1969 Buick Electra 225 2 Door Hardtop, White In Color, on 2040-cars

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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.

Top-of-the-line 2018 Buick Regal TourX costs $43,795

Buick has unveiled an online configurator for the 2018 Regal TourX wagon, and it shows that picking the full suite of premium options puts the sport wagon at $43,795. That prices it under its Regal GS Sportback sibling and competitors like the Volvo V60 Cross Country and Audi A4 Allroad. The luxury hatchback starts at $29,995 and is available in three trim options: TourX 1SV, Preferred ($33,575) and Essence ($35,945). All are powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that puts out 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque and drives an eight-speed automatic transmission. Intelligent all-wheel-drive with active twin-clutch, start-stop technology and 18-inch painted aluminum wheels are also standard. There are eight exterior color options, including Sport Red and Summit White for no extra charge, and two options for the interior at no extra charge. Driver Confidence package options come with things like LED headlamps, 4-way lumbar seat adjuster and rear park assist for $1,725, and various driver-assist technologies including adaptive cruise control and forward collision alert for an additional $1,190. A panoramic moonroof will set you back $1,200. At 73.5 cubic feet with the second-row seats folded down, Buick says the TourX boasts more overall cargo space than the Subaru Outback, Volvo V60 Cross Country, Audi A4 Allroad and BMW 3-series Sport Wagon. The rear hatch area offers 32.7 cubic feet with the seats up.Related Video:

Looking back at how and why GM saved Buick

Still uncomfortably fresh in our collective minds is 2008, the year when the US economy tanked, auto sales collapsed, and both General Motors and Chrysler endured federally managed bankruptcies. Then 2009, when, among other draconian measures, the government task forces dictating what they were compelled to do to earn taxpayer financial support ordered thousands of dealers cut and GM to discontinue four of its eight US brands. Three of those chosen for GM's axe were fairly obvious: off-road icon Hummer had become politically incorrect, Swedish-born Saab was a perennial money loser, and product-starved Saturn had sadly sagged after its strong early start. On the other hand, high-volume value brand Chevrolet, luxury Cadillac, and high-profit GMC seemed clear keepers. That left Pontiac and Buick, both boasting strong brand heritage and histories but both languishing at the time with lackluster image and sales. Most believed that "old man's car" Buick would be killed and once-youthful Pontiac and its performance image would be revived. So few understood why when exactly the opposite happened: Buick lived, Pontiac died. One key factor was Buick's long, distinguished history in China. In the early 20th century, many of that country's most influential citizens owned, drove, or were driven in Buicks. By 1930, one out of every six cars on the roads in Shanghai was a Buick. So when GM launched vehicle production at a Shanghai joint-venture plant in 1999, the chosen brand was Buick. Today it remains GM's best-selling brand in that fast-growing market. Another was an appealing new design direction that began with a shapely 2006 three-row crossover concept called Enclave. Inspired by the Buick Velite concept convertible of 2004, its curvaceous "form vocabulary," GM Design vice president Ed Welburn said at the time, previewed coming Buick production car and CUV design. "The body shape flows, like there's wind blowing over it," he enthused, adding that the Enclave concept's richly trimmed cabin foretold "a renaissance in interior design for GM." And when the production Enclave arrived for 2008, followed by platform siblings from Saturn and GMC (and later Chevrolet), it indeed caught the public's eye and started selling well. And once past GM's painful and embarrassing bankruptcy, Buick has been on a major roll. Continuing to sell strongly in China while growing substantially in the US, it has enjoyed four straight years of global sales records.