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Next Opel Insignia to adopt sleeker looks

The very first set of spy photos of the next-generation Opel Insignia have dropped, giving us a look at the more svelte, aggressive, and stylish look of the popular sedan. As a reminder, the Insignia is sold here in the United States as the Buick Regal. There's only so much we can discern from these photos, thanks to the very heavy camouflage. But we can get a look at the new Audi A7-like roofline, which our spies citing similarities to the Opel Monza concept car from the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Monza link fits with our previous reports, which claimed the gullwinged wagon would serve as a prime source of inspiration for both the Insignia and US-market Regal. Aside from the significantly redesigned sheetmetal, Opel is also increasing the size of its flagship sedan, adding nearly four inches between the axles. According to our spies, the goal is to build a vehicle comparable in size to the Skoda Superb, a roughly Volkswagen Passat-sized sedan based on the VW Group's MQB platform. What's most interesting for US customers, though, is the body style shown here. Like the aforementioned A7, the next Insignia will be offered as a five-door model, rather than a traditional sedan. The five-door hatch would later be joined by a traditional wagon. It's unclear whether the US market Buick will take a similar route, or whether General Motors will demand a four-door variant exclusive to North America. Check out the spy photos above, and keep an eye open for more on the next Insignia/Regal. Don't plan on seeing it at an auto show any time soon, though. It's not slated to debut until the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.

2020 Buick Enclave adds Sport Touring trim, tweaks tech

With its redesign for 2018, the Buick Enclave added the fancy Avenir trim level. Now the 2020 Enclave moves a bit in the other direction with a new Sport Touring model. The Sport Touring package is based on the Essence trim level, and consists of a body-color grille surround in place of chrome, and special 20-inch wheels that combine a bright finish with darker insets. The package doesn't touch the 310-horsepower V6 or the Enclave's suspension, so this development is hardly one to threaten the Ford Explorer ST or the Dodge Durango SRT8. Instead, it is perhaps a baby step toward an Enclave Gran Sport, although we might rather see the Regal TourX wagon move in that direction. Other Enclave news falls into the more traditional Buick wheelhouse. There's a new message function and power lumbar adjustment for the Premium and Avenir models. GM's HD rear vision camera — in which the rear-view mirror can switch to show a wide-angle camera feed — is newly available, as is an HD surround-view feature. In other tech developments, the standard 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system gains new capabilities, now supporting connected navigation and Sirius XM's higher-level 360L service, both of which require a subscription. The 2020 Buick Enclave rolls quietly into dealerships this summer, with an asking price of $41,195.

2020 Buick Encore, Encore GX set for Shanghai debut

Buick says it will debut the all-new 2020 Encore small crossover and new-for-China Encore GX compact crossover at the Buick Brand Night April 15 in Shanghai on the eve of Auto Shanghai 2019. They'll join the updated 2020 LaCrosse and LaCrosse Avenir sedans, which GM is discontinuing here in the U.S. Buick released a darkened teaser image of both vehicles in rear three-quarters view, though it's a little hard to tell which is which (we're going with the GX being the one on the right). It suggests the Encore gets more streamlined taillights that taper along the rear liftback, with some redesigned creases on the door panels and haunches. The latter don't appear to be present on the Encore GX, which Buick says is a new addition to the model series in China. Both will be offered with GM's new nine-speed Hydra-Matic and continuously variable transmissions, plus what Buick says will be "enhanced connectivity," including new technologies. They'll join the Envision and Enclave for China, which is Buick's largest market. First introduced in 2013, The Encore was last refreshed for 2017. It has been the top-selling Buick model in the U.S. for the past 3 years, with 93,073 sold last year, up 5.7% from 2017.