1966 Buick Electra 225 on 2040-cars

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Buick Cascada dies the death everyone expected

Four months ago, the Grim Reaper came for the Opel Cascada. Groupe PSA, which bought Opel from General Motors in 2017, announced the two-door convertible would be phased out. On sale here since 2016 as the Buick Cascada, GM told us it had nothing to say about PSA's announcement. On Friday, the U.S. automaker spoke up, telling Automotive News the droptop "has reached the end of its originally-planned lifecycle and 2019 will be the last model year offered. Dealers have been notified and many will have stock through the rest of this year." Buick paid big money to advertise its first convertible since the 1991 Reatta. Buick threw money at Super Bowls ads and a gaggle of celebrities two years in a row. And when sales began in 2016, Buick enlisted The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Ellie Kemper for a series of television and online spots. U.S. dealers have been instructed to file final orders this month, and production will continue at the factory in Poland until this summer. Yet the fact we're in February and dealers are predicted to have stock for the next ten months says everything necessary about the state of play. The brand sold roughly 17,000 units in three years, and both 2017 and 2018 saw sales declines of more than 25 percent. Buick didn't expect huge sales from the import, though, and the Cascada earned conquest buyers. A spokesman said, "The Cascada has played its role in the portfolio perfectly, outselling many other premium convertibles while bringing in [6 of every 10] buyers from outside GM." Last we heard, the LaCrosse ceases production next month. Unless the situation changes before the end of the year, Buick will have only the Regal on its passenger car books come 2020. GM will only have two convertibles in its portfolio worldwide, the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette. Related Video:

Is this GM's next electric crossover?

GM made headlines this week when CEO Mary Barra presented the company's electrification and automation plans at the Barclays Global Automotive Conference in New York. "We are committed to a future electric vehicle portfolio that will be profitable," Barra said, which could be taken as a jab at Tesla. In the presentation ( PDF here), though, we see a new vehicle in a slide titled "Leveraging existing BEV platform to expand in near term." The vehicle, seen above, accompanied the captions "New CUV entries" and "two entries by 2020." Is this a sneak preview of an upcoming electric crossover from GM? The image seems too realistic and intentional to be a random placeholder. If this is, indeed, an upcoming battery-electric CUV based on the Bolt, the question remains: Will it be a Chevy or a Buick? It has no visible badging, but it shares DNA from both brands. As Inside EVs points out, though, it does bear a resemblance to the Chevrolet FNR-X concept unveiled in Shanghai earlier this year. With two CUVs on the way, it's not unthinkable that there could be a version for each brand. In addition to this slide, the presentation includes plans for an "All new multi-brand, multi-segment platform" launching in 2021. The all-new modular battery system will cost less than $100 per kWh, providing higher energy density and faster charging. The platform will host at least nine different vehicles, including a compact crossover, seven-seat luxury SUV and a large commercial van. GM has said it will launch 20 new EVs by 2023, and that it targets 1 million EV sales per year by 2026. Many of those sales will be in China. Related Video:

2014 Buick LaCrosse to sticker at $34,060*

Buick first showed the facelifted 2014 LaCrosse at this year's New York Auto Show, and General Motors' luxury-ish arm has now confirmed that pricing for the updated sedan will start at $34,060 (*including $925 for destination), a increase of $1,505 over the 2013 model.
Buyers will be treated to an updated appearance, both inside and out. On the outside, tweaks were made to the LaCrosse's front and rear fascias, and new wheels are on offer (though the ones seen on the car pictured above seem to have been simply pulled from the 2011 Regal Turbo). Inside, there's a much cleaner center stack layout, complete with a standard eight-inch reconfigurable touchscreen IntelliLink interface. Buick is also offering a new Ultra Luxury interior package ($2,495), featuring Tamo Ash wood throughout the cabin, black synthetic suede on the headliner and leather seats in a new sangria color. Standalone options include different wheels, Bose audio, rear seat entertainment, navigation and a sunroof.
The 2014 LaCrosse's base powertrain is the trusty 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with eAssist, which is capable of achieving up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway. But for folks wanting more power, a 304-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 is available as a no-cost option, available with either front- or all-wheel drive.