2014 Buick Lacrosse Premium Ii on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Buick Avenir concept struts into Motown

We love auto show surprises, and Buick has already gifted us a sparkly package on the eve of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Dubbed Avenir, this four-door concept is said to signal the future of the Trishield brand by previewing a possible flagship sedan. Incorporating time-honored Buick design hallmarks like the sweep-spear profile, Ventiports, and even a subtle boattail rear-end, the four-place sedan is powered by a surprisingly real-world powertrain – namely a next-generation V6 with cylinder deactivation and stop/start, with the most interesting part of the driveline arguably being a "twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system" and a nine-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Make no mistake, this is a big car. At 204.5 inches long, it's longer than a standard-wheelbase Cadillac Escalade – a span that's emphasized by the car's long hood and waterfall grille – though it's not quite as wide. While clearly a showcar, the beautifully crafted interior looks largely produceable, including attributes like a next-generation 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system and 4G LTE wifi, but we suspect a production car would pick up a third rear seatbelt and give away some of its flowing contours that are said to have been "inspired by nature and sea waves receding on a beach." No word yet on whether there's actually a showroom future for a car like this – it could simply be an exercise designed to test the waters for a next-generation LaCrosse. After all, sedans aren't exactly popular concept fodder these days, especially as crossovers continue to eat into traditional sedan sales in many of the world's markets. However, China still loves the coddling rear seats of a proper four-door sedan (which in this case include silk and bamboo elements), and with a majority of Buick sales happening in the People's Republic, the Asian nation controls the destiny of this General Motors brand. Said another way? Anything is possible, especially with General Motors known to be working on a large flagship sedan for Cadillac already – the Avenir is reportedly based on the same Omega architecture that will underpin the forthcoming CT6. What do you think? Is this a promising direction for the resurgent Buick? Scroll through our gallery, check out the video, and then have your say in Comments.

Buick struggling to keep up with Encore demand

Buick is having a hard time keeping up with demand for its all-new Encore mini-CUV, according to a report from Automotive News. The stylish, lifted five-door went on sale in January, but dealers have reported that supplies have dwindled after the initial high demand, taking the proverbial "wind out of the sails."
General Motors admits that it underestimated demand for the diminutive Buick, which is built in Korea and sold as the Opel Mokka in Europe, where it's also seen success. Buick spokesperson Nick Richards told AN, "We increased production, so there have been a lot more landing within the last month."
Buick has done a booming business, though, even with its limited supply of Encores. With over 12,000 units sold in the first half of 2013, the small CUV is on pace to annihilate industry analysts' estimates, which predicted no more than 18,500 units in 2013. We're not entirely surprised. When we first drove the Encore late last year, Autoblog professed that we had no idea how sales would turn out, as the Encore wasn't really entering into an established segment. Even so, wefound a surprising amount to like in the Encore, enough that we "wouldn't bet against it" being a major success.

2020 Buick Encore GX pricing makes it a better bargain than the smaller Encore

In April, Buick revealed the Encore GX at Auto Shanghai. At the time, we thought there was a chance the slightly larger GX would supplant the Encore in the U.S. By August, we learned that wouldn't happen, the Encore GX slotting into the lineup between the Encore and the Envision. With nearly $8,000 between the starting prices of the Encore and the Envision, there'd be plenty of room for the GX to find a good home leaving plenty of MSRP daylight between the crossover bookends. That doesn't appear to be what's happened, though. CarsDirect got hold of an early order guide for the Encore GX, and writes that the Encore GX in Preferred trim will cost $24,100 before a $995 destination charge, totaling $25,095. That's $900 more than the entry-level Encore in 1SV trim, but $500 less than the Encore in comparable Preferred trim.    The Encore offers an intermediate Sport Touring trim between Preferred and top-level Essence trims. The Encore GX will come in an intermediate Select trim, which CarsDirect didn't mention a price for. Stepping up to the top Essence variant with front-wheel drive costs $29,495 for the Encore GX, $800 less than a similar Encore, which costs $30,295.   If these are the figures that show up on dealer lots, the Encore GX seems like a no-brainer. The Encore rides on an older GM platform called GEM, for Global Emerging Markets, the GX model is built on GM's new VSS-F architecture. Both are fine looking vehicles, but the GX is a little more handsome. The Encore offers one engine, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder with 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, shifting through a six-speed transmission. The base engine on the Encore GX will be a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with an estimated 137 hp and 166 lb-ft, shifting through a CVT. The second GX engine is a 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with an estimated 155 hp and 174 lb-ft, optional on the front-wheel drive Select and Essence trims, standard on every all-wheel-drive model. That more powerful motor shifts through a nine-speed automatic.  As if all that weren't enough, the GX's reason for being is that it offers more room. An additional three inches in length provides an extra 4.7 cubic feet of cargo room behind the second row. The GX wins on safety, too, coming standard with tech like forward collision alert, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and automatic emergency braking.