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Two nearly new 1987 Buick Grand National 'twins' found in garage after 30 years

Back in the '80s, a Buick Grand National could leave a lot of vehicles in its dust. The final, 1987 version of the menacingly styled performance coupe produced 245 horsepower and 355 pound feet of torque, and it was never designed to sit still, let alone for 30 years. But two low-mile Grand Nationals did just that. At the time, it was widely known that nothing like the Grand National would be built again, as the Regal platform would be moving to front-wheel drive. So a lot of buyers stockpiled Grand Nationals and rarer GNX versions with the idea of making a buck on them when they gained value. Some people even bought several. That's what happened to these two cars, recently unearthed from their slumber. Thirty years of storage has turned them into barn finds instead of showroom beauties, and they haven't exactly been flawlessly preserved. A story reported on gm-efi.com shows the cars – the "Twins," as they're called – parked side to side, the way they were laid to rest decades ago, with thick dust on them. Two enthusiasts, Shawn Matthews and William Avila, originally contacted the owner, who had posted them for sale on Facebook with a staggering $200,000 asking price. After inspecting the cars and confirming they were legit, the prospective buyers managed to strike a deal for an undisclosed sum. The story does say the seller was a bit eccentric, demanding money in hand before the cars could be touched at all, but the cars were eventually acquired and transported to a shop for desperately needed refurbishing. Time has caused the headliners on both cars to droop, and it's obvious all gaskets and fluids will need to be addressed, but both cars have extremely low odometer readings: One has 807 miles on the clock, while the other hasn't even reached 600. The car with a more miles was moved "once in a while," so clearly the original owner couldn't resist giving it a go while the other one slept. We couldn't've, either. Related Video: Featured Gallery Two Old Buick Grand Nationals View 12 Photos News Source: gm-efi.com via BarnFinds Auto News Buick Classics buick grand national grand national

GM and Ford quarterly sales continue to slump in China

BEIJING — General Motors and Ford announced their quarterly sales in China fell, albeit at a slower pace sequentially, as the U.S. automakers were hit by a slowing economy amid the Sino-U.S. trade war. GM's vehicle sales in China for the quarter ended June 30 dropped 12.2%, while Ford's sales slumped by 21.7%. While GM also suffered from heightened competition in its key mid-priced SUV segment, Ford was hurt by the limited new models for customers to choose from. For the first quarter of this year, Ford's sales in China tumbled 35.8 percent while GM's skid 17.5 percent. Still, the numbers from GM, the second biggest international automaker in China by sales, and Ford portend more uncertainty for the industry which is trying to rebound from a downward spiral that led to its first annual sales decline last year in more than two decades. GM delivered 1.57 million vehicles in China in the January-June period this year, while Ford delivered 290,321 vehicles. China's factory activity shrank more than expected in June, highlighting the need for more economic stimulus amid higher U.S. tariffs and weaker domestic demand. Annual car sales in China fell last year for the first time since the 1990s, and they are expected to fall this year too. Sales tumbled 16.4% in May from the same month a year prior, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said. That marked the 11th consecutive month of decline and followed falls of 14.6% in April and 5.2% in March. U.S. car companies' share of total China passenger vehicles sales fell to 9.6% in the first five months of this year from 10.9% in the year-ago period, according to CAAM. Over the same period, German car makers' share has risen to 23.3% from 20.9% and Japanese auto makers' to 21.3% from 17.3%. CAAM is set to announce June sales next week, which industry analysts forecast will be negative.   New models In China, GM has a joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp, in which the Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac are made. It also has another venture, with SAIC and GuangxiAutomobile Group, in which they make no-frills minivans and have started to make higher-end cars. Sales of GM's affordable brand Baojun dropped 31.8% for the latest quarter. But luxury brand Cadillac's sales jumped 36.6%. GM sold 3.64 million units in China last year, down from 4.04 units in 2017. Ford makes cars in China through its joint venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile Co and Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC).

Buick prepares Super Bowl ad blitz to introduce Cascada

Super Bowl 50 will kick off on February 7, and Buick will use the big game's massive audience to get the word out about the new Cascada convertible. The the broadcast spot will be paired with a humorous digital campaign to advertise the convertible online. Buick hasn't released the 30-second Super Bowl commercial yet, but a teaser image shows that it stars New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. and actress Emily Ratajkowski, known for roles in the films Gone Girl and Entourage. The ad is part of the "Experience the New Buick" campaign, which aims to position the brand to appeal to a younger demographic. The brand also has Ellie Kemper, the star of Netflix's hilarious Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Erin on The Office, to sell the Cascada, Regal, Encore, and Enclave in a new online campaign. She plays an exaggerated version of herself and flirts with a guy who thinks Kemper owns Buick's new convertible. The spot tries to capitalize on the quirky charm of the actor's Kimmy Schmidt character. Buick will cut the longer clip (below) into vignettes for ads on sites like YouTube. Buick spokesperson Crystal Wilson told Autoblog that viewers' reactions to Kemper's commercial have been "totally positive" so far. First-Ever Buick Super Bowl Ad Features Odell Beckham Jr. and Emily Ratajkowski Latest "Experience the New Buick" ad spotlights new Cascada convertible 2016-01-26 DETROIT – Buick's first-ever Super Bowl ad will bring the brand's award-winning "Experience the New Buick" campaign to the biggest night in TV advertising. The campaign launched in 2014 and challenges consumers' false perceptions of the brand. The 30-second spot, scheduled to air during Super Bowl 50, features Buick's all-new Cascada luxury convertible and stars New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and actress/model Emily Ratajkowski. The spot will be the first new Buick commercial to air in 2016, a year where the brand will launch three new products. The Cascada, Buick's first convertible in 25 years, arrives in dealerships in the coming weeks. It features an athletic and sculptural beauty that delivers a distinctive profile, whether the top is up or down. Along with the perception-shifting Cascada, Buick showrooms will soon feature a redesigned LaCrosse sedan and the new Envision, a compact crossover. Both go on sale this summer.