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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.”       

Wagons make a bit of a comeback, with new models, sales on the rise

Consider this an official invitation to hop on the wagon bandwagon. There's still tons of room because, well, it's a wagon (and market share is still extremely small). But according to new data, the segment is growing. According to a report from Bloomberg, using data from Edmunds.com, roughly 211,600 Americans purchased wagons in 2018. That is technically down from the 237,600 sold in 2017, but wagon sales in the U.S. are up 29 percent from where they were five years ago. It's also the third year in a row that wagon sales broke the 200,000 mark. The sales trends have been somewhat representative of the availability of wagons. New models have debuted during the past 5 years and therefore offer more opportunity at more brands to buy wagons. In addition to more modest cars such as the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen, several luxury and performance brands are offering wagons today, such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar, Volvo and Buick. (Bloomberg's headlines make the point that "crossovers are for the Kardashians," and wagons are just, well, classier.) This uptick in brand-name availability, as well as extremely well-executed design on most of the wagons currently available, has helped increase the segment's desirability. That, and its ability to better accomplish the same tasks at hand while standing out from the crossover and SUV crowd. Still, the posted numbers represent a small fraction of the total vehicles sold. According to the data, wagons only held a 1.4 percent market share in 2017, the segment's best recent year. Wagons hold a steadfast place in America's past, and they're writing an interesting new story. With the downturn in traditional cars, they may continue to create an unexpected narrative. Related Video: News Source: Bloomberg, Edmunds Audi BMW Buick Volkswagen Volvo Wagon station wagon

2025 Buick Enclave changes trim names and pricing

Buick loves to fiddle with its trim names. In 2020, the Enclave offered Base, Essence, Premium and Avenir trims. Two years later, the trim steps went Preferred, Essence, Premium and Avenir. Two years later, in 2022, only Essence, Premium, and Avenir remained. And the 2025 Enclave has done another presto change-o, with Essense becoming Preferred, and Premium switching to Sport Touring. And while we knew that, what we didn't know were the prices for these reshuffled trims, which GM Authority sniffed out. MSRPs for the 2025 Enclave after the $1,395 destination charge, and their differences from 2024, are: Preferred: $46,395 ($1,100) Sport Touring: $48,795 (New trim) Avenir:  $59,395 ($500) These are all front-drivers, sending power to the rear wheels adds $2,000 to the price.  The Sport Touring costs $2,490 more than the entry-level Preferred, nearly 40% more than the current option price. Also, since it's a spiffier version of the Preferred, the Sport Touring is $3,800 less than the current middle trim, the 2024 Enclave Premium.     Mechanically, the Enclave gets the same turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder as the Acadia and Traverse as its sole engine option. Output comes to 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque, sent through an eight-speed automatic. Towing capacity is 5,000 pounds,  All Enclaves except the Avenir get a standard 30-inch instrument and infotainment display, floating center console, adjustable ambient lighting, wireless device charging and a 12-speaker. The range-topper takes the sound system to 16 speakers, adds a panoramic sunroof, front seat ventilation and massage function, rear seat heating, a head-up display, plus adaptive shocks working larger 22-inch wheels. The Sport Touring (ST), as one might expect, adopts black trim, including in the grille, and black 20-inch wheels.  Buick added standard ADAS perks like automatic emergency braking with intersection support, blind-spot monitoring with steering assist, plus lane-keep assist as standard. And Super Cruise will be an option. All told, it's a healthy improvement in features for relatively small price increases.