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GM seeks to exempt Buick Envision from U.S. auto tariffs

General Motors is seeking an exemption to a 25 percent U.S. tariff on its Chinese-made Buick Envision sport utility, the automaker said on Thursday, in a move to prevent the key model in the brand's U.S. lineup from becoming a victim of the U.S.-China trade war. The midsize SUV, priced starting at about $35,000, has become a target for critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the United Auto Workers union and members in key political swing states such as Michigan and Ohio. The Envision, assembled only in China, last year accounted for about 19 percent of Buick brand sales in the United States. GM said in a statement that it filed the request on July 30 with the U.S. Trade Representative. An official notice was posted on Thursday on the regulations.gov website, which is tracking requests for exclusions from the so-called Section 301 tariff on certain imported goods from China. GM, the largest U.S. automaker, argued in its request that Envision sales in China and the United States would generate funds "to invest in our U.S. manufacturing facilities and to develop the next generation of automotive technology in the United States." GM said the "vast majority" of Envisions, about 200,000 a year, are sold in China. About 41,000 were sold last year in the United States. Because of the lower U.S. sales volume, "assembly in our home market is not an option" for the Envision, which competes with such midsize crossover vehicles as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Cadillac XT5. GM has taken other steps to soften the blow of tariffs, which hit just as the automaker had lowered the price of the Envision to make it more competitive. Ahead of the July 6 start for higher import tariffs, GM shipped in a six-month supply of Envisions at the much lower 2.5 percent tariff rate. Envision sales from April through June plunged to just 7,000 vehicles, while inventories climbed to more than 13,000 vehicles at the end of June. At the current sales rate, the Envision supply should be enough to keep many dealers stocked through the end of the year. GM had lowered prices by as much as $2,500 on the 2019 models, which it started shipping in late April. That means Buick's 2,000 U.S. dealers should have lower-priced Envisions to sell well into the fall. "The previous price point was too high" on the 2018 Envision, said Casey Clark, sales manager at Serra Buick GMC Cadillac in Washington, Michigan, in an interview.

2020 Buick Encore GX First Drive | Bringing serenity to the subcompact market

With Buick seeing sales success in our crossover-crazed world, it’s no wonder the company is adding to its crossover lineup with the 2020 Buick Encore GX. It sits just above the existing Encore, and it offers more space and new turbocharged engines for just a bit more money. In fact, as it starts at just $900 more than the existing Encore and offers more power, space and fuel economy, itÂ’s unquestionably the Encore version to get when heading to your Buick dealer. But compared with other crossovers, the BuickÂ’s only real advantage is in its quietness, refined powertrain and upmarket badge. Otherwise it's a fine but unexceptional crossover. Powering the Encore GX is your choice of small turbocharged three-cylinder engines. The standard engine, available with every trim, is a 1.2-liter unit making 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. ItÂ’s only able to be paired with a CVT and front-wheel drive. ItÂ’s also not the most efficient powertrain offering, returning 28 mpg in town, 31 on the highway, and 29 combined. The optional engine, available only on the upper two trims Select and Essence, is a 1.3-liter example making 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. This engine can be paired with a CVT and front-wheel drive, or a nine-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel-drive. Also, because of efficiency boosters such as an offset crankshaft, electric oil pump, electric brake booster and electric turbo wastegate, itÂ’s the most efficient choice. With the CVT and front-wheel drive, the Encore GX manages 30 mpg in the city, 32 on the highway, and 31 combined. The all-wheel-drive version only gets 26 mpg in town, 29 on the highway and 28 combined. Our test car was an Encore GX with the 1.3-liter engine and the CVT, and on paper, itÂ’s the engine to go with. ItÂ’s more power with less fuel use. And while itÂ’s not the most powerful car in its segment, its torque is accessible throughout the rev band, so it never feels slow. Buick has done an excellent job keeping the engine quiet, either through powertrain refinement or through extensive sound deadening. YouÂ’ll never hear more than a faint growl from under the hood. The CVT is absolutely the transmission to choose, too. ItÂ’s amazingly smooth and unobtrusive. The revs are always kept low and thereÂ’s just enough variance in them that it doesnÂ’t feel like a rubber band. It responds fast to your right foot, too, so you arenÂ’t waiting for more rpm when needing to accelerate faster.

GM to offer 2 years free maintance on most 2014 models

A day after Ford announced it was scaling back the complimentary maintenance program for its Lincoln brand, General Motors has gone in the completely opposite direction, offering most of its 2014 lineup with free maintenance. Since 2011, Cadillac models have all come with a four-year/50,000-mile complimentary maintenance program, but Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles will now come standard with free maintenance for two years or 24,000 miles for the 2014 model year.
The program will give vehicle owners and lessees free oil changes, tire rotations and 27-point inspections following the recommended maintenance schedule laid out in each vehicle's owner's manual. We contacted GM to see which vehicles were eligible for the program, and a spokesperson got back to us with the following comment:
"All 2014 models are eligible, it's just that the included services vary by model, e.g., Spark EV would not need oil changes, Corvettes don't recommend tire rotations."