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Next Buick Regal coming in 2017, could be imported from Germany

The Buick Regal is based on the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, a pair of sedans from General Motors' European and British outfits. In fact, over 46,000 Regals from model years 2010 and 2011 were screwed together on the same lines as the Insignia twins, before GM's Oshawa, Ontario factory took over production fully. Considering this closeness, rumors that claim the next-generation Regal - due for 2017 - could move back to Europe aren't terribly surprising. Here's why, according to Automotive News.
Oshawa is home to three other vehicles, aside from the Regal - the Chevrolet Camaro, Impala rental queen and the Cadillac XTS. We already know next-gen Camaro production is headed to Lansing, MI, and that the fleet-only Impala will (finally!) die in 2016. As for the XTS, as AN explains it, sales are so slow that GM will either kill it or just shuffle its production volume elsewhere.
Taken along with the fact that Unifor, the Canadian labor union repping workers at the Oshawa factory, claim GM hasn't made any guarantees about future production at the nearly 60-year-old factory, it seems fairly clear that the Regal's current factory is going to be put out to pasture.

Buick resurrects the Electra nameplate on a science fiction-like electric concept

Buick plans to broaden its range of electric cars in the coming years, and it still owns the rights to the heritage-laced Electra nameplate, so it was only a matter of time before the past and the future met head-on. Buick resurrected the name it used between the 1959 and 1990 model years on a futuristic, battery-powered concept car. Created by a Shanghai-based design studio, the Electra concept takes the form of either a tall sedan or a low crossover, depending on your perspective. While it's not officially a preview of an upcoming production model, it ushers in a design language named Potential Energy that will permeate most of the electric cars the firm will release during the 2020s. It's inspired by a space capsule, according to Buick, so its greenhouse was drawn to resemble a glass pod. Its surfaces are sculpted but not chiseled, and its front fascia wears LED lights with a three-dimensional effect. Fear not: Stylists didn't forget the seemingly obligatory back-lit emblem. Butterfly doors provide access to the cabin, where the space capsule theme continues. Buick packed the Electra with cutting-edge technology features, but it concealed them rather well to avoid a tech overload. The driver faces a rectangular steering wheel that retracts when it's not needed, behind which is a wide, curved screen that replaces all of the buttons, knobs, and switches normally found in a car's interior. An electric motor is far more compact than a comparable four- or six-cylinder engine, so designers were able to carve out a generously sized interior. Engineers embedded technology into the Electra from the project's earliest stage. It's equipped with software named eConnect that supports over-the-air updates, provides on-demand information about a specific trip, and gives details about the various electronic driving aids. An artificial intelligence-powered assistant lets users perform various tasks, such as setting the air conditioning or controlling home devices, with voice commands. Buick noted the Electra offers about 410 miles of driving range thanks in part to the Ultium battery technology developed by General Motors to power a wide selection of electric models, including the Cadillac Lyriq, the GMC Hummer, and a pair of Honda-badged models scheduled to go on sale for the 2024 model year.

Buick trademarks several variants of Electra name

The Buick Electra was a sometimes-handsome full-size car that sold for decades, but its time came to an end in the early 1990s as the automaker moved toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. That will soon change, as Buick and parent company General Motors recently filed for a series of trademarks for the name. Motor Authority reported that GM filed trademark names ranging from Electra E1 to E9. Though Buick unveiled the Wildcat EV concept earlier this year, it is GM’s only brand without a publicly announced electric vehicle. It has said that an Electra EV would be coming to the U.S. but has not confirmed when itÂ’ll arrive or what it will look like when it does. The automaker says its first EV will come in 2024 and notes that it will offer an all-electric lineup in the U.S. and Canada by 2030, though, so itÂ’s only a matter of time. General Motors already trademarked the Electra GS name last month, which could indicate a high-performance variant in the model line. ItÂ’s unclear if Buick will stick to the Electra formula and make a sleek electric car or if it will use the name on a line of electric crossovers, following the rest of its vehicle catalog. GM Authority spotted an electric crossover testing in China in late October, which could be our first look at the automakerÂ’s newest EV.   The Electra will likely ride on GMÂ’s Ultium platform, whatever the form. The architecture underpins the GMC Hummer EV and will carry the upcoming crop of electric SUVs and trucks from Chevrolet and GMC. Related video: