2014 Audio Navigation Cashmere Cloth Dohc Engine Lifetime Powertrain Warranty on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Buick lowering base prices on Regal, Verano

Buick might have two new options for buyers in the market for an inexpensive luxury sedan. In a move similar to the introduction of the LaCrosse 1SV base trim a few months ago, the brand is ready to offer cheaper, entry-level versions of the Regal and Verano. Like the LaCrosse 1SV, the Verano 1SV mostly cuts dealer margins to reduce the cost for customers. The small sedan is priced at $21,065, plus $925 destination, which is a significant $2,315 drop compared to the next higher trim. The powertrain is still a 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 180 horsepower and 171 pound-feet of torque and a six-speed automatic, but buyers lose out on satellite radio. According to CarsDirect, dealers are making just $106 on this model, versus $935 on the higher grade. Meanwhile, the Regal 1SV charts a slightly different path to a lower price. The trim starts at $27,065, which is a $2,925 savings over the next trim. Buyers still get leather seats too, but the powertrain here is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder without eAssist that makes 182 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque and a six-speed automatic. That's a 77 hp deficit compared to the turbocharged Regal, and combined city/highway fuel economy dips to 23 miles per gallon combined, compared to 24 mpg with forced induction. Buick is introducing the 1SV models in hopes of grabbing more attention for the brand. "We added this new base level to some models as a means of expanding the opportunity for more customers to experience Buick vehicles. The addition of these trims will create an increased awareness and consideration of these vehicles when being compared to the competition," said company spokesperson Nick Richards to Autoblog. However, you might not see many of these inexpensive Buicks on the road. "On the Verano, we suspect dealers will opt to stay away from a car with around $100 between invoice and MSRP - that's the pattern we've been seeing on the LaCrosse 1SV, which is practically impossible to find," said CarsDirect Senior Pricing Analyst Alex Bernstein to Autoblog. Also, the Regal 1SV's switch to a less powerful, naturally aspirated engine "could be a turn-off for some shoppers," he said. Related Video:

Cadillac and Buick boost GM's return to growth in China

BEIJING — General Motors on Monday said continued market recovery from the COVID-19 crisis helped its China vehicle sales grow 12% on year in July-September, marking the Detroit automaker's first Chinese quarterly sales growth in two years. The second-biggest foreign automaker in China by units — after Germany's Volkswagen AG — said on Monday it had delivered 771,400 vehicles in China in the third quarter. That followed a 5% fall in the second quarter, when parts of China were still emerging from virus-busting lockdown measures. GM has a Shanghai-based joint venture with SAIC making Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles. It has another venture, SGMW, with SAIC and Guangxi Automobile Group, producing no-frills minivans and which has started manufacturing higher-end cars. Sales rose 26% for cars under its mass-market Buick brand in the third quarter versus the same period a year earlier, while those of premium brand Cadillac jumped 28%, GM said in a statement. Sales of its mass-market Chevrolet marque fell 20%. Sales of no-frills brand Wuling grew 26%, whereas those of mass-market Baojun vehicles tumbled 19%. "GM's compact models returned to four-cylinder engines and that helped sales growth," said LMC Automotive senior analyst Alan Kang, referring to an attempt to market cleaner but noisier three-cylinder versions. "Cadillac also has a more complete lineup this year." China's biggest automakers' association expects overall car sales to grow by double digits in July-September versus a year earlier. Makers such as Toyota, Honda and Geely saw sales jump in the just-finished quarter. GM has seen its China sales suffer in a crowded market and slowing economy. To revive its fortunes, it plans to have electric vehicles (EVs) make up over 40% of new models in the next five years in China, where the government promotes greener cars. The automaker's Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV, a micro two-door EV with a starting price of 28,800 yuan ($4,200), was China's biggest-selling EV in August. GM's sales fell 15% in 2019 from a year earlier to 3.09 million vehicles. The automaker delivered 3.65 million vehicles in 2018 and 4.04 million in 2017. Related Video:

New Buick Envision model spotted in China, expected here this year

At GM Capital Markets Day in February, GM North America president Barry Engle said the U.S. market can expect "updated models of Chevrolet Equinox and Traverse, Buick Envision and Enclave, as well as GMC Terrain." We've seen the Equinox and Traverse, and although we weren't aware, we've seen the Envision. Buick showed an EV crossover concept in 2018 called the Enspire, and it was thought to preview an eventual production model called the Enspire that's been spotted in various places testing under heavy camouflage in the U.S. GM, in fact, applied to trademark the Enspire name twice in the U.S. The model's final production form got an early reveal in China thanks to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and according to GM Authority, a branding redirection has led to the crossover being called the Envision. Assuming this is the model that comes to the U.S., it will share dealer space with the current Envision imported from China. Motor1 writes that Chinese site Auto Home alleges the name Envision S will distinguish the new product, and the tailgate in the low-res photo plausibly shows an S after the model name. That doesn't mean it would get the S suffix here, though. It's not clear if the coming crossover grows in size compared to the standard Envision the way the Encore GX expanded a touch over the Encore. The marquee difference will be that the new Envision is more luxurious in looks, equipment, and features. There are few details, but it's thought the Envision S sits on the same E2 platform as the Cadillac XT4, and will use the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the Cadillac paired with the automaker's nine-speed automatic. In the XT4, that mill produces 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, but across all its applications in the GM stable it makes anywhere from 230 to 237 hp.    What we can see is that the new CUV takes the Envision name in a more dynamic direction, starting with a trim upper front fascia that puts narrow headlights astride a wide grille clearly derived from the concept, the lower front fascia with chrome-lined outer intakes that recall the Aston Martin DBX. A diffuser-looking silver trim piece in front is mirrored in back. A sloping roof helps create the slim profile, leading to a trim backlight, thin taillights, and strong horizontals on the bumper that emphasize width.