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Buick Envision CUV displays full-frontal nudity

Earlier this month, Shanghai GM gave us a glimpse of the production version of the Buick Envision concept revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show back in 2011. And now it's released the first unveiled shot and initial details of the crossover to slot in the considerable gap between the Encore and Enclave.
The new Envision is set later this year to reach Chinese showrooms, where it will be called the Ang Ke Wei, after which we're expecting it to arrive Stateside. The production-ready Envision is about the size of the Chevrolet Equinox or GMC Terrain, but is differentiated by a more upscale treatment and Buick's signature waterfall grille, flanked by Xenon headlamps and LED running lights and riding on 19-inch wheels.
Power comes from GM's familiar 2.0-liter turbo four with direct injection and stop/start ignition, driving 256 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. That's about all that GM's Chinese operation has announced at this point - it's not even clear what platform the vehicle is on - but you can check out the press release for yourself below.

2024 Buick Envista First Drive Review: Budget belle

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Want an affordable small crossover that looks and feels good, might even impress your passengers, and wonÂ’t make your eyes go cross while configuring one online? BuickÂ’s got a new one for you, and itÂ’s pretty slick. The 2024 Buick Envista starts below $25,000, and in a world of rampant inflation, it actually lives up to what you thought that much money could get you a few years ago. You should be pleasantly surprised with what you get — just donÂ’t ask for all-wheel drive or an engine upgrade. To these eyes, the Envista looks good from all angles. While the refresh of the Buick Encore GX for the 2024 model year was the first production vehicle to use design elements inspired by the Buick Wildcat EV concept, the Envista marks the “first complete expression” of that new design language, as Buick design boss Bob Boniface put it. No, itÂ’s not a two-door coupe like the Wildcat, and it still doesnÂ’t have the WildcatÂ’s electric powertrain, but those looks translate even better to a new vehicle designed from the ground up. It has the pointy nose, the high, wing-like headlights and the new tri-shield Buick logo that also made its way onto the Encore. But the Envista has a swept-back profile, with the roofline giving way to a toned-down example of rear shoulders flaring out over the wheels. The nicely tucked rear end is home to lighting that better matches the units up front. ItÂ’s lower and sleeker than the Encore, putting itself more visually at the car end of the crossover spectrum, while the GX leans more toward SUV. And youÂ’ll get a more carlike drive from the Envista, too. ThereÂ’s only one powertrain: a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder powering the front wheels. ThereÂ’s no AWD option here, and no four-cylinder. Not even a 1.3-liter upgrade like in the Encore GX. There is a traditional automatic transmission with only six forward gears, and no dreaded CVT in sight. ThereÂ’s very little you could do on the order sheet to change the way the Envista drives — pick a version with the upgraded rear suspension that Buick claims provides a more superior ride (a Watts link for those who care) or change up the wheel size, maybe — but certainly not in terms of what drives the wheels. You get 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque in the Envista, figures that are awfully low these days, but that we also found perfectly suited to this mission.

How tariffs in China could cause a meltdown in the American South

While BMW is clearly a German company, the crossovers that are exceedingly important to it are actually made in Spartanburg, South Carolina. And more than that, the Spartanburg plant (physically located in the town of Greer) is where the corporate know-how and capability for those vehicles is concentrated. These are the vehicles – specifically, the BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 – that drove record growth for the company in 2018, according to BMW. But whatÂ’s most notable about BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, given current events, is that according to the U.S. Department of Commerce it was the largest automotive exporter by value for the fifth year running in 2018. ThatÂ’s worth emphasizing: largest automotive exporter by value. Not GM. Not Ford. BMW. And where might one assume that more than a few of those X vehicles are shipped to? China. Some 360 miles southwest of Spartanburg is Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., in in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It started building vehicles in 1997. Since then, Daimler AG has invested in excess of $5.5 billion in the facility. It manufactures the crossover now known as the GLE, formerly the ML-Class. It also makes the GLE coupe and GLS. Daimler describes the Tuscaloosa facility as “the traditional home of SUV production” for those vehicles. When it reported its global 2018 sales, Daimler noted that on a global basis SUVs account “for more than a third of all Mercedes-Benz sales.” According to the Chinese finance ministry, on December 15th the Chinese government will impose a 25% tariff on automobiles (and a 5% tariff on auto parts) from the U.S. Certainly this is going to have a direct effect on the sales of vehicles that are manufactured in the U.S. and exported to China. BMW and Mercedes are going to take it on the chin for the vehicles that they make in plants that they invested in so heavily in the U.S. Which could potentially mean that people in places like Greer, South Carolina, and Vance, Alabama, are going to find themselves in the crosshairs of the combatants. Soo too could Lincoln, which produces vehicles in places like Louisville, Kentucky (Navigator), Chicago, Illinois (Aviator) and Flat Rock, Michigan (Continental). Although the Tesla Gigafactory 3 is rapidly nearing completion in Shanghai, it is worth noting that vehicles built in Fremont, California, are being sold in China in numbers that donÂ’t make Musk unhappy.