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Buick envisioning a refreshed Envision crossover

Buick's first fully Chinese-built vehicle in the U.S., the Envision crossover, is now getting its very first refresh. Cars grow up so fast, don't they? There's no time to be wistful, though, so we need to take a look at this prototype. It looks like the Envision refresh is going to be very mild and focuses on strengthening the family resemblance between it and other Buicks. The waterfall grille now has a horizontal bar that intersects with the badge, as seen on every new and updated Buick since the latest LaCrosse. And although that badge is covered, we wouldn't be surprised if it changes from the all-silver design to the classic red, white and blue version that was reintroduced on the LaCrosse. The lower grilles have been changed, too. The outboard grilles that house the fog lights look smaller and less pronounced than on the current model, and the center piece appears to be thinner and wider. It also more naturally merges into the plastic air dam. The tail of this Envision, though more heavily camouflaged, also shows some minor updates. The most significant of them are the new taillights. They appear to have a similar boomerang shape as those on the LaCrosse, a distinct change from the ovular units of the current model. The lower edge of the bumper seems to have more of a faux diffuser look, and the exhaust tips now blend into the shape of the bumper, rather than ending in simple round shapes. Since this update is clearly a mild one, we would expect to see the new Envision on sale sometime next year, probably as a 2019 model. It will join a rather fresh Buick lineup alongside the new Regal and Enclave. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Buick Envision Spy Shots View 11 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Buick Crossover Luxury buick envision

GM cutting Chevy Sonic, Buick Verano production by more than 20%

General Motors' Orion Assembly plant in Michigan is seeing even more production cuts this year to further reduce inventories of the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano. These latest adjustments mean layoffs for about 100 workers in phases starting in July. "GM Orion Assembly will adjust plant production capacity to better align with market demand," the company said in a statement announcing the change. Through May, sales of the Sonic are down 28.5 percent to 29,082 vehicles, and the Verano is off 15.6 percent, with 15,279 sold this year. According to unnamed plant insiders speaking to Automotive News, the assembly rate is slowing at Orion Assembly from the current 33 cars an hour down to 26 an hour, a 21-percent reduction. GM is also reportedly going to keep the plant idle for three weeks during the normal summer shutdown, rather than the usual two. Earlier in the year, the factory was idled for two weeks due to excess supply of the Sonic and Verano. In March, it was closed again for several days for the same reason. The Orion Assembly plant is the future home to the line for the Chevy Bolt EV. GM Statement: GM Orion Assembly will adjust plant production capacity to better align with market demand. A phased layoff of approximately 100 employees will begin in July 2015 and conclude by year-end. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Buick Chevrolet GM Hatchback Sedan buick verano orion assembly

Audi tops Consumer Reports' brand rankings while Tesla leads domestics at eighth

Tesla supplanted General Motors' Buick division as the top-ranked US automaker in Consumer Reports annual brand rankings, though the electric-vehicle maker finished eighth among global automakers. Buick had finished atop CR's domestic car-brand list for three years before Tesla leapfrogged it. Scores were calculated from a combination of performance, owner satisfaction, and reliability. CR noted that Buick scored big on reliability but not so high on performance, while Tesla appeared to present the opposite case. Volkswagen's Audi division repeated as the best overall brand for the second straight year, beating out VW's Porsche unit, BMW, Toyota's Lexus division, and Subaru. Kia and Mazda followed those brands, while Honda finished ninth, between Tesla and Buick. Consumer Reports took results from 31 brands. Reliability issues related to the Toyota Tacoma helped drop that Japanese automaker out of the top 10. Take a look at CR's results for its Annual Brand Report Card here. That Tesla, Audi, and Porsche placed so high is topical, given some of the issues plaguing those automakers. Audi, Porsche, and their parent VW have been coping with the effects of the diesel-emissions scandal that broke back in 2015. The scandal has cost Europe's largest automaker billions of dollars, and forced VW to put a stop-sale on diesel-powered cars in the US in late 2015. And while the Tesla Model S improved from the "worse-than-average" label CR gave it in its 2015 Annual Auto Reliability Survey, the problematic falcon-wing doors on the Tesla Model X SUV pulled that model's reliability scores lower last year. Additionally, the Model X's climate-control system and door locks have also caused issues. Toyota and Lexus finished atop CR's reliability rankings last year. Related Video: