1987 Buick Grand National 3.8l Turbo - Intercooled on 2040-cars

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GM says over 40% of new China launches in next five years will be EVs

SHANGHAI — General Motors is planning an electric car offensive in China with more than 40% of its new launches in the country over the next five years set to be electric vehicles (EVs), the U.S. carmaker said on Wednesday. GM's electric vehicles, many of which will be all-electric battery cars, will be manufactured in China with almost all parts coming from local suppliers, the company said in a statement released at its Tech Day event in Shanghai. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that GM was planning to overhaul its Chinese line-up to stem a slide of sales after more than two decades of growth in a country that contributes nearly a fifth of its profit. GM's new China boss Julian Blissett told Reuters that new technologies, such as EVs and cars with near hands-free driving for highways, would play a key role in GM's China initiatives, which are part of a push to get annual sales in the country back to the 4 million peak it hit in 2017. GM did not say in its statement how many new or significantly redesigned models it was planning to launch in China over the next five years. "China will play a crucial role in making our vision a reality," GM CEO Mary Barra said in the statement, referring to its initiative to create what it describes as a future of "zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion" through electrification and smart-driving technologies. GM has said it plans to invest more than $20 billion in electric and automated vehicles globally by 2025. It was not clear how much of that investment will be spent in China. (Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Shanghai; Editing by David Clarke) Related Video: Green Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM Electric China

Junkyard Gem: 1985 Buick Skyhawk Custom Coupe

General Motors began building cars on the compact J Platform in 1981, and J-based machinery stayed in production all the way through the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire. The best-known of the J-cars in North America was always the Cavalier, but The General's Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and even Cadillac divisions each sold their own Js here. The Buick version was the Skyhawk, built for the 1982 through 1989 model years. Here's a sporty '85 Skyhawk coupe, found in a Northern California boneyard recently. The Custom trim level was the cheapest version of the Skyhawk in 1985, and the two door was the most affordable configuration (midgrade Skyhawks were Limiteds and the T-Type was at the top of the Skyhawk pyramid that year). The MSRP on this car started at $7,512 (about $21,220 in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars), making it the least expensive new Buick offered for sale in the United States in 1985. The Skyhawk name had been used on the Buick version of the Chevrolet Monza during the 1970s. The Chevrolet-badged sibling of this car was much cheaper, with the list price of the base '85 Cavalier coupe set at $6,872 (around $19,410 today). There were cheaper new Chevrolets that year, of course; a new Chevette cost just $5,470, while the Isuzu-built Spectrum was $6,295 and the Suzuki-built Sprint a skinflinty $5,151. The base engine in the Custom and Limited was this 2.0-liter SOHC straight-four rated at 86 horsepower. A turbocharged 1.8-liter version with 150 horses was available for an extra 800 bucks ($2,260 now). A four-on-the-floor manual transmission was standard equipment in the 1985 Skyhawk, but the buyers of most of these cars insisted on automatics. The price for this one was $425 ($1,200 today). A five-speed manual cost just $75 ($210). Velour-ish upholstery in Bordello Red (Buick didn't use that name) was all the rage during the 1980s and well into the 1990s. This car's interior looks pretty nice, considering where it's parked. Community Buick GMC in Iowa is still in business today. The five-digit odometer means we can't know how many miles were on this car at the end. I brought a Chicago-made 1950s Pho-Tak Foldex 30 film camera with me to the junkyard that day, as one does, and I photographed the Skyhawk on Kodak Portra 160 film. The irritatingly perky Skyhawk owners in this TV commercial appear to be about one-third the age of typical mid-1980s Buick shoppers.

Buick unveils new Verano hatchback in Guangzhou

This is a Buick Verano. We know, it doesn't look like a Verano – or at least not the version we get here. In fact it looks more like the new Opel Astra with a Buick grille. Which makes sense, because that's pretty much what it is. The vehicle you're looking at is the new Buick Verano Hatchback, unveiled just days ago at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China – arguably the only market that matters as much to the brand as the United States. Like the sedan revealed this past April in Shanghai, the hatchback is a newer model than the US-market version, based on the new Opel Astra, but with that signature waterfall grille. Otherwise, it looks virtually identical to the version sold as an Opel in Europe and a Vauxhall in the UK. Buick will be offering two versions of the Verano hatch in China. The base model pairs a 1.5-liter inline four good for 117 horsepower and 108 pound-feet of torque to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The sportier Verano GS packs a more potent version of the same engine, rated at 166 hp and 184 pound-feet and paired to a seven-speed DSG. That's enough to propel it to 62 in 8.8 seconds, but displacing less than 1.6 liters, both versions come in under the Chinese tax threshold so they're taxed 50-percent less. Between the Verano and Astra, we've now seen this new model in three different body-styles being sold in markets around the world. The sedans, hatchbacks, and wagons seem to be proliferating like so many jackrabbits, but keep hopping away just out of reach. So here's hoping that the next leap it takes will be to US showrooms. Related Video: Buick Launches Verano Hatchback and Verano GS Priced from RMB 145,900 to RMB 205,900 2015-11-18 Guangzhou – Buick launched the new Verano Hatchback and Verano GS this evening in Guangzhou, China. The five variants of the two newest members of the Verano family are priced from RMB 145,900 to RMB 205,900. Buick's 740 dealerships across China have begun accepting pre-orders. The new Verano models have trendy, sporty styling along with European car-like handling, premium interiors and advanced technology. They are targeted at younger trend-setting consumers who are looking for a driving experience that is "born with sportiness." Stylish and sporty exterior The Verano Hatchback and Verano GS have adopted Buick's latest design language for sport sedans. The brand's signature waterfall grille has taken on a creative frameless design, with a newly added piano black finish.