For Sale: My Dad’s 1949 Buick Road Master. 50,982 Original Miles. All Original. on 2040-cars

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Buick Envision arrives in US next year

In a detailed piece on what General Motors has planned for the Buick brand stateside, Automotive News reports that the Envision will finally come to the US a little more than a year from now, in the latter half of 2016. The size gap between the small Encore and the large Enclave is a perfect fit for the Chevrolet Equinox-sized Envision. Assuming this actually happens, it should excite both customers and Buick dealers. In China, the Envision uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 256 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed transmission. Before then, dealers sales forces will be preparing for the Cascada convertible, expected in Q1 next year. Later in 2016, around the same time as the Envision gets here, we can expect a redesigned Verano sedan. AN says it "should grow in length and interior roominess, similar to the Chevy Cruze," but the Verano already roughly matches or exceeds many Cruze dimensions. The Chinese-market Verano that premiered at the Shanghai Motor Show earlier this year probably holds some clues to what we'll see, but our version might not be an exact copy. A redesigned, lighter, and slightly larger LaCrosse will be right there with it. In 2017 the redesigned Regal appears. Following the trend, it also gets larger, but that's required because it needs to be more distinct from that larger Verano. AN suggests a new base engine will go in the Regal, perhaps something as small as the 1.5-liter turbo being lined up for the 2016 Chevy Malibu. At the other end, executives are said to be considering importing the diesel Opel Insignia wagon for the Regal lineup. If they bring the manual over, auto scribes will probably take the day off when the first one arrives, and make it an industry holiday.

Buick Cascada will start at $33,990

The Buick Cascada goes on sale early next year, bringing open-air motoring to the brand in the US for the first time in 25 years, and you'll need $33,990 to buy the standard model. Notice there's no asterisk after that price in the headline, because $33,990 includes the destination charge. Buick compares this convertible with the $37,525 Audi A3 droptop, noting that the 200-horsepower Cascada has 30 more hp, navigation and heated front seats as standard, eight-way power seats instead of four-way, 20-inch wheels instead of 17-inchers, and a heated steering wheel. The Cascada in Premium trim will run $36,990 and add forward collision alert and lane departure warning, auto headlights, park assist front and back, rain-sensing wipers, and two air deflectors. Quite a few of you have commented that it would be great if Buick could price the Cascada where the defunct Chrysler 200 Convertible used to live, and it's in the neighborhood. The 2014 200 S convertible was the top of the line in the model's last year, came with a 283-hp, 3.6-liter V6, and started at $33,445 before destination. It lacked the features, refinement, and looks of the Cascada, and that thirsty V6 got you gas mileage of 14 highway, 21 city. The soon-to-depart Volkswagen Eos, which also comes up frequently in Comments, starts at $32,860 after destination. If Buick kept the suspension tuning engaging, this could be really good. There's a press release below with more info. Your browser does not support iframes. Buick Cascada Priced at $33,990 Well-equipped convertible offers high levels of standard content, technology DETROIT, 2015-09-23 – The top-down driving experience of the 2016 Cascada – Buick's first convertible offered in the United States in 25 years – is priced at $33,990. When it goes on sale early next year, the Cascada will offer more standard content, a more powerful standard engine and a lower starting price than the Audi A3 Cabriolet. "Cascada expands Buick's lineup with a uniquely fun and personal driving experience," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick. "With a lower price than key competitors, it also promises to shake up the segment – and look good doing it." The 2016 Cascada – designed from the ground up as a convertible – comes well-equipped in a 2+2 configuration, with room for four adults.

Looking back at how and why GM saved Buick

Still uncomfortably fresh in our collective minds is 2008, the year when the US economy tanked, auto sales collapsed, and both General Motors and Chrysler endured federally managed bankruptcies. Then 2009, when, among other draconian measures, the government task forces dictating what they were compelled to do to earn taxpayer financial support ordered thousands of dealers cut and GM to discontinue four of its eight US brands. Three of those chosen for GM's axe were fairly obvious: off-road icon Hummer had become politically incorrect, Swedish-born Saab was a perennial money loser, and product-starved Saturn had sadly sagged after its strong early start. On the other hand, high-volume value brand Chevrolet, luxury Cadillac, and high-profit GMC seemed clear keepers. That left Pontiac and Buick, both boasting strong brand heritage and histories but both languishing at the time with lackluster image and sales. Most believed that "old man's car" Buick would be killed and once-youthful Pontiac and its performance image would be revived. So few understood why when exactly the opposite happened: Buick lived, Pontiac died. One key factor was Buick's long, distinguished history in China. In the early 20th century, many of that country's most influential citizens owned, drove, or were driven in Buicks. By 1930, one out of every six cars on the roads in Shanghai was a Buick. So when GM launched vehicle production at a Shanghai joint-venture plant in 1999, the chosen brand was Buick. Today it remains GM's best-selling brand in that fast-growing market. Another was an appealing new design direction that began with a shapely 2006 three-row crossover concept called Enclave. Inspired by the Buick Velite concept convertible of 2004, its curvaceous "form vocabulary," GM Design vice president Ed Welburn said at the time, previewed coming Buick production car and CUV design. "The body shape flows, like there's wind blowing over it," he enthused, adding that the Enclave concept's richly trimmed cabin foretold "a renaissance in interior design for GM." And when the production Enclave arrived for 2008, followed by platform siblings from Saturn and GMC (and later Chevrolet), it indeed caught the public's eye and started selling well. And once past GM's painful and embarrassing bankruptcy, Buick has been on a major roll. Continuing to sell strongly in China while growing substantially in the US, it has enjoyed four straight years of global sales records.