1993 Buick Riviera Luxury Coupe 2-door 3.8l on 2040-cars

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2018 Buick Regal GS is the best Regal since the GNX

The 2018 Buick Regal GS, the third and final variant of the all-new Buick Regal, was revealed this morning. At the event, we were given a brief chance to drive the Regal Sportback, the Regal TourX, and the Regal GS at GM's proving grounds in Milford, MI. Buick has been working hard to shed its image as the brand that comes with an AARP membership card in the glovebox, and this handsome trio is definitely on the right path. With a solid list of features at competitive prices, it's now going to be up to Buick's marketing division to get customers into showrooms. We should say right off the bat that while the old G-Body Grand National and GNX were hardcore giant slayers, the new Regal GS isn't intended to be so sharp edged. Those '80s machines were focused on 0-60 times, and looking as sinister as possible. The new Regal is far more civilized that its forebear. They may share a name, but the purpose has changed. The standard Regal Sportback starts at $25,915 - that's $2,470 less than the outgoing model. It might be the most attractive Buick in decades, at least on the outside. The interior is typical GM, meaning lots of colors and textures without a defining theme. It's powered solely by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four making 250 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels through a nine-speed automatic. From behind the wheel, the Regal Sportback is quiet, comfortable, and generally relaxed. The 2.0-liter turbo makes a decent amount of power, but the steering and handling remind you that this isn't a sport sedan. That's not a fault, simply a conscious design choice. Despite what some enthusiasts would lead you to believe, not everything needs to be set up for the N urburgring. The Regal Sportback soaks up bumps fairly well, though the car felt light going over some larger bumps on GM's handling course. The steering is completely dead, but it doesn't feel loose or sloppy. There's simply no feedback from the tires. On the other hand, the brakes were surprisingly good. The pedal was firm and confidence-inspiring. Stopping quickly from 60 mph provided no drama. View 12 Photos The $29,995 Regal TourX is a high-riding wagon in the vein of the Subaru Outback, Audi A4 Allroad, and Volvo V60 Cross Country. Like those three, the Regal TourX comes standard with some beefy plastic cladding and all-wheel drive, giving some pretense of off-road capability.

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.

GM cutting Chevy Sonic, Buick Verano production [UPDATE]

UPDATE: A previous version of this story indicated that Orion Assembly would be idled for seven weeks, from February 16 through April 6. This was incorrect. The factory will instead only be idled for the weeks of February 16 and April 6. The story has been edited to reflect this. General Motors has announced that the factory responsible for the Buick Verano and Chevrolet Sonic will be idled for the weeks of February 16 and April 6, with blame being placed on excess supply. The Orion Assembly plant, about 45 minutes north of GM's Renaissance Center headquarters, employs about 1,800 people, but they'll be given a pair of furloughs as inventories of the sub-compact Sonic and premium compact Verano reach 127 days and 84 days, respectively. That works out to 26,600 Chevys and 9,800 Buicks waiting for buyers. According to Automotive News, the compact Chevy sales bested the industry average in 2014, jumping up nine percent versus the the overall segment's eight-percent gain, while the Buick sedan's sales were down four percent. When asked about the shutdown, a GM spokesman told AN that it will "build to market demand," while also pointing out that the company did not comment on production plans. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Buick Chevrolet GM buick encore orion assembly