1969 Buick Skylark, 2 Door Hard Top on 2040-cars

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2016 Buick Regal prices slashed

The Buick Regal is getting an aggressive price cut for the 2016 model year to keep pace in a crossover-centric world and its own hyper-competitive midsize sedan segment. The 2016 Buick Regal GS now starts at $35,915, after a $925 destination charge, which amounts to a $3,320 price cut compared to 2015. There's no de-contenting associated with the cost decreases either, and the vehicles are now available with Apple CarPlay. The lower prices follow through much of the lineup. The 1SP Premium model sees a $2,535 savings at $33,415 after destination; the 1SL trim falls $1,000 to $30,840; and the 1SV maintains at $28,915. The decision to make these cuts is meant to better position the midsize sedan against its rivals. "We know consumer sentiment towards sedans has decreased," Buick spokesperson Nick Richards said to Autoblog. CUVs like the company's own Encore are where buyers are moving. "Repositioning the Regal to more aggressively compete in the midsize sedan segment is the first of many steps we are taking in advance of next year's product offensive," Buick sales vice president Duncan Aldred said in a letter to dealers, according to USA Today. The decision probably couldn't have come at a better time because the Regal has suffered so far in 2015. Through July, the company has delivered 10,928 of them, down a significant 19.3 percent from the same period last year. A recent study also found that the model was among the most likely in the US to be sold after just one year of ownership.

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

Buick Electra E5 interior debuts with a 30-inch, 6K OLED display

After a Chinese ministry outed the Electra E5 two months ago, Buick China officially revealed the exterior about a month ago. Now it's time for the five-seat battery-electric crossover's interior. Buick's first ride on the Ultium platform not only looks good, it's full of tech. Those aspects come together in the cabin's biggest lure to the eye, the Virtual Cockpit and its 30-inch EyeMax curved LCD screen. The manufacturer says that in addition to 6K resolution, the screen can display one billion colors — a chromatic range that every mantis shrimp with a driver's license will appreciate. The tech continues in premium touches like the 12.6-inch heads-up display, 121 colors of ambient lighting, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless phone charging. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip provides faster processing, enables 5G connectivity, and can manage OTA updates for multiple in-car modules simultaneously. Comparing the Electra E5 interior to our flagship Enclave Avenir, it's easy to make connections in the design language. Still, there's no question the Electra represents a big evolution. The steering wheel design, sculpted seat bolsters, and floating headrests are edging toward racy. The arbitrary curves that create layers of instruments in the Enclave are gone, the Electra using each input zone naturally carve out its own space on the IP. And with Buick describing this as a large mid-sizer, the floating center console gives front occupants plenty of cubby room, rear passengers enjoying the 40.5 inches of rear legroom. Remember, this sits on the same wheelbase as the imminent 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, but stretches about two inches longer in overall length. The Buick's materials are expected to make an upgrade as well, with micro-perforated leather, soft-touch plastics, and brushed aluminum accents. The Electra E5 should hit the Chinese market before the middle of the year. There's a version coming for the U.S., expected to arrive in time for the 2024 model year. We're not sure how much of what we see here will carry over. We know we're looking for something more potent than the 241-horsepower, single-motor powertrain which is the only one we've heard about for the Chinese-market Electra E5 so far. But assuming it is as nice as it looks, that cabin can come as-is. Related video: