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Spy Shots: Chinese-market Buick GL8 successor spotted testing
2011 Buick GL8 - Click above for gallery of spy shots
General Motors is apparently well into the development of the next-gen Buick GL8 MPV for the Chinese market, as this series of spy photos clearly shows. Previewed by the Business MPV shown off at the Shanghai Motor Show a few months back, this revised vehicle will be targeted at upwardly mobile business types and – though based on the same platform – is a far cry from the GM minivans we've seen Stateside like the unloved Buick Terraza.
Judging from the heavily camouflaged prototypes, many of the concept's most distinctive features have made it through to the production model intact, such as the shoulder-level bodyside dips, prominent chrome waterfall grille and exaggerated wraparound headlights. Unfortunately, we don't get a glimpse of the interior, which in the concept featured dual sliding and swiveling second-row captain's chairs with a power sliding center console.
It's also not clear if the concept's 2.4-liter mild-hybrid engine and six-speed automatic will make it into the production MPV when it arrives in 2011, but China Car Times reports a series of V6 powerplants ranging from 2.5 to 3.0-liters are likely, some with direct injection.
Gallery: Chinese Buick GL8 Spy Shots
Gallery: Shanghai 2009: Buick Business MPV
[Source: China Car Times | Spy Images: goche.sohu.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mr.Oak 9:17AM (7/31/2009)
How could GM take our tax $$ and build ..... yada, yada, yada.
There I said it for you. Now critique the car or shut up. Retards.
Buick really is moving into Lexus' neighborhood. Nicely executed.
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Ligor 9:26AM (7/31/2009)
The concept was like a luxury version of the NIssan Quest Minivan
And I think as far as minivans go that is the best lookingone, at least it has some character adn is not all bland and boring ala Sienna, etc
Even the interior is almost an exact copy of the Quest, again not a bad thing.
let's hope they bring this over to compete here in the US with that nice looking interior adn exterior design.
those spy shots make it look like they screwed it up though
Aznauto 9:33AM (7/31/2009)
It a shame GM Shanghai isn't designing cars for US as well. Hopefully they make Prius style hybrid and can be re badged as volt.
Mr.Oak 10:32AM (7/31/2009)
Aznato: A Prius styled Hybrid? Why? Here's why not,
1). The Prius is UGLY. Yes the new one too.
2). The technology is old, past its zenith. Time to move on.
I drive 3 miles to the train station & 3 miles back home. I could go years in a Volt and NEVER buy a drop of gasoline.
p.s. I get my electricity from the SUN, even sell back to the electric company. Yep!! I get my STIMULUS check every month.
Aznauto 11:36AM (7/31/2009)
Oak,
Prius looks good i do not see any hybrids that are better designed, it is affordable and consumers want it (top selling car in Japan and selling well in US). Unless there is better model you can suggest there is nothing to move on to but to except build another Hybrid similar to it, to compete with it.
Argument you make is the same one made by Detroiters on why Big 3 must not make a car like Camry cause it is boring, already exists etc well all know how well it worked out for them compared with Hyundai (Sonata).
Bloke 12:07PM (7/31/2009)
GM isn't using your tax dollars. It's using its Chinese subsidiary's working capital - the same retained profits that GM itself drew a dividend from last year.
Bloke 12:10PM (7/31/2009)
"How could GM take our tax $$ and build ..... yada, yada, yada."
It isn't. It's using its Chinese subsidiary's working capital - the same reserves GM used to draw a dividend from last year.
Bloke 12:11PM (7/31/2009)
This posting system is awful. It's there, then disappears, it's there again.
cxvargas 9:24AM (7/31/2009)
Buick in China is helping save the brand in the US and may help expand Buick to other markets. Nice van.
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j 9:45AM (7/31/2009)
nice van indeed
Sal Collaziano 9:45AM (7/31/2009)
This Buick has a third row that I'd actually WANT to sit in.. Very nice, if you ask me.. I wonder if any characteristics of this design will carry over into the Enclave redesign...
Sal Collaziano
http://www.buickforums.com
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Protzenegger 10:11AM (7/31/2009)
You got it backwards. Elements of the Enclave carried over to this van.
Sal Collaziano 10:16AM (7/31/2009)
They say you learn something new every day.. Thanks...
johnzillah 10:01AM (7/31/2009)
This should be in the US now. We get all the junk here it seems and they sell the good stuff abroad.
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Tagg 10:11AM (7/31/2009)
I think a minivan for Buick would sell quite well in the U.S. Now I understand that will not happen; it's too expensive to have Buick sell the only van but I'm just thinking of all the over 60 year olds I see in Siennas and Town and Country vans.
In the time I spent in Shanghai I was driven around in a Buick van quite a bit. It's the way to go for business people since obtaining a license is so difficult in Shanghai and license plates are even harder to get unless your rich. So you buy your van, hire someone with a license and pay them $10-$20 per day and have them drive you where ever for 6 days out of the week. It's not going to change either because the Shanghai municiple government won't release new plates so vans are very, very attractive over there and will become more attractive. Especially if the governement relaxes it's "one child" policy.
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renshcp 12:00PM (7/31/2009)
Agreed. And the fact that the vast majority of foreigners don't drive is why the GL8 is THE car for people working in China on business. Because the driver necessarily takes one seating position in the car, if you have more than one kid you are basically forced to go to something with a third row. I tried to fight it by picking up a Chevy Captiva with the tiny flip up third row, but with the arrival of my second child I had to move to the GL8 because I needed a real third row. Now I'm suffering with 13.5 MPG in the GL8, so hopefully fuel economy is something that get's addressed with the new MPV.
why not the LS2LS7? 12:16PM (7/31/2009)
When I was driven around in Shanghai it was in a Terraza, and it wasn't the only one showing up at the Four Seasons in the morning. There were a ton of GL8s around though, but I never was in one.
I did know license plates were tough to get, I didn't know the reason no foreigners were driving was because they couldn't get on the allocations.
There's no way there haven't been new plates released in a while. I'm sure the growth is controlled, but the traffic didn't get that way, and that far out, by not releasing new plates for 10 years. I mean, Pudong was very undeveloped just 20 years ago and 10 years ago the Jin Mao Tower and Oriental Pearl Tower almost stood alone. They have to at least doubled the number of plates in the last 10 years.
Danimal 10:16AM (7/31/2009)
If they are able to keep that silver stripe down the side to exaggerate the curves this van will really stand out.
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Russell 2:41PM (7/31/2009)
It looks like the shape of the production model is no where near as curvy... the shoulder line even looks flat...
I can still hope it looks good but doesn't look as good as the concept as of now
Mike!!ekiM 11:57AM (7/31/2009)
There goes Cheap Gas.
One billion people driving around V6's.
Do the math, we're in for a big hurt in gas prices.
It's funny the Chinese government isn't seeing this coming. There just as blind as Tillerson.
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