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Buick to kill Verano as early as 2017

The Buick Verano's days are allegedly numbered. Citing unnamed sources, Automotive News is reporting that Buick will kill its Delta-platform-based sedan. The company offered the typical "no comment." According to AN, Buick is expecting 70 percent of its sales to come from the Encore, Envision, and Enclave once the Envision goes on sale. And it doesn't take a professor of economics to recognize that when half the vehicles you build account for just 30 percent of the sales, it's time to trim. But the case for killing the Verano is a weird one, because the problem isn't a lack of demand. Struggling sales might be the reason to kill a car, but the Verano is – and has consistently been – Buick's second best-selling sedan. It's beaten the slightly larger, more expensive Regal by at least 12,000 units in each of the last four years. Hell, in 2013, Buick sold 45,000 Veranos to fewer than 19,000 Regals. So why not kill the Regal? Well, the Verano's raison d'etre is irrelevant today. Buick launched its smallest sedan at a time when premium compact four-doors weren't a thing and gas prices were high enough that consumers were still hesitant to tie themselves to a CUV's fuel bill. And while it was roughly the same size as the Chevrolet Cruze that it shared GM's Delta platform with, it had enough unique equipment to stand apart and warrant its price premium. Today, fuel prices are cheap and consumers are flocking to crossovers while Buick is stuck sharing the premium compact pie with much more prestigious names ( Mercedes-Benz and Audi). And because it's sharing showroom space with the super-popular Encore, even the Verano's affordable pricing has become a liability. Today, a lightly equipped Verano is the same price as a base Encore, and they offer broadly similar features (rear-view cameras, a seven-inch touchscreen with Intellilink, Bluetooth, etc.). And if the Encore is too small, there's probably a GMC Terrain sitting in the same showroom, offering more utility and equal equipment to the Verano for a similar price. As one dealer told AN, "For not much more money, customers can get an SUV." Killing the Verano might risk 30,000 to 40,000 sales, but it's a move that proves Buick has tremendous confidence in its CUV lineup – clearly the company thinks the Encore can do the job of luring customers into showrooms. AN's sources claim the Verano will survive through 2017, so we'll be waiting a few years to find out if that faith is misplaced. Related Video:

Buick applies the GS treatment to an electric Electra

A sporty Buick in the 21st century? A contradiction, some might think. But the product planners at Buick — usually the most conservative brand in General MotorsÂ’ stable — apparently think otherwise. Earlier this month, GM filed an application with the United States Patent office for the Electra GS nameplate, pairing the “Gran Sport” badge with a name that dates back to the first Electra model that debuted more than six decades ago. GM showed an Electra EV concept in 2020 in China and a sleek Buick Electra-X concept SUV this summer. As part of its plans to go to a fully electric lineup by 2030, Buick announced in June that an electric Electra — nice fit, no? — would be shown later this year and released in 2024. The addition of the prestigious Gran Sport badge refers back to the Buick muscle cars of the mid-Sixties, including the Skylark GS and the Riviera GS. It since has been applied to other Buicks, including the Regal GS. The brand has also indicated that it will launch at least two electric SUVs next year, but that plan might not entice some dealers to continue to sell and service Buicks: GM last month said it would offer dealerships in the United States buyouts if they balked at investing in the considerable upgrades required to service EVs. “Not everyone necessarily wants to make that journey, depending on where theyÂ’re located or the level of expenditure that the transition will demand,” Buick Global Vice President Duncan Aldred told the Wall Street Journal. “So if they want to exit the Buick franchise, then we will give them monetary assistance to do so.”       

GM CEO to meet with U.S. lawmakers over job cuts

WASHINGTON — General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra plans to visit Capitol Hill next week to discuss the company's plans to halt production at five plants in North America next year and cut up to 15,000 jobs, two congressional aides said on Friday. GM has come under harsh criticism from lawmakers from both major political parties, and from President Donald Trump, since Monday when it announced the biggest restructuring for the U.S. No. 1 carmaker since its bankruptcy a decade ago. Barra is expected to meet with lawmakers from Michigan and Ohio, where GM plans to shutter three plants, as well as senior leaders in Congress. GM did not immediately comment. Barra has been calling lawmakers this week to explain the decision to end production. Trump has threatened to revoke subsidies for GM. The Detroit automaker plans to halt production next year at three assembly plants: the Lordstown small-car factory near Youngstown, Ohio; the Detroit-Hamtramck complex in Detroit; and the Oshawa, Ontario, assembly complex near Toronto. It will also stop building several models now assembled at those plants, including the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, the Cadillac CT6 and the Buick LaCrosse. Additionally, GM plans to shutter the Warren transmission plant outside Detroit and a plant that makes electric motors and drivetrains outside Baltimore, Maryland. The Cruze compact car will be discontinued in the U.S. market in 2019, although GM may continue building it in Mexico for other markets, Barra said. Reporting by David Shepardson. Related Video: