1965 Buick Electra 225 4 Door Hardtop on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Buick Velite Plug-In Hybrid Concept debuts to little fanfare

Buick pulled the covers off its latest Velite Concept at the Auto Guangzhou 2016 show in China. We say latest because this is actually the second time Buick has used the Velite name for a concept, the previous having been shown at the 2004 New York Auto Show. The first Velite concept was a two-door convertible; the second Velite is a four-door crossover. Enough about the name, what about the concept? Well, it's very highly stylized, and we don't really mean that in a good way. There's nothing about the Velite that screams Buick, except for its badges, of course. At the front is a compressed version of Buick's traditional waterfall-like fascia. It's flanked by slit-like LED lighting elements. The rest of the face looks to our eyes like it draws inspiration from the latest Toyota Prius. There isn't a single flat element to the Velite Concept's bodysides, in a way that resembles recent concepts from Infiniti. The last bit of styling flourish are deep recesses just ahead of the rear wheels, a look that is reminiscent of BMW's i-series of vehicles. There aren't any images showing the Velite's hind quarters, but from what we can see, that also has a QX-ish look about it. There are no shots yet of the Velite's interior, but Buick says it's "elegant" and "includes recycled materials." We wish we could see what it looks like, because the automaker says it "[points] to design trends for upcoming new energy vehicles." So, the Buick Velite Concept is a nondescript mashup of design elements that we've already seen. Under the skin, however, things are more interesting. It's a plug-in hybrid with a modular lithium ion battery. That doesn't tell us much – it could be a variant of the Chevy Volt, or it could be a different system altogether. We look forward to finding out. In the meantime, have a look at the high-res image gallery up above. Oh, and if you're wondering, the word velite traces its roots back to a lightly armored military division in ancient Rome. Related Video:

GM laying off 500 workers to slow Chevy Sonic production

Due to slow sales of the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano, General Motors is cutting a shift at the Orion Township plant that builds the pair. The move lays off about 500 workers, but most of them are expected to get offers to transfer to other factories, Automotive News reports. The move came just a day after GM announced adding 1,200 employees to the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. GM has been trying all year at the Orion Township factory to align production of the Sonic and Verano with their demand. The automaker first attempted idling the plant several times and eventually resorted to laying off about 100 workers. It also reduced the production rate there. With the huge rise in popularity of crossovers, demand for the plant's small cars is on the downturn. According to Automotive News, there's currently a 116-day supply of Sonics and 100 days of Veranos to sell. Delivers tell a similar tale because the Chevy is off 35.2 percent from January to September, and the Buick does little better with a 27.2 percent drop from the same period last year. While the situation at Orion Township might look rough now, big things are on the horizon. Soon, the new Chevy Bolt electric vehicle will be built there when it hits the market around 2017. Plus, the plant will also get a $245-million upgrade and 300 new jobs for another, unannounced vehicle.

Buick Enspire spied for the first time, loses concept's electric powertrain

About a year ago, Buick showed a high-performance electric crossover with wide, aggressive, curvy lines that was called the Buick Enspire. Now we have our first look at the production version. While it does seem to be styled like the crossover, it also seems to have lost its electric powertrain in favor of internal combustion. At the front of the crossover, we can clearly see it has the skinny, scowling headlights of the concept sitting high on the front fascia and flush with the hood. The main grille looks like it may be smaller, but it could also just be that the actual open section of the grille doesn't fill up the grille area of the fascia. In profile, the crossover has an attractive long nose, low roof and rising belt line. The rear shows the most change, as the rear pillars are much thicker, and the taillights don't appear to span the full width of the crossover. It's in the rear that we can also see the evidence that the Buick Enspire will actually be gasoline powered. Looking very closely under the rear bumper cover, we can see two exhaust tips turned to face the ground. Based on the size of the crossover, and the fact a Cadillac XT4 was being driven along with the prototype, the Enspire is probably using the XT4's platform, as well as its mechanical bits. That means it probably has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Power will also probably go through a nine-speed automatic to either the front wheels or all four. This prototype looks to be pretty far along, so we'll probably see the production version in about a year. Considering the Enspire's size and likely powertrain, it may even replace the similar Buick Envision. And since the Envision is Buick's worst selling crossover (unless you count the Regal TourX as one), it would be ripe for replacement.