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Buick Envision arrives in US next year

In a detailed piece on what General Motors has planned for the Buick brand stateside, Automotive News reports that the Envision will finally come to the US a little more than a year from now, in the latter half of 2016. The size gap between the small Encore and the large Enclave is a perfect fit for the Chevrolet Equinox-sized Envision. Assuming this actually happens, it should excite both customers and Buick dealers. In China, the Envision uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 256 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed transmission. Before then, dealers sales forces will be preparing for the Cascada convertible, expected in Q1 next year. Later in 2016, around the same time as the Envision gets here, we can expect a redesigned Verano sedan. AN says it "should grow in length and interior roominess, similar to the Chevy Cruze," but the Verano already roughly matches or exceeds many Cruze dimensions. The Chinese-market Verano that premiered at the Shanghai Motor Show earlier this year probably holds some clues to what we'll see, but our version might not be an exact copy. A redesigned, lighter, and slightly larger LaCrosse will be right there with it. In 2017 the redesigned Regal appears. Following the trend, it also gets larger, but that's required because it needs to be more distinct from that larger Verano. AN suggests a new base engine will go in the Regal, perhaps something as small as the 1.5-liter turbo being lined up for the 2016 Chevy Malibu. At the other end, executives are said to be considering importing the diesel Opel Insignia wagon for the Regal lineup. If they bring the manual over, auto scribes will probably take the day off when the first one arrives, and make it an industry holiday.

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

Even if GM does close all 5 of those plants, it'll still have too many

DETROIT — General Motors' monumental announcement on Monday that it will close three car assembly plants and two powertrain plants in North America and slash its workforce will only partially close the gap between capacity and demand for the automaker's sedans, according to a Reuters analysis of industry production and capacity data. Sales of traditional passenger cars in North America have been declining for the past six years and are still withering. After GM ends production next year at factories in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario, it will still have four U.S. passenger-car plants — all operating at less than 50 percent of rated capacity, according to figures supplied by LMC Automotive. In comparison, Detroit-based rivals Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will have one car plant each in North America after 2019. The Detroit Three are facing rapidly dwindling demand for traditional passenger cars from U.S. consumers, many of whom have shifted to crossovers and trucks. Passenger cars accounted for 48 percent of retail light-vehicle sales in the United States in 2014, according to market researchers at J.D. Power and Associates. This year, sedans will account for less than a third of light vehicle sales. That shift in turn has left most North American car plants operating far below their rated capacities, while many SUV and truck plants are running on overtime. The collapse in passenger-car demand is a challenge for nearly all automakers in the United States, including Japan's Toyota and Honda, which have the top-selling models in the compact and midsize car segments. Toyota executives said last month they are evaluating the company's U.S. model lineup. But Toyota also plans to build compact Corolla sedans at a new $1.6 billion factory it is building in Alabama with partner Mazda. The obstacles facing GM in its plans to close more auto factories became apparent on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block payment of government electric vehicle subsidies to GM. While it is not certain that Trump unilaterally has the power to do that, he made it clear he intends to use his office to pressure the company to keep open a small car plant in Ohio that GM says will stop building vehicles in March.