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The new Opel Insignia might be a great Buick, but it's a sad Holden Commodore

Since the first shots of the uncovered Opel Insignia hit our inboxes, we've been filled with excitement for the new sedan. It looks great, it should come to America with little to no visual changes as the Buick Regal, and we might even get a wagon version. Unfortunately, there's a lead lining to this silver cloud, and it comes to us from Down Under. You see, the Opel Insignia is also undergoing a re-badging job in Australia to become the new Holden Commodore. It's replacing the beloved rear-drive Commodore (with an optional V8 and ultra-high performance HSV variants) with a front-drive-based platform offering four- or six-cylinder engines. This is depressing news considering the Zeta-platform underpinning the Commodore VF spawned the Pontiac G8, Chevrolet SS, and fifth-generation Camaro. Knowing this was going to happen doesn't help much either. What makes it all worse is that the new Commodore doesn't have a shred of unique styling in the bodywork. That's not an exaggeration. A new grille with a Holden lion badge instead of an Opel lightning bolt badge is the only change. See for yourself in the Insignia gallery below. Not only did GM erase a unique Australian model, it didn't even allow the brand to give the car a distinct shape. It's sort of like when Ford planned to replace the Mustang with the Mazda-derived Probe. The Probe wasn't that bad for the time, but it was no Mustang. At least in that case the Mustang survived. View 12 Photos Before we get ourselves too down, we should mention that there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. For one thing, the new all-wheel-drive Commodore/Insignias will come with a version of the GKN-developed rear differential found in the Focus RS and Range Rover Evoque, which is pretty neat on its own. And Opel/Vauxhall have always had wild performance versions of the Insignia and its Vectra predecessor. The last one made 325-horsepower and had all-wheel-drive. A new one would likely produce much more, since one of the available V6s makes 308 horsepower. Then imagine all of that extra hypothetical horsepower hooked up to the all-wheel-drive system that introduced us to "drift mode." Not only that, but rear-drive Holdens may not be completely dead yet. A Belgian man announced his intention to buy an old Holden factory along with the tooling and rights for the car once it was discontinued. His plan is to continue producing the old model after Holden is done with it.

Buick Avenir Concept saunters into Detroit [w/video]

We'd never accuse the most recent crop of Buicks of being ugly. Then again, we'd also never argue that they're overly pretty. Instead, they waltz along a middle ground, not standing out while not causing offense. The Buick Avenir Concept occupies no such middle ground – it's gorgeous. A long hood and a short deck fit well with an evolved form of Buick's long-running design language, while traditional highlights such as the waterfall grille and portholes mingle nicely with newer touches, like a beautiful, curvaceous set of rear haunches that bleed into the rear decklid. The cabin, meanwhile, is solidly in the concept realm, with a prominent 12-inch touchscreen as its centerpiece. Like the exterior, the Avenir's cabin is an evolution of current Buick designs, with a curve that tops the dash and feeds into the doors. A higher center console is finished in buffed wood, although the majority of the interior materials appear to be fine leather. Check out our gallery of live images of the new Avenir, at the Buick stand at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Show full PR text Buick Explores Future with Avenir Concept New design proportion, device integration, rejuvenating interior push brand forward DETROIT – Buick introduced the Avenir concept today in advance of the North American International Auto Show – a flagship sedan exploring progressive design with new levels of passenger well-being and technology integration. The Avenir – French for future – is distinguished by its premium sports proportions and all-new interpretations of traditional Buick cues. It is the creation of a global team of Buick designers and sculptors who were inspired by historic Buick concepts, which pushed traditional boundaries, shaped future Buick models and influenced the entire auto industry. "Avenir embodies Buick design, which centers on effortless beauty and presence without pretense," said Ed Welburn, vice president of General Motors Global Design. "It demonstrates the growing international reach of Buick and offers an exciting vision of where it can go." The Avenir's sculptural surfacing, expressive proportion and Buick's signature sweep-spear bodyside visually cue an exceptional driving experience that awaits inside. "The interior is designed with the driver and passengers' comfort and well-being in mind," said Welburn.

We want this Buick Regal wagon rumor to be true

The car we know in the US as the Buick Regal is sold as a Vauxhall/ Opel Insignia in Europe, where it's offered in four-door sedan, five-door liftback, and wagon body styles. Call it a case of wanting what we can't have, but we like the last two body styles a lot. Based on a report from a Buick/ GMC dealer meeting in Austin, one of them could be coming to the US soon. According to a poster identified as 97GreenRS on the forums at GM Inside News, GM showed dealers the 2018 Buick Enclave, Regal, and Regal GS, as well as the 2018 GMC Terrain, and then confirmed it would offer the Regal wagon here in the US. While that wouldn't normally be all that much to go on, we know Buick has been toying with the idea of a wagon for some time. A Regal-badged wagon was spotted way back in 2011. More recently, we reported on a trademark filing for "Tourx" and "Regal Tourx," which suggest a long roof (Tour) and all-wheel drive (x). If the Regal wagon arrives alongside the base sedan and GS as a 2018 model, we'd expect a debut within the next 15 or so months. That would place it right at the beginning of the 2017 auto show season, which starts next September in Frankfurt, Germany. With that in mind, it seems possible the new Regal would debut first as an Opel Insignia before appearing at a US show like Los Angeles or Detroit, although there's a lot of speculation going on there. We just want to see "Buick" and "wagon" in the same sentence again. Related Video: