Buick Lesabre 3.8l V8 Custom '94 Car Automobile Car Automobile on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Buick boss shuts down idea of importing Opel Adam

Anyone hoping for Buick to sell small city cars in America, you're not going to like this story. Buick boss Duncan Aldred has effectively ruled out importing the stylish Opel Adam city car for US drivers. Yep, this is us being bummed. Admittedly, the business case for Adam is not as strong as it used to be. Gas is cheap and consumers have fallen back in love with the idea of high-riding crossovers instead of efficient cars. That's why Buick sold twice as many teeny, tiny Encore CUVs in 2015 as it did its smallest car, the Verano. With that in mind, slotting in another car, let alone one below the Verano, isn't a great idea. Of course, Aldred didn't come out and say as much, even though he campaigned for a US-market Adam in the past. "I very much did feel when I came over that that could really help accelerate the Buick brand story," the executive told Automotive News at last week's New York Auto Show. "I don't see that as much. Whether the market shifted or the fashion nature of those cars has changed, I don't know. But I wouldn't be looking for a small, B-segment car today." That, friends, is a real bummer. Adding a car like the Adam, even in a small, captive-import capacity would add a real dose of fun to Buick showrooms and (we're guessing) would bring in younger foot traffic. Related Video:

2018 Buick Regal's base price is almost $2,500 cheaper than last year's

Along with the launch of the Buick Regal GS, Buick released official pricing for all three versions of the Regal, and they're very competitively priced, especially the Sportback. The part-sedan, part-hatch Regal Sportback starts at just $25,915. That's more than $2,000 cheaper than the previous generation 2017 Buick Regal sedan, which started at $28,385. Along with the savings in cost comes a standard turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 250 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque - 295 pound-feet with optional all-wheel drive. That's a significant step up from the standard naturally aspirated engine in the previous-generation Regal that makes just 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. The new Regal's hatch also provides more flexibility for loading cargo, and the cargo space expands from 14.2 cubic feet in the old model to 31.5. View 12 Photos The TourX wagon, or crossover depending on your opinion, comes with a $4,000 premium over the Sportback, with a base price of $29,995, matching what was revealed last month. It gains only about an extra cubic foot behind the rear seats, but with the seats folded, it has 73.5 cubic feet to play with. It also comes with standard all-wheel drive and the engine with 295 pound-feet of torque. Plus, it has the added ride height and plastic body cladding that gives it the same trendy look shared with the Subaru Outback, Volvo V60 Cross Country, and Audi A4 Allroad. It is a few thousand more than the Outback, but it undercuts the Volvo by roughly $10,000 and the Audi by almost $15,000. Then, for performance, there's the Regal GS. It starts at $39,990 and has a 310-horsepower V6 and standard all-wheel drive. It also features all of the versatility of the regular Regal Sportback. All-in-all, the Buick Regal line seems to pack a lot of value, at least on paper. Related Video:

GM reports third straight sales drop in China in 2020

BEIJING — General Motors' vehicle sales in China fell 6.2% in 2020, as the U.S. automaker suffered a prolonged slowdown in the world's biggest auto market. GM, China's second biggest foreign automaker, delivered 2.9 million vehicles in the country last year, the company said on Wednesday, for a third straight decline in annual sales. But sales have been recovering in the second half of last year, up 12% between July and September and 14% in the final three months. GM has a Shanghai-based joint venture with SAIC Motor, in which the Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicle brands are made. It also has another Liuzhou-based venture, with SAIC and Guangxi Automobile Group, in which they make no-frills minivans and have started to make higher-end cars. Sales of its Buick brand grew 4% on the year and Wuling rose 9%, the statement said. Luxury brand Cadillac's sales increased 8%. Sales of GM's more affordable Baojun brand dropped 33% last year, while sales of its mass-market Chevrolet tumbled 30%. GM's delivery of 2.9 million vehicles in China follows 3.09 million vehicles in 2019, 3.65 million vehicles in 2018, and 4.04 million in 2017, for a three-year decrease of 28%.