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2018 Buick Enclave launches luxury Avenir trim

Remember the shapely Buick Avenir Concept from the 2015 Detroit Auto Show? Well, this isn't that, even if they both share the same name. Meet the Buick Enclave Avenir, a new trim built atop Buick's redesigned 2018 Enclave seven-passenger crossover. Think of it as Buick's version of GMC's Denali trim and you'll be on the right track. As the brand's new top trim level, everything that's normally optional in the Enclave comes standard in the Avenir, along with a bunch of exclusive content. And this is just the first application of the Avenir package for Buick – expect the rest of the TriShield brand's products to get a similar makeover in due time. All Avenir models from Buick will get what the brand is calling a three-dimensional mesh grille with a new set of chrome wings. From there, the Enclave edition bundles unique pearl nickel 20-inch wheels, a Rear Camera Mirror like the one seen from Cadillac, and a new kind of LED headlamps that use something called Evonik Acrylite lighting technology. An in-car air ionizer promises to keep the cabin smelling fresh. The rest of the Enclave package sounds pretty good, too. It's got a standard 3.6-liter V6 engine with 302 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional. A tow rating of 5,000 pounds is standard fare for this class, as are seven seats inside. A frameless eight-inch LCD screen and integrated 4G wireless connectivity are other family-friendly highlights. We expect more Avenir-branded models to make their appearance in the Buick showroom soon. In the meantime, check out the Enclave Avenir in the image gallery above, and stay tuned for more from New York. Related Video:

GM seeks to exempt Buick Envision from U.S. auto tariffs

General Motors is seeking an exemption to a 25 percent U.S. tariff on its Chinese-made Buick Envision sport utility, the automaker said on Thursday, in a move to prevent the key model in the brand's U.S. lineup from becoming a victim of the U.S.-China trade war. The midsize SUV, priced starting at about $35,000, has become a target for critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the United Auto Workers union and members in key political swing states such as Michigan and Ohio. The Envision, assembled only in China, last year accounted for about 19 percent of Buick brand sales in the United States. GM said in a statement that it filed the request on July 30 with the U.S. Trade Representative. An official notice was posted on Thursday on the regulations.gov website, which is tracking requests for exclusions from the so-called Section 301 tariff on certain imported goods from China. GM, the largest U.S. automaker, argued in its request that Envision sales in China and the United States would generate funds "to invest in our U.S. manufacturing facilities and to develop the next generation of automotive technology in the United States." GM said the "vast majority" of Envisions, about 200,000 a year, are sold in China. About 41,000 were sold last year in the United States. Because of the lower U.S. sales volume, "assembly in our home market is not an option" for the Envision, which competes with such midsize crossover vehicles as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Cadillac XT5. GM has taken other steps to soften the blow of tariffs, which hit just as the automaker had lowered the price of the Envision to make it more competitive. Ahead of the July 6 start for higher import tariffs, GM shipped in a six-month supply of Envisions at the much lower 2.5 percent tariff rate. Envision sales from April through June plunged to just 7,000 vehicles, while inventories climbed to more than 13,000 vehicles at the end of June. At the current sales rate, the Envision supply should be enough to keep many dealers stocked through the end of the year. GM had lowered prices by as much as $2,500 on the 2019 models, which it started shipping in late April. That means Buick's 2,000 U.S. dealers should have lower-priced Envisions to sell well into the fall. "The previous price point was too high" on the 2018 Envision, said Casey Clark, sales manager at Serra Buick GMC Cadillac in Washington, Michigan, in an interview.

Why Buick's Encore wasn't a Chevy

Buick is taking a gamble with its 2013 Encore. General Motors' near-luxury brand has enjoyed great success attracting conquest buyers to its larger Enclave crossover, but it has never offered something quite like this small CUV.
Very early signs suggest that the gamble might be working. According to Mark Reuss, President of General Motors, the automaker expected about 1,500 initial orders from its dealers for the Encore, but it's tracking closer to 9,000 units. Alluding to the fact that historically, Buick has shared similar products with GM's other brands, Reuss says that Buick dealers are "thrilled to have an exclusive." The automaker already markets almost identical models in other markets as the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka and Chevrolet Trax, but The General's other brands won't offer a twin to the new baby Buick.
The new Encore is based on the Gamma architecture that underpins the Chevrolet Sonic, and it shares the economy car's available turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. With standard front-wheel drive and available all-wheel drive, GM says its Encore will be pitted against competitors like the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, both of which are much more expensive but also much more powerful.