2005 Buick Lesabre Custom Sedan 3.8l V6*** Gets 18/28 Mpg***garaged on 2040-cars

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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.

GM recalls 500K Chevy Camaros for ignition-switch defect

General Motors issued a recall for more than a half million Chevrolet Camaros on Friday morning because of an ignition-switch safety hazard that mirrors the one at the center of the company's current crisis.
The problem affects Camaro models from the 2010 to 2014 model years. Approximately 464,712 cars are impacted in the United States, and 511,528 overall in North America. GM will alter the Camaro key to a more standard design, and will notify car owners with a recall notice in the mail.
In an announcement, the company said the ignition switches on the Camaros are fundamentally different parts than the older ignition switches found on defective cars that are responsible for killing at least 13 people and causing 54 crashes.

GM applies to trademark Buick Envision GX

GM Authority found a GM application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reserve the name Buick Envision GX. We can't be certain, but it seems this all but confirms that the three-row Buick Envision, which debuted a year ago in China as the Envision Plus (pictured), will sell here as the Envision GX. Doing so would reinforce the naming convention established in the U.S. with the Encore and slightly larger Encore GX. Adding a third row to the compact two-row Envision extends three of of four dimensions. According to specs the Chinese transport ministry put online last year, the three-row Envision will be 190.7 inches long on a 111.5-inch wheelbase, increases of 8.2 and 2.1 inches, respectively. Height grows by 2.7 inches as well, only the 74.1-inch width holding steady.   That length has been utilized to make life easier for second- and third-row passengers. The Envision Plus in China comes with 2+3+2 seating, the second-row bench able to slide 9.8 inches. Behind that, cargo volume with the second and third rows stowed climbs from 52.7 cubic feet to 58 cubic feet. The sole engine will be the current Envision's 2.0-liter four-cylinder, making 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, sent to the wheels through a nine-speed automatic. Power gets sent to the front wheels as standard, and all-wheel drive will be an option.  On top of the extended rear overhang on the seven-seater, GM designers slipped in a few cosmetic changes to set it apart from the five-seater. A new horizontal trim piece connects the headlights, the lower bumper getting a pair of larger, reshaped intakes. A complementary horizontal slash connects slimmer taillights, the license plate surround squared off instead of trapezoid-shaped.  Related video: