Regal. Yep, the company that's trying to forge a new image for itself went right back to the well when it came time to naming its upcoming midsize sedan.
It's hardly a suprise, though, as one Buick executive said the Regal nameplate still has name recognition with buyers even though it's been off the market for several years.
There's already a Buick Regal on sale in China. No word yet on whether or not we'll get the same car.
Undoubtedly, you know that actor Patrick Swayze died today at age 57 after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. And so we offer this quick tribute to Swayze and the iconic cars he drove during his career.
For starters, there's the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop Coupe from Dirty Dancing (1987). You can watch a nice (but non-embeddable) clip of Swayze pulling away in the Bel Air after the tearful good-bye with Baby here.
In Road House (1989), a film loved only by Editor in Chief Scott Oldham, Swayze drove this 1965 Buick Riviera, which would have had a 401-cid V8.
We know it's a '65, because that was the only year that had clamshell covers over the headlights. And if you watched, you know that Swayze's character (James Dalton, a bouncer) liked the covers because they would keep people from smashing his headlights.
Dalton also drove an '86 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC, which had the 5.6-liter (5,547cc), 2-valve V8. The trailer for Road House shows Swayze driving the Benz, and you can watch it after the jump.
LA Times: Patrick Swayze dies at 57
Continue reading The Cars Patrick Swayze Drove.
Yesterday on GM's FastLane blog, GM vice chairman announced a new ad campaign called "May the Best Car Win," noting that it would include a 60-day money-back guarantee. "In short, we're going to take away every last excuse not to consider a vehicle from Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and GMC," he wrote.
Today GM has issued a press release with a few more details. Apparently, if you buy a Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet or GMC vehicle between now and Nov. 30 and decide it's not for you, you can bring it back, and a receive a refund for the purchase price, including sales tax. Any dealer accessories or negative trade-in equity rolled into the deal are not included. You have to try the car for at least 31 days but no longer than 60 days, and log fewer than 4,000 miles. All models are eligible, save for medium-duty trucks.
In addition, every vehicle will be backed by a transferrable 5-year/100,000-mile powetrain and roadside assistance coverage. (Of course, the basic warranty will still span only 3 years/36,000 miles or 4 years/50,000 miles, depending on the model.)
Look for more details on GM's consumer websites on Sunday. The program starts Monday.
There's an interesting column by Tom Walsh in today's Detroit Free Press that talks about Ed Whitacre, the man President Obama appointed to lead GM's new board of directors.
Apparently, Whitacre is earning a reputation for being direct, even blunt, in meeting with General Motors' salaried staff and has told GM executives in no uncertain terms that he expects to see all kinds of change over the next 12 weeks. He has evidently even gone so far to say that jobs will be on the line if there isn't significant, rapid progress in vehicle sales, market share and profitability.
This makes sense, Walsh observes, given the U.S. government's desire to dispense with its ownership stake by mid-2010 -- "but no investors will put a dime into GM stock if they think it's 'business as usual' for the embattled automaker."
Here we have a classic rivalry. On one side there's the 2009 Lexus ES 350, the brand's best-selling car and the one model that solidified Lexus as the "new Buick."
On the other hand, there's the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse. It's hoping to lure Lexus buyers back with more interesting styling, stronger engines and all the features luxury buyers expect to see these days.
So which sedan is the "real" Buick? Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton breaks them down to find out in our latest luxury sedan comparison test.
Comparison Test: 2010 Buick LaCrosse vs. Lexus ES 350.
The "new" GM may be just kicking into gear, but there are parts of the old GM that are still cranking out some pretty interesting new vehicles. This 2010 Vauxhall Insignia VXR, an all-wheel drive sport sedan for the UK, is a perfect example.
It not only looks good, it has a 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 that delivers 321-horsepower and 321 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed manual transmission. It also has "Flexride" which allows the driver to adjust the steering, suspension and throttle mapping. And as you can see above, there's even a wagon version.
Most importantly, this vehicle will form the basis for the next-generation Buick Regal slated to come to the U.S. in 2011. Not a bad place to start.
First Drive: 2010 Vauxhall Insignia VXR
Remember when Buick announced that it would build a new crossover based on the
Saturn Vue, complete with a plug-in hybrid version? That was so two weeks ago.
Today on GM's Fastlane blog, Tom Stephens, GM's Vice Chairman of Product Development, revealed that the two vehicles have been canceled.
Turns out that turning a Saturn into a Buick takes more than just a pretty grille. When consumers and journalists were shown the vehicle at a recent preview, the reaction was so negative that the GM brass quickly convened and decided to kill it.
Stephens billed the move as a sign that the new GM moves quickly when it comes to making decisions. True, but making a quick decision to cancel a bad decision you made a few months ago isn't exactly a major accomplishment.
Stephens did reiterate that another small crossover, often dubbed the "baby Enclave, is still on track.
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We couldn't let the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse linger out there with only a test of its entry-level 3.0-liter V6. So here you go, a look at the LaCrosse CXS with the bigger 3.6-liter V6.
Senior Editor Dan Pund drove it all the greater Detroit metro area and found it to be more than adequate. In fact, he liked it quite a bit. So if the lackluster performance of the CXL turned you off to the LaCrosse already, take another look, you might be surprised.
Full Test: 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS
General Motors is having a press conference tomorrow hosted by CEO Fritz Henderson. According to the release, Henderson will make some official announcements about a couple upcoming models in addition to various updates on the progress of the "new GM."
Turns out the company is giving an early preview of the future products today, but instead of inviting journalists, GM invited a bunch of social media outlets. And what do you know, they are just loving all the great new product they are being shown, and of course they are tweeting away about the experience.
So far, GM has shown a Cadillac ATS small sedan, 2012 Chevrolet Malibu sedan and a midsize Buick that won't be out for another couple of years.
Just like old times, only new. The newly not-bankrupt General Motors announced today that Buick -- one of the four remaining U.S.-market GM brands -- will in 2010 begin selling what appears to be a version of the Vue two-row crossover, from the departed Saturn division.
General Motors has not announced a name for the new Buick, but it will by 2011 be available as a plug-in hybrid (a version formerly planned for the Vue lineup in the 2010 model year). That model will use a version of the two-mode hybrid system familiar from larger GM trucks. In the Buick application, it'll be a combination of the 3.6-liter flex-fuel V6 under the hood and an 8 kwh lithium ion battery under the cargo load floor. GM is estimating this combination will be good for about 10 miles of electric-only range and then will, like other hybrids, use a combination of engine and battery power to motivate the vehicle, depending on conditions.
Back when this arrangement of hardware was to be a Saturn, GM was estimating a 0-60 mph performance of 7.3 seconds and a fuel economy rating of 27/30 mpg, city/highway, while delivering 3,500 maximum towing capacity.
The non-hybrid model of the Buick Whatever will be powered by the same four- and six-cylinder engines available already in the Chevrolet Equinox and the GMC Terrain.
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year, but not every vehicle gets a full write-up. The numbers still tell a story, though, so we present "IL Track Tested." It's a quick rundown of all the data we collected at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
Try to forget the awful commercials for the 2010 Buick LaCrosse for a moment. As ill-conceived as those pathetic attempts to make Buick look cool may have been, the car doesn't really need that much help. It's not the best-looking sedan Buick has ever made, but it's not ugly either and it has some good hardware under the skin.
In this case, our CXL tester was powered by the base 3.0-liter V6 and a six-speed automatic transmission. With 255 horsepower, it's a pretty stout engine, but it did have 2 tons of sedan to move. A standard set of 18-inch wheels and tires helped, too, but the all-season tread left a little on the table when it came to the handling tests.
Of course we're aware that the track is the last place you would ever find a 21st-century Buick, but it did better than you might think. Click through to read all the details.
Continue reading IL Track Tested: 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXL 3.0.
The upcoming 2011 Buick Regal sedan has arrived in Death Valley for a little hot weather testing. It's nothing more than a rebadged Opel Insignia, and it's already on sale in China, but the team in Death Valley was clearly an American crew.
Destined to slot in below the new 2010 LaCrosse, the Regal will hit a slightly lower price point while delivering the same "quiet comfort" as its larger sibling. Expect to see it in U.S. showrooms late next year.
Check out this Buick! It's sitting on the showroom floor of Boulevard Buick/Pontiac/GMC in Long Beach, California. It's not just like new, it IS new. The car has 144 miles on it and is only driven occasionally to keep everything working. It's never been sold and never been registered. We asked the owner of the dealership how/why this car came to be he gave a very simple explanation - "The car simply never sold. In fact we only had one serious looker, a kid who couldn't qualify for financing. As the years went by and it continued to collect dust, we just decided to keep it."
This is truly a stunning car, anyone have a guess what it's worth now?
Changing GM's corporate culture was/is high on Fritz Henderson's priority list, and the number of staffing moves today was on par with your average fantasy baseball league.
Who's In
Bryan Nesbitt's appointment to head Cadillac and Brent Dewar's move to Chevrolet were the early headlines.
Then, we learned who will be on the new, single executive committee, which will advise Fritz Henderson -- and, it's hoped, speed up decision-making at GM so it can move with the cheetah-like reflexes of a company like Honda. There are 8 men on the committee; we could call them the Great 8 or the G8... except that would remind us of the other G8.
Bob Lutz, vice chairman, marketing and communications;
Tom Stephens, vice chairman, global product development;
Nick Reilly, executive vice president, GM International Operations;
Ray Young, executive vice president, chief financial officer;
Tim Lee, group vice president, global manufacturing and labor relations;
John Smith, group vice president, corporate planning and alliances; secretary of the executive committee;
Mark LaNeve, vice president, U.S. sales;
Bob Socia, vice president, global purchasing and supply chain.
Who's Out
And of course there were a bunch of retirements. Topping the list are two GM lifers, Gary Cowger, formerly the group VP of global manufacturing and labor relations, and Troy Clarke, group VP of GM's North American operations. Interestingly, Cowger will stay on until the end of the year to manage the Delphi situation (now that GM owns Delphi again) and the launch of a battery production facility.
Continue reading GM Staffing Shake-Up: Who's In, Who's Out.
The General Motors bankruptcy proceedings are wrapping up today and the judge is expected to let this one sail through much like Chyrsler's reorganization. GM will be split into an "old" company saddled with all the problems, and a "new" GM that will emerge with few brands and none of the legacy issues that have plagued the company for decades.
Sounds great right? Well, maybe not. Bill Visnic of AutoObserver breaks down what's left of the "good" GM and doesn't find much to get excited about. Although Chevrolet looks like it can become a strong brand, Buick and GMC are big question marks. Even Cadillac has a tough road ahead gives its limited lineup and dependence on large cars and SUVs. Kind of makes you wonder if this whole government sponsored bankruptcy thing is really doing us any favors.
AutoObserver: "Good" GM: Maybe Not All That Good
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