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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #310 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #310 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #310
Buick GN and GNX will return

Opel to electrify all model lines by 2024, speeding PSA transition

What do you see in the Opel logo? That's right, a lightning bolt. As the German automaker dramatically restructures its future plans, electric cars are in the core of Opel's survival. With attempts to stop leaking money, Opel is speeding up its secession from GM technology, launching nine new models by 2020 with the aim to complete transition to PSA hardware by 2024, leaving only two Opel platforms. This is all part of Opel's freshly announced PACE turnaround plan, which is crucial for the company's survival, according to CEO Michael Lohscheller. "PACE will unleash our full potential. This plan is paramount for the company, to protect our employees against headwinds and turn Opel/Vauxhall into a sustainable, profitable, electrified, and global company," says Lohscheller. Competitiveness will be improved by reducing per-car costs by 700 euros, and by cutting marketing costs by 10 percent. Regarding Vauxhall's future, the statement still includes the British brand. When the Opel sale agreement was reached between PSA and GM in March, the plan was to start implementing PSA technology in 2019, completing the transition in eight years, as Automotive News says. The new business plan is noticeably faster. By 2020, with full access to PSA's electric tech, Opel would have a fully electric next-generation Corsa hatchback and a PHEV version of the Grandland X SUV, which is already based on Peugeot's 3008 model. Currently, there are nine Opel platforms and 10 engine families. By 2024 there should be two platforms and four powertrains; the number of diesel engines in use remains to be seen, and all product lines would include an electrified model. There would be an SUV and a midsize vehicle based on PSA's EMP2 architecture, with the former built in Eisenach — formerly known as the town that built East German Wartburg cars before its Opel era — and the latter built in Russelsheim, where Opel HQ is located. The Russelsheim hub will become PSA's global "competence center," where all Opel/Vauxhall vehicles would be engineered — not Paris. Plans include avoiding any factory closures or personnel layoffs. The PACE statement also mentions Opel's entrance to all of 20 new export markets, with a specific mention of China and Brazil, countries which have traditionally seen Opels sold as Chevrolets. Will the United States be included in that export plan?

2019 Buick Regal GS Review | Because Buicks are allowed to be cool, too

Buick continues to try to convince everyone that its cars are cool, but we still haven't seen much evidence of this working. However, the 2019 Buick Regal GS is exactly the car that can help change people's minds about Buick in 2019. It has big red Brembos sitting inside superbly stylish wheels, bright red GS emblems everywhere, aggressive bodywork and some of the best sport seats in any car today. Buick truly made the GS look the part, and if you can get past the brand's Wal-Mart greeter personality, you're going to like the way it drives, too. The Regal GS is powered by GM's 3.6-liter V6 that makes a healthy 310 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque in this application. That gets mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission, which is the only option for the GS this time around. The previous generation Regal GS offered a six-speed manual, but we weren't missing it too badly here. With seemingly every car under the sun going the turbocharged route, it was refreshing to see GM use a big, naturally aspirated V6. Even stranger was that the Regal GS before this one was boosted, so you could say GM went the opposite direction of the industry trend. That previous GS made 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder. So, while the V6 beats it by 40 horsepower, the old GS has it by 13 measly pound-feet of torque. Still, we dig the V6, because this car's power delivery is fantastic with a snarly but restrained exhaust note to go with. My largest quibble is taking off from a stop. The GS's throttle response is a little numb from the get-go, but put any revs to it and the car is ready to leap forward at any speed. This immediacy is increased when you put it into "GS" mode, which sharpens up the throttle, quickens shifts, stiffens the suspension, sends more power to the rear wheels and makes the steering heavier. The nine-speed is seamless and unobtrusive in traffic, but offers up surprisingly quick shifts when you're flat-out. Most of the time I end up ignoring the paddle shifters on cars with torque converter automatics, so I wasn't exactly missing them here. You can select the gears via the gear lever's slapstick function if you really want to, but it's hardly more engaging than just letting the car go at it. In GS mode it holds gears long enough and resists shifting out of the power band. During fall-attack on a backroad, it works smart and is on-par with the eight-speed in our Stinger GT long-termer.