1970 Buick Skylark Gs Tribute on 2040-cars

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Opel Cascada close to getting green light for US

For a company with a long tradition of grand touring convertibles, it's almost unseemly that General Motors doesn't offer a properly relaxed four-seat convertible in North America. There's the Chevrolet Camaro, of course, but it's not big on rear-seat space and it doesn't offer that sort of serene demeanor that many open-air buyers crave. We're thinking of something more refined and, dare we say, elegant. Something a bit closer to the Opel Cascada.
The General's front-wheel drive convertible went on sale in Europe this year, and while it seemed like a natural fit for its Buick brand in America, it's never been sold here. That may be about to change, however. Back in June, CEO Dan Akerson hinted he'd like to see the Cascada available in the US, and now there's word from Edmunds that importation "could happen soon." That's according to an unnamed insider at the company.
It's almost unseemly that GM doesn't offer a relaxed four-seat convertible.

The importance of Angel Eyes, Ventiports and four round taillights

Just the other day, we told you about how Lincoln isn't really a luxury brand, according to Ford's head design man, J Mays. His argument was that Lincoln lacked the unique DNA to differentiate it from the rest of the market, although the arrival of the MKZ is beginning to change that. Now, we have this video from Autoline Detroit, where Jim Hall, an analyst for 2953 Analytics who was quoted in yesterday's Lincoln story, explains the influence of certain styling cues and how they impact the brands.
Using BMW (Angel Eyes) and Buick (Ventiports) as examples for small, simple touches that serve to distinguish the brand's vehicles on the road, Hall then points out how changing trademark styling features, as Chevrolet has done on the new Corvette Stingray, can hurt the vehicle's public perception. Take a look at the full video below for an interesting dive into what these styling features mean to their individual brands.

We hear Buick is testing a Regal wagon with focus groups

Rumors about a possible Buick Regal wagon have come and gone for the past few years, and today we have another one. A friend of Autoblog recently let slip that Buick is talking with customers and running focus groups of a new car against the Acura TSX wagon and an unnamed Volvo wagon. Of course the Buick model being used in the focus groups wasn't mentioned, but the Regal is the only Buick in the lineup of comparable size and with a wagon version overseas. Plus, we've heard that Buick told dealers a wagon is in the works at a meeting a few months ago. We reached out to Buick for comment, however no details were given. A Buick spokesperson told us, "By the end of 2017, we'll be revealing three more new models for a total of seven new Buicks in just 24 months." Of the seven new models, four have been launched: the Cascada, Encore, Envision and LaCrosse. Looking at Buick's current line-up, that leaves three models that haven't been updated yet: the Enclave, Regal and Verano. This is where a Buick Regal wagon could come in. We know the Enclave is definitely getting a replacement. The large crossover market is huge and GM has a platform for it. We're also expecting a new Regal sedan to come out next year. The Verano, however, is unlikely to see another generation. If the Verano goes away, that leaves an opening for a new Buick model. Rather than another sedan, Buick probably wants more crossovers, as the company said it expects its current line-up to bring in 70 percent of its sales. It could very easily add another CUV to the line-up by giving the Regal wagon the Volvo Cross Country treatment. Raise the ride height, gird it with plastic fenders and bumpers, and give the wagon a trendy name like "Tourx" or "Regal Tourx," which the company has already trademarked, and Buick's newest crossover is ready to go. In fact, GM has effectively already done this to the Regal's German sibling, the Insignia, in the form of the Insignia Country Tourer, pictured above. In summary, a CUV-like wagon could give Buick a trendy car in a hot class for a minimal investment. It would even provide Buick with a model that has no equivalents elsewhere in the GM stable, giving the company a bit more distinction. If the company does bring us a wagon version of the Regal, we would expect to see something next year, possibly with the reveal of the normal Regal variants.