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2025 Buick Enclave teased with Wildcat EV styling language

We’ve seen spy photos both inside and outside the 2025 Buick Enclave, and now Buick is offering the first official look at its three-row SUV with this new teaser. The tease comes in the form of sketches, and Buick appears to be following a similar format as it has with other recent vehicles. Despite there still not being any EVs in the lineup, its new gasoline-powered cars are taking on styling elements pioneered by the Buick Wildcat EV Concept. ThatÂ’s seen in the shape of the running lights, the low and wide grille and the sculpting of the lower front bumper. “With this first glimpse of the next-generation Enclave, the flagship of our lineup, weÂ’re continuing to lead with design, technology and BuickÂ’s unique premium persona,” says Duncan Aldred, VP of Buick and GMC. The sketches of the Enclave all depict a car that looks more aggressive and outwardly edgy than the spy shots have shown so far, which isnÂ’t a total surprise given the propensity of designersÂ’ sketches to exaggerate certain elements of a car. That said, it gives us some hope that the new Enclave will really pop when Buick reveals it along with features and pricing “later this year.”  Related video:

2020 Buick Encore drops more powerful 1.4-liter four-cylinder option

It's not just Chevrolet Equinox, Terrain and Traverse crossovers and Cadillac CT6 enjoying the engine and trim switcheroos this spring. Based on the order guide, CarsDirect reports that the Buick Encore, Buick's most popular model by far, will lose one of its two engines. The 2019 Encore offers a 1.4-liter four-cylinder in two guises: one with 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, the other with 153 hp and 177 lb-ft and stop/start. The more powerful version will not be an option on the 2020 Encore. The upgraded motor is a $250 option, but only after spending an additional $2,600 to move up to the Sport Touring trim, or shelling out $6,100 to reach the Essence trim. Aggressive deals could make the higher trims more economical, though; at the time of writing, the Sport Touring Encore includes $3,250 cash allowance, making it $650 less expensive than the base Encore 1SV. The more powerful 1.4-liter engine also delivered better gas mileage, with buyers getting one more mile per gallon in combined driving. Even so, buyers didn't dig it. In comments to CarsDirect, a Buick spokesperson said those purchasing 2019 Encores have only chosen the burlier motor 12 percent of the time. The weak take-rate could end up doing Buick an easy favor. The Buick Encore GX is expected to make landfall on U.S. shores sometime this year, riding on a different platform than our present Encore, and bringing a longer wheelbase with it. It will slide into the lineup between the $23,200 Encore and $31,995 Envision. This is all hypothetical at the moment, of course, but that seems a perfect place to insert the 153-hp 1.4-liter as an exclusive standard feature.

NHTSA may greatly expand GM airbag recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pondering whether to dramatically upscale a pair of airbag recalls on General Motors vehicles. The two existing campaigns, one launched in the fall of 2012 and the other in January of this year covered just 6,845 vehicles, but the government agency is considering whether to boost the recall to around 400,000 units.
The existing recalls involve the the closely related 2012 Buick Verano (shown) and Chevrolet Cruze sedans, along with Sonic and Camaro models. The root of the problem is a shorting bar in the inflator module of the steering-wheel-mounted airbag that may contact the primary state airbag terminal, a condition that could prevent deployment in an accident. Dealer technicians have been replacing the steering wheel airbag coils to fix the issue.
According to a post on NHTSA's website, the root cause, said to be a production issue, may not have been completely isolated - particularly for the second recall, which was for the Camaro. According to Automotive News, GM says it is cooperating with the government investigation, but won't say whether or not it knows the true origin of the problem.