1994 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon Wagon No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Buick announces Ultium-based EV for the Chinese market

Buick will expand its presence in the EV segment by launching a five-seater crossover on the Chinese market before the end of 2022. The model will use the Ultium technology developed by parent company General Motors, and it will be closely followed by another electric car. Official details about the model remain few and far between; we don't even know what it will be called yet. The company published an image that shows an electric platform topped by the outline of a crossover, and it clarified power will come from a battery pack with cells "tailored for China." The battery-powered Buick will also be available with the Super Cruise technology found in other General Motors models. The outline shares more than a passing resemblance with the heavily-camouflaged test mule that our spies spotted testing earlier in 2022, but it's difficult to tell whether we're looking at the same car. Trademark filings suggest Buick has several electric cars in the pipeline. While the crossover won't be the first electric Buick — the Velite 6 MAV went on sale in China in 2019 — executives have high hopes for it. To that end, the company will open up to 58 Buick EV City showrooms and over 600 Buick NEV Zones across China. It's also working with "mainstream third-party charging operators" to make over 400,000 charging points available throughout China by the end of 2023. Buick will release additional details about its upcoming electric model before the end of 2022, and deliveries are scheduled to start in the first half of 2023 on the Chinese market. As of writing, it's too early to tell whether the EV will join the Envista on its trip across the Pacific or stay in China. Looking ahead, the brand announced plans to release a second electric car built around Ultium technology before the end of 2023.

Buick tops in Consumer Reports' annual brand rankings

Buick is the first US-based automotive brand to crack the top 10 in Consumer Reports magazine's annual brand report cards. US automakers also placed three vehicles on the magazine's list of "top picks" for vehicles, the first time that's happened in 17 years. The rankings were unveiled Tuesday in the magazine's annual auto issue. Buick placed seventh in the brand rankings. But the brand rankings and top picks still were dominated by Japanese and German manufacturers, with Lexus, Mazda, Toyota, Audi and Subaru taking the top five brand spots. The magazine calculates each brand's overall score with a composite of its vehicles' road-test scores and reliability scores for each model in its annual survey of subscribers. It's the third year for the brand rankings. Porsche placed just ahead of Buick at number six, while Honda, Kia and BMW rounded out the top 10 brands. Mercedes-Benz, Acura and Infiniti all suffered precipitous declines in their rankings due to unreliable new models or poor road test scores. Mercedes fell out of the top 10 to 21st, while Acura dropped from number two to 11 with an unimpressive test of the new RLX sedan, the magazine said. In the model rankings, the top overall finisher was California-based Tesla's Model S electric car, for the second year in a row. The Model S, which cost the magazine $89,650, finished first due to its performance and technical innovations, the magazine said. Buick's Regal midsize car beat the BMW 328i as the top sports sedan, and the Chevrolet Impala was named the top large car. The model rankings show Consumer Reports' favorite among the 270 vehicles its team has recently tested. The rankings are closely watched in the auto industry, since shoppers consistently cite Consumer Reports as a main source of car-buying advice. Other top picks included the Subaru Impreza in the compact car category, Subaru Legacy in midsize cars, Toyota Prius as the best green car, Audi A6 luxury car, Subaru Forester small SUV, Toyota Highlander midsize SUV and the Honda Odyssey minivan. Japanese vehicles won six of 10 top pick categories, but that was the smallest number in the 19-year history of Consumer Reports top picks. "For years domestic automakers built lower-priced and lower-quality alternatives to imports, but those days are behind us," said Jake Fisher, the magazine's director of automotive testing. But other U.S.-based automakers still had problems.

2013 Buick Enclave

GM's Flagship Lambda Is (Still) A Smooth Operator
Consumers shopping for a domestic full-size crossover have heard all about GM's triplets. The Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave are a very appealing and talented group of siblings. Entering their fifth year of production, albeit middle-age in the automotive industry, each is attractive, well-rounded and very capable on the paved dance floor. While all share nearly identical base DNA and the same basic running gear, subtle physical differences and unique personalities emerge between the trio when one digs a bit deeper.
The most polished of the threesome, without question, is the Enclave from Buick. Fresh off a mid-cycle update (as are its siblings), the flagship of the platform boasts a facelift, innovative new features and an upgraded demeanor for the new model year.