 2015 or early 2016.