Buick Makes Headlines Again.

[Z34guy]

Buick, GM's subsidiary for affordable luxury... and a brand almost always synonymous with old people customers, has made headlines yet again. Buick unveiled the new Buick Regal, a car that has already made waves in China and Europe. This is the second time the past year that Buick has made waves (First was the unveiling of the second generation Buick LaCrosse) and the third time in the past few years (Buick Enclave SUV)

GM's Lutz Confirms Buick Regal Is Back!





Lost in last week's GM product news was a spicy morsel from the Detroit News. According to Scott Burgess, GM's "Maximum" Bob Lutz confirmed Buick will reveal the Regal this year as a rebadged Opel Insignia. But whither the GNX?

We already knew the Opel Insignia's being rebadged as a Buick Regal for the Chinese market (shown above is the 2009 version), but if Burgess' quotes from Lutz are correct, it means the rumors — and previous off the record quotes from "nameless GM executives" — of the Insignia being rebadged as a Regal for the U.S. market are true. It also explains why outlets have spotted the Chinese Regal being tested on American soil.

Lutz claimed the new Regal will be introduced later this year. Our bet is the LA Auto Show if GM sticks to that timetable — which places the Regal at exactly the right place for a 2012 model year and showing up on dealer lots in 2011.

Susan Docherty, GM's vice president of Buick and GMC claims she expects Buick "to continue to draw younger buyers with new compacts and midsize sedans." The only way we can think of that would draw youngsters back to the Buick brand is if they offer some kind of high-horsepower sedan that'll reinvite press outlets to make comparisons between it and a car for Darth Vader. Can someone say GNX? We know we can.

https://detnews.com/article/20091014/AUTO01/910140422/Buick-Regal-driving-back-into-U.S.-showrooms

https://jalopnik.com/5342552/gms-lutz-confirms-buick-regal-is-back

https://www.worldcarfans.com/109101622481/us-spec-buick-regal-caught-by-facebook-user


Thoughts? Comments? The Buick Regal, Enclave and LaCrosse are part of the so-called "Buick-Renaissance", A plan to get younger buyers into showrooms. Personally, I think they've outdone themselves, and if I had the cash, i'd go get one.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

Small cars? As the board's resident Buick fan, this worries me. The brand has built its tradition on large luxury cars like the Electra/Park Avenue, LeSabre, and Roadmaster. Abandon those cars (I read that the large Lucerne will not be made after 2010) and you abandon the cars that built your brand. Need I remind everyone that the LeSabre was the best selling full size car for the last dozen years of its life, and was very profitable. You can't just give something like that up just because you want to attract younger buyers who don't appreciate the room and comfort of the full-size cars of old.

Heck, I'd like Buick to revive the old Pontiac G8 and rebadge it as a LeSabre or something. Then they'll have a large car for their older customers with performance characteristics for the younger ones.

And we've waited 22 years for the GNX to make its return :P

And despite being smaller the Regal does look better than the Lacrosse. It has a better name, too XD

Still, I'd probably just go on eBay and get me a lightly used '96 Roadmaster Estate wagon. I need my spacious interior and soft ride :)

 

[Z34guy]

The new Regal is in fact, still a mid-size car. It just slots below the LaCrosse in features and such. It also features on the 220HP turbo 4 cylinder version, a suspension that can be set by the driver for either sportier performance or a softer ride.
Also, the Insignia, which the new Regal is based, has a model in Europe that could come over and easily take the GNX badge in pride. The Opel Insignia OPC features a 2.8L turbocharged V6 with 325HP.
However, Buick does have a small compact in the works which will be based on the Chevy Cobalt's replacement, the Chevrolet Cruze. It'll probably be named the Skylark since they need some older established names in the line up.
As for your Pontiac G8 idea. Already taken by Chevrolet. Chevrolet will be importing Holden Statesmen (essentially the same exact car as the Pontiac G8. slightly different) as the Chevrolet Caprice, which will be solely sold to police forces, a move to pick up the sales that Ford's condemned Crown Victoria is going to leave behind since Ford is canceling it.
Like it or not though, the new Regal WILL be a big hit for the. The Opel Insignia was the 2009 European car of the year and in China, the Regal has people literally going nuts over it. In this video, a girl was arguing with her boyfriend over buying the Regal. When he said no, she went balistic.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

As for your Pontiac G8 idea. Already taken by Chevrolet. Chevrolet will be importing Holden Statesmen (essentially the same exact car as the Pontiac G8. slightly different) as the Chevrolet Caprice, which will be solely sold to police forces, a move to pick up the sales that Ford's condemned Crown Victoria is going to leave behind since Ford is canceling it.

Yeah, I read about this. Stupid move by GM to restrict sales, as I think a civilian Caprice would sell quite well and I don't see the point of restricting it to the police only. Though it's probably to meet our (ridiculous) fuel economy requirements (CAFE).

I'll admit, though, if they would add an extra four or five inches of wheelbase to the Regal, I'd probably buy one :) As it stands, the Enclave would be my choice (once the Lucerne is dead) because it is the roomiest of Buick's offerings.

 

[Z34guy]

I would recommend checking out the LaCrosse if I were you. It has interior room almost unheard of in the mid-size segment and well as a plush ride that absorbs all bumps.

 

[Bay]

I knew LeSabre will come to this thread. XD;

Anyways, I don't know too much about GM cars since I'm more knowledgeable on Asian automakers. :x However, I want to say something about a couple GM's moves mentioned here.

GM's decision to get younger customers might not be a good move on their part. It's good to focus on getting new customers and also target a different age base, but then GM might forget to focus what they're good at: getting and keeping their more older customers. We'll have to wait and see though on their Buick-Renaissance plan.

On the idea of Caprice being sold only to police forces, I'm going to agree with LeSabre here. Sure, it gives GM the chance to grab the police force market from Ford, but also it could sell well to the public too.

I watched both of the YouTube videos. The first one I was like, what? XD Second video the LaCrosse does look roomy. *_*

 

[processr]

The car based on the car that replaced the Vauxhall Vectra? *vomits* The Vectra was a hateful, dreary car, so I guess the Insignia can only be better than than it.

 

[Z34guy]

The car based on the car that replaced the Vauxhall Vectra? *vomits* The Vectra was a hateful, dreary car, so I guess the Insignia can only be better than than it.

lol. I guess the Vauxhaul Vectra was the equivalent to the Chevrolet Impala we get here. However, the Impala at least tried to add some spice with the 5.3L V8 powered SS model.
The Buick LaCrosse and Regal are also now global cars, so expect them to show up in some form in the UK as well. You already have the European version of the Regal, but GM has said the LaCrosse will got to Europe as a Buick.