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Buick dusting off Grand National, GNX and T-Type nameplates

Inside Line reports Buick is planning to bring back some of the more storied names from the company's past, including the Grand National, GNX and the T-Type. Those cars rose to prominence in the 1970s and '80s to become performance legends of their day.
The new models will reportedly make use of the rear-wheel drive platform that currently underpins the Cadillac ATS and all would arrive as sedans - according to an unnamed source familiar with the initiative. Odds are the T-Type and the Grand National would share a driveline, with honest money being on a new twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 as the engine of choice. Word has it the mill will be good for anywhere from 350 to 400 horsepower.
That leaves only the GNX. Inside Line seems to think that machine could get down the road with some help from the all-new GM LT1 small-block V8. The engineers behind the ATS platform have already told us the engine bay is large enough for to accommodate the big eight pot, and since GM is most certainly working on an ATS-V, a slightly less powerful, less luxurious Buick iteration makes some kind of sense. We can't wait to see these things in the light of day.

Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.

Buick Encore GX expected to come to the U.S. alongside the popular Encore

When we posted on Buick unveiling the Encore GX at Auto Shanghai 2019 as a longer-wheelbase version of the Encore, we though the GX trim could supplant our local Encore. According to Automotive News, citing "sources familiar with the plans," Buick will sell both the Encore and the Encore GX here. Brand boss Duncan Aldred told Buick dealers in January to expect a new model this year, and it appears the slightly larger subcompact crossover is that product. GM Authority reported the same news in March, the outlet saying that Buick intends to re-create in the U.S. the "model family" strategy the carmaker employs in China. Over there, our rebadged Verano sold as the first-generation Excelle, Excelle GT and Excelle GX, the GX being the wagon version of the sedan. When the Excelle trio moved a less expensive platform for the second generation, Buick introduced a Verano model in China in both sedan and Verano GS hatchback forms. AN reported that Buick is also planning a smaller three-row Enclave for China. The Encore GX differs fundamentally from both the Chinese- and U.S.-market Encores. Our Encore, a rebadged Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, rides on the Gamma II platform. The second-generation China-market Encore rides on GM's new Global Emerging Markets (GEM) platform, an updated version of the Gamma II for regions like China and Latin America. The Encore GX rides on the Vehicle Strategy Set - Front (VSS-F) architecture. AN wasn't sure yet where our U.S.-market Encore GX will be built, but doesn't expect it to come from China. The Encore GX here will slide into the lineup between the $23,200 Encore and $31,995 Envision. Whereas the Chinese model aims to stop hemorrhaging Encore sales in China, our version will want to expand the Encore success story. Since it went on sale in 2013, the model has posted double-digit sales increases here every year save for last year. In 2018 the model sold 93,073 units, accounting for 47 percent of brand sales. There's no reason to doubt the Encore GX will boost that number.