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Buick reveals new Verano in Shanghai

The lion's share of the new vehicles being showcased at the Shanghai Motor Show this week may never make their way to US showrooms. But Americans will surely want to note the unveiling of the all-new Buick Verano. The current compact sedan in the Buick lineup arrived in 2011, and is now preparing to enter its second generation with the model you see here. Details are the only element more scarce than photos (GM has released one thus far), but we can see that the new Verano adopts more dynamic styling than the model it replaces. The design borrows elements from the Riviera and Avenir concepts, with a more steeply raked windshield and rear glass said to give the new Verano a more elongated look (and lower drag coefficient) than its compact footprint would dictate. Up front you'll see Buick's signature waterfall grille, flanked by HID xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and taillamps. Motivation comes courtesy of a 1.5-liter turbocharged Ecotec four, driving 166 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque through a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The 17-inch wheels are shod with Continental rubber. Just how many of these specifications will remain relevant when the new Verano reaches Buick dealers on this side of the Pacific remains to be seen, but for now you can delve into the full press release below. Related Video: Buick Verano Debuts at Shanghai GM Gala Night New-generation sports sedan offers stylish exterior, class-leading fuel efficiency and precise handling SHANGHAI – Buick's new-generation sports sedan, the Verano, made its debut this evening at Shanghai GM Gala Night. It will be appearing on Shanghai GM's stand at Auto Shanghai 2015, which starts tomorrow. The brand's latest entry in the mid-range passenger car segment has a stylish exterior, class-leading fuel efficiency and precise handling. The Verano is targeted at individuals who value a personal and dynamic driving experience. Design inspired by Buick Riviera and Avenir concept cars The Verano was inspired by the new Buick Riviera concept car, which premiered in 2013, and captures the design essence of the Buick Avenir concept car, which debuted at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It represents an innovative interpretation of Buick's classic styling while exemplifying the elegance and dynamism of Buick's new-generation products.

GM says over 40% of new China launches in next five years will be EVs

SHANGHAI — General Motors is planning an electric car offensive in China with more than 40% of its new launches in the country over the next five years set to be electric vehicles (EVs), the U.S. carmaker said on Wednesday. GM's electric vehicles, many of which will be all-electric battery cars, will be manufactured in China with almost all parts coming from local suppliers, the company said in a statement released at its Tech Day event in Shanghai. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that GM was planning to overhaul its Chinese line-up to stem a slide of sales after more than two decades of growth in a country that contributes nearly a fifth of its profit. GM's new China boss Julian Blissett told Reuters that new technologies, such as EVs and cars with near hands-free driving for highways, would play a key role in GM's China initiatives, which are part of a push to get annual sales in the country back to the 4 million peak it hit in 2017. GM did not say in its statement how many new or significantly redesigned models it was planning to launch in China over the next five years. "China will play a crucial role in making our vision a reality," GM CEO Mary Barra said in the statement, referring to its initiative to create what it describes as a future of "zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion" through electrification and smart-driving technologies. GM has said it plans to invest more than $20 billion in electric and automated vehicles globally by 2025. It was not clear how much of that investment will be spent in China. (Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Shanghai; Editing by David Clarke) Related Video: Green Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM Electric China

GM's Ultium EV platform finally shows up in Q3 sales numbers

General Motors has heralded its Ultium battery-electric platform as the future of its passenger car and truck lineup, but for the first two years of its existence, its impact on the marketplace has been virtually nonexistent. Well, that finally changed in the third quarter of 2023, and while the cars based on this architecture don't represent anywhere near the volume of GM's broader combustion portfolio, we're reaching a point where Ultium products are finally in view (and in the hands) of real-world shoppers. At this point, five U.S.-market Ultium models are in production: the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer & Silverado EV, and BrightDrop Zevo 600. If you're not familiar with that last one, that's OK; it's a commercial product that you likely won't see on the road for some time. Together, these four combined for 4,257 sales in the third quarter alone — up from 2,663 for the entire first half of the year. While that may not seem like a significant uptick when viewed from altitude, the quarter-to-quarter numbers paint a clearer picture.  Let's toss out the stragglers first. The Chevy Blazer EV, and Silverado EV for example, are barely in production. GM delivered 19 Blazers and 18 Silverados in the third quarter and that's the entirety of their production runs so far. Likewise, GM's BrightDrop Zevo 600 delivery van effectively exists apart from the consumer marketplace, so its contribution of just 35 units can be set aside too. That leaves us the two you've heard of: the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq — models with high sticker prices and long reservation queues.  Through the second quarter (remember, we're talking six months here), GMC sold 49 Hummer EVs. No typo. In the three months that made up the third quarter, GM moved 1,167 of them. Not only is that a dramatic improvement over the first half, but it's more Hummers than GMC sold in the entirety of 2022 (854). Lyriq's improvement was less eye-popping on paper, but after moving just 122 total units in 2022 and 2,013 of them in the first half of 2023, Cadillac managed to up that figure to 3,018 units in the third quarter alone.  GM is betting its short-term EV future on the Ultium platform, so these trends need to continue if that's going to be a profitable wager.