1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon on 2040-cars

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Buick Enspire EV crossover concept claims 370 miles of range

For the Beijing Auto Show, Buick is showing yet another crossover, this one in concept form. It's called the Buick Enspire, and unlike the rest of the brand's crossovers, this one is all electric. It's more than just a repurposed Bolt EV, too. Instead of the Bolt's 150 kW and 200-horsepower motor, the Buick has a 410 kW motor, which equates to 550 horsepower. Buick claims the motor will get the crossover to 60 mph in just 4 seconds. The Enspire isn't all about performance, though. It would also have a very healthy claimed range of 370 miles, topping that of the longest-range Tesla. Fast charging is supported, with Buick saying it can recover 80 percent of its charge within 40 minutes, though the company doesn't say how potent the charger used for that number is. It also apparently has support for wireless charging. This Enspire concept is rather pleasant looking, too. It has smooth, elegant curves draped on a body with a very wide, aggressive stance. The grille is an interesting evolution of Buick's current design, exaggerating the current crossbar into large wings that spread into the lights, and trading the vertical slats of the main grille for a solid illuminated insert. The rear taillights are also distinctive in how they comprise one long, slender line that form a pseudo spoiler in the rear hatch. The interior is plenty swoopy, too, with a number of futuristic touches. It has an OLED touchscreen for infotainment, and the windshield features augmented reality capabilities displaying road information and navigation routes. Luxury touches include real wood arm rests and center console. Whether we'll see a production Buick with the capabilities of the Enspire is anyone's guess. Surely to have that level of power and range would make it immensely expensive, similar to or surpassing the Tesla Model S and the Jaguar I-Pace. That would be rarefied air for Buick. But we wouldn't be surprised to see either an all-new crossover, or a redesigned current model, sporting the designs seen on this concept. And many of the cues will likely spill over to other Buick products. And while the performance seen in this concept might not reach production, we also wouldn't rule out an electric Buick of some sort, probably a crossover in the near future. General Motors has made it very clear it's going to push electric vehicle development, and a Buick crossover would be a good choice for a few reasons.

General Motors shaking up its marketing... again

One of the things that dogs the full comeback of General Motors is the instability of its marketing. That part of the automaker got yet another big shakeup today when GM confirmed what I have been tweeting for a few days - strong rumors that the Chevrolet and Cadillac ad accounts are walking to new ad agencies.
Cadillac, GM's luxury brand, is going into review from Fallon Worldwide, Minneapolis and the indications are that Campbell-Ewald, Chevy's old ad shop, will end up with most or all of it. C-E just announced that it was moving from its long-time home in Warren, MI to a new downtown Detroit office next to Ford Field, just blocks from GM.
The other shoe to drop shortly will be the shift of GM's most important brand, Chevy, from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners of San Francisco to McCann-Erickson of Troy, MI. McCann used to be the agency for Buick and GMC, as well as GM's corporate advertising, and has retained some pieces of business over the last few years. Sources have even told us that it was McCann that did a lot of the creative work on Chevy's new ad platform, Find New Roads. (Not to be confused with a former McCann tagline for Saab, "Find Your Own Road.")

GM throttles back Chevy Malibu, Buick LaCrosse production over swollen inventories

As inventory of the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse continues to pile up, General Motors will be idling its Fairfax Assembly Plant for two weeks, according to Automotive News. This move comes about a month after the plant was shut down for three weeks in late December and early January for the same reason. As of January 31, the GM had a 94-day supply of Malibu stock while the LaCrosse was a little worse with a 117-day supply.
Just last week, GM announced that it would be investing $600 million in upgrading this plant, but it's unclear what future plans the company has in store for Fairfax considering slow sales of both the plant's models. We do expect a refreshed and more luxurious LaCrosse shortly and an early design update for the Malibu to be announced at some point this year, although we have had no official word as to when either will happen.