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2023 Buick Envision prices up by at least $1,900 over 2022

When Buick uploads the configurator for the 2023 Envision, shoppers will find the mid-sized crossover more expensive than the 2022 model. GM Authority got hold of next year's pricing, revealing that MSRPs will go up by $1,900 on the bottom two trims and $5,810 on the top Avenir trim. The new math, which includes the destination charge increasing $200 to $1,395, erases the discounts that arrived with 2022 Envision pricing earlier this year. Retail cost for the coming Avenir with front-wheel drive after the destination charge will be: Preferred FWD: $34,795 Essence FWD: $38,895 Avenir FWD: $47,055 Adding all-wheel drive means another $1,800 on the Essence and Avenir. Doing the same for the entry-level Preferred means pushing MSRP up by $3,650 because of the $1,850 Convenience Package is mandatory when turning the rear axle.  The $1,900 upcharge for Preferred and Essence entails $1,500 for three years of OnStar and Connected Services, GM making the telematics service standard on the Cadillac, GMC, and Buick lineups as well as the Chevrolet Corvette for next year. That leaves the remaining $400 as a pure model-year price bump. The much larger rise for the Avenir is because it comes with a lot more equipment. For 2023 this trim makes the $1,965 and Technology Package II and $1,450 Panoramic Power Moonroof standard. The Technology Package adds enhanced LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, adaptive dampers, enhanced automatic emergency braking and parking assist, and a rear camera mirror with washer. Those bundles represent $3,415 of the upcharge, adding $1,500 for OnStar takes that to $4,915, leaving $895 as the model-year price bump. The rest should be carryover, save for potential changes to the exterior color menu. If there's any big news for the model next year, it would be the potential arrival of an Envision GX that would add about eight inches of overall length, with two of that between the wheels. Related video:

GM won't really kill off the Chevy Volt and Cadillac CT6, will it?

General Motors is apparently considering killing off six slow-selling models by 2020, according to Reuters. But is that really likely? The news is mentioned in a story where UAW president Dennis Williams notes that slumping US car sales could threaten jobs at low-volume factories. Still, we're skeptical that GM is really serious about killing those cars. Reuters specifically calls out the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Sonic, and the Chevrolet Volt. Most of these have been redesigned or refreshed within the past few model years. Four - the LaCrosse, Impala, CT6, and Volt - are built in the Hamtramck factory in Detroit. That plant has made only 35,000 cars this year - down 32 percent from 2016. A typical GM plant builds 200,000-300,000 vehicles a year. Of all the cars Williams listed, killing the XTS, Impala, and Sonic make the most sense. They're older and don't sell particularly well. On the other hand, axing the other three seems like an odd move. It would leave Buick and Cadillac without flagship sedans, at least until the rumored Cadillac CT8 arrives. The CT6 was a big investment for GM and backing out after just a few years would be a huge loss. It also uses GM's latest and best materials and technology, making us even more skeptical. The Volt is a hugely important car for Chevrolet, and supplementing it with a crossover makes more sense than replacing it with one. Offering one model with a range of powertrain variants like the Hyundai Ioniq and Toyota Prius might be another route GM could take. All six of these vehicles are sedans, Yes, crossover sales are booming, but there's still a huge market for cars. Backing away from these would be essentially giving up sales to competitors from around the globe. The UAW might simply be publicly pushing GM to move crossover production to Hamtramck to avoid closing the plant and laying off workers. Sales of passenger cars are down across both GM and the industry. Consolidating production in other plants and closing Hamtramck rather than having a single facility focus on sedans might make more sense from a business perspective. GM is also trying to reduce its unsold inventory, meaning current production may be slowed or halted while current cars move into customer hands. There's a lot of politics that goes into building a car. GM wants to do what makes the most sense from a business perspective, while the UAW doesn't workers to lose their jobs when a factory closes.

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.