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2019 Buick Regal to get Avenir luxury treatment

Buick will make the 2019 Regal sedan available in its top-tier Avenir trim, the fourth Buick model to carry the sub-brand name after the Enclave, LaCrosse and the GL8 in China. Buick says the Avenir line is selling faster than other trim levels on both the Enclave and the LaCrosse, and that half of all Regal Sportback buyers are opting for the top trim level, reflecting buyers' demand for more premium midsize cars. "Avenir sales have exceeded our expectations," Phil Brook, vice president of Buick and GMC Marketing, said in a statement. "Buick customers value the exclusive styling, premium features and convenient experience Avenir provides, and we are excited to extend that successful formula to Regal." So what's the Regal Avenir all about? Well, Buick will debut its first cloud-connected infotainment system, bringing embedded apps and enabling owners to set up their own profiles and user preferences for use in things like available navigation and voice-recognition, and carry over that profile to other compatible vehicles. The Avenir will come standard with safety and driver-assist technologies such as rear park assist, rear cross traffic alert, lane-change alert with side blind zone alert, LED headlights with auto leveling, cornering lamps and driver-side auto-dimming mirrors. Advanced adaptive cruise control and other active safety technologies are also available. Inside, there's a "Whisper Beige" theme with ebony accents, diamond quilt-stitched front seats, embroidered first-row headrests and sill plates carrying the Avenir script. An ebony theme is also available. The exterior gets a more dramatic look, with the Avenir 3-D mesh upper grille, script badging on the front doors and 19-inch Pearl Nickel wheels. Under the hood is the Regal's standard 250-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 260 pound-feet of torque and mated to a nine-speed automatic. Avenir was the name of a four-door concept Buick unveiled as a surprise in 2015 in Detroit. The next year the company announced it would use the name as a top-tier trim level starting with 2018 Buicks. Pricing for the 2019 Buick Regal Avenir will be announced when it arrives at dealers. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1964 Buick Special sedan

During the 1960s, the most mainstream possible vehicle for American streets was a GM-built sedan, either a full-sized B-Body or a mid-sized A-Body. These cars flew out of showrooms by the millions during the decade, and the angular 1964-1967 A-Bodies (including everything from the affordable six-cylinder Chevrolet Chevelle to the maniacal Pontiac GTO) remain sought-after by collectors to this day... provided that they're two-door hardtops. The post sedans just don't get much attention in 2018, and that's why this fairly solid 1964 Buick Special sedan didn't get rescued on its way to this sorry fate in California. Its final days before it washed up in this self-service wrecking yard, nestled between GM iron a third its age, some used-car lot failed to get $1,199 for this '64. The interior looks good, much better than what you'll see on most unrestored cars with better than a half-century on the calendar. If this car had been a Skylark two-door hardtop, its story would have had a happier ending. The decklid suffers from the kind of rust that California cars get when they sit outside for decades and the weatherstripping goes bad, and then someone at the junkyard pried it open to look for trunk goodies. There's likely to be more rust under the window trim, too. The engine was long gone by the time I got here, but it would have been a 225-cubic-inch V6 or a 300-cubic-inch V8 when new. The upscale 1964 Skylark was the same car, mechanically speaking, but it a more luxurious interior and snazzier body trim. The car that follows the fun anywhere... and above all, it's a Buick! Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1964 Buick Special sedan View 14 Photos Auto News Buick Automotive History Classics Sedan

Buick to add more GS models?

Buick may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of performance automobiles, but fans of the brand know what letters to look for. If you believe the reports, there's a new GNX and Grand National on the way, but in the meantime, Buick may offer more GS models to fill the void.
Currently, the Regal is the only model available as a GS (pictured above), packing the same 259-horsepower turbo four as the Regal Turbo but enhanced with key suspension, brakes and rolling-stock upgrades. As Car and Driver notes, similar upgrades could easily be applied to the Verano and LaCrosse, although maybe not the Encore or Enclave crossovers. Of course, Buick would still have to steer clear of Cadillac's Vsport line, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a little room to play.