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Buick officially launches the redesigned 2021 Envision

The 2021 Buick Envision is officially official. Yes, that Envision — the one we showed you back in May 2020 — is now for sale, and we now have all of the finer details about the redesigned crossover, which is lower, wider and more technologically robust than its predecessor.  One could argue that we already knew the most important thing about Buick's updated CUV: It looks good. The same couldn't necessarily be said of its previous incarnation, which, like several of GM's outgoing small crossovers, could be charitably described as inoffensive, but often merely looked frumpy and incoherent.  2021 Buick Envision Avenir View 25 Photos Rather than the flow-for-flow's-sake design of the outgoing model, the 2021 boasts a more chiseled, angular look, especially in Avenir guise. It also boasts a redesigned cabin and a new suite of standard tech features, including standard forward collision warning, front pedestrian braking and rear park assist. Optional goodies include a HUD, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a hands-free power liftgate. Avenir models bake in several of the standard Envision's optional upgrades, including heated and ventilated front seats, a massaging driver's seat and heated outboard rear seats. It also offers an optional adaptive suspension.  “The all-new 2021 Envision is a tremendous opportunity for the brand,” said Duncan Aldred, global vice president for Buick and GMC. “With strong, differentiated designs, and a combination of advanced technologies and premium appointments, it will stand apart in one of the industryÂ’s most competitive segments.” Buick has also nailed down the specs on the Envision's updated powertrain. The 2.0-liter turbo engine will make 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive is standard, with GM's twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system available as an upgrade. Both models get a nine-speed automatic gearbox.  As confirmed previously with the release of Buick's 2021 order guide, the Envision starts at $32,995 (including destination) and is available at dealers now. We expect to get our hands on one for a more thorough evaluation some time in the coming months. Stay tuned. 

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.

Repo man pays off elderly couple's car just in time for Thanksgiving

Repo men get bad raps for a good reason; no one likes having their car taken away. At least one guy in the repossession game proved folks in his profession aren't all bad when he helped an elderly couple hold on to their wheels right before Thanksgiving. According to the Belleville News-Democrat, unexpected bills and the rising cost of prescription medications pushed Stanford and Patty Kipping's fixed income to the breaking point. Unable to keep up with the $95 dollar a month payment on their 1998 Buick, they fell into arrears and the bank sent a repo man out to their home in Red Bud, Illinois to reclaim the car. Jim Ford, co-owner of Illini Recovery Inc., hooked up the old Buick and dragged it away, but later that night his conscience caught up with him. "When I got home that night, I said to myself, 'They are a real nice elderly couple. I gotta do something. I can't just take their car,'" Ford told the News-Democrat. Ford did do something, something surprisingly humane. He set up a GoFundMe and, within just a few short hours, he raised more than $3,500 dollars. This was enough money to pay off the Kipping's loan with a little left over for some maintenance. Ford and a friend then hooked the car back up and towed it back to the Kipping's home. Ford presented the couple with their trusty Buick, and threw in a thousand dollars in an envelope and a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving. "It was a miracle come true," Patty told the paper. "We didn't know what we were going to do." "I got up this morning and I looked up at the sun and I said, 'I hope we get our car back,'" added Stanford. "It's just unbelievable."Related Video: News Source: Belleville News-Democrat Auto News Weird Car News Buick repossession repo man