Buick Regal likely to be launch platform for next GM hybrid system
2011 Buick Regal – Click above for high-res image gallery
Last night, General Motors publicly unveiled the 2011 Buick Regal that goes on sale in North America in the first half of next year. The Regal will be Buick's new mid-sized sedan entry and is essentially just a re-grilled version of the Opel Insignia that went on sale in Europe last year. The North American Regal will be built at the Oshawa Ontario assembly plant in Canada beginning in calendar 2011 and will only be offered with a choice of direct-injected four-cylinder engines. However, the Regal is actually slated to go on sale in calendar 2010, and some are suggesting that the sedan will be sourced from Germany for 12 to 15 months.
The base engine will be the 2.4-liter normally aspirated unit that debuted earlier this year in the Chevrolet Equinox, among other models. With a six-speed automatic transmission, the Regal should hit 30+ mpg on the highway. The optional unit will be a 220-hp version of the 2.0-liter turbo, but that powertrain likely won't come on-line right away.
Earlier this year, documents were leaked that listed the Oshawa plant as building a new mid-size hybrid sedan in 2011. It looks like the Regal will be that car with GM's new second generation mild hybrid system that was announced in 2008. The new system uses a more powerful motor/generator and a lithium ion battery. According to Ward's Auto World, the Regal could also get GM's plug-in two mode hybrid system, but that likely won't appear before late 2011 at the earliest.
Gallery: 2011 Buick Regal
[Sources: Ward's Auto World - sub req'd | GM-Volt.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Conundrum 7:14PM (11/13/2009)
Regal B.A.S.S. edition (belt alternator starter system) for the fisherman in your family.
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Jei 7:47PM (11/13/2009)
lol, hilarious.
Pretty good news if GM is pushing ahead with a 2-mode hybrid system for cars. I figured since the 2-mode hybrid was being developed for the SRX/Equinox, the sizing would be right for mid-sized or large cars.
HAWC1506 7:39PM (11/13/2009)
I want the Opel grille back. The Buick badge can stay...but the waterfall grille just isn't doing it for me. Everything else is perfect.
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VictorRaikkonen 9:11PM (11/13/2009)
Except for the fact that they need to bring the bad arse version of this Opel to North America.
sfdenny 4:38PM (11/15/2009)
I'm liking this, including the Buick grill. Might be a good replacement for my Astra...
John H. 7:59PM (11/13/2009)
I'd wait for the Turbo.
Buick Regal T-Type? Yes, please!
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unni 8:08PM (11/13/2009)
BAS+ ?
To be true if GM comes with another Hybrid to market, It should be better than or equal to Focus/Prius hybrids. Else they are going to loose. BAS already proved it and people expect an MPG for a hybrid is 40+ mpg. I don't think GM can afford another loose game. They BAS+ may work in China as the hybrid market is still evolving . In north America people are used to seeing Prius ( come to Vancouver, Canada - all taxis are Prius )
The same engine offers 32 mpg on an SUV and 30 on a Sedan ? - something wrong , it should be min 36mpg and hybrid should make it 40+ for sure.
Where is the third hybrid system Cars which GM was developing ? (too many hybrids from GM ( BAS, BAS+, 2 Mode,EREV and one more only for sedans) ). where is a winner to HSD ?
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Conundrum 12:00AM (11/14/2009)
@unni...
The fuel economy will differ due to the tuning of the drivetrain. Is it tuned to sacrafice some performance in the name of better fuel economy (Corolla/ Cobalt XFE) or is it tuned to provide snappy performance at the expense of fuel economy (Audi A4/ Acura TSX).
VOLT series electric, 2 mode hybrids, BAS+ hybrids, standard powerplants all avaliable at different price points... and you think this is a bad thing?
Mbuku Kanyau Mbithuka 1:00AM (11/14/2009)
You got to love GM for sticking with it. Pretty soon, no one will be laughing about BAS. Just as no one laughs about the Corvette motors anymore.
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gslippy 1:05AM (11/14/2009)
Looks like another FAIL from GM. How popular are GM's hybrids today?
Here are the numbers:
August 2009 (during CFC): All GM total hybrid sales = 1708 (28% of which is now defunct Saturn).
Prius sales in August 2009 alone were 18,886, or 11x higher.
News flash: Buick owners don't want hybrids, especially the plug-in kind. They just want a solid, reliable, comfortable car without the unjustifiable price premium of a hybrid, the complexity of a hybrid, or the nuisance of plugging it in.
GM's goals need to be profitability and stability, rather than quixotic hybrid cars. This is not the way.
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Atlas 4:31AM (11/14/2009)
gslippy,
you complete retard, if the world worked according to you, we'd be living in stone caves because they're so reliable. It's rednecks with a negative attitude towards technological innovation that drag the country down, while others are feverishly working their a.... off creating the next mode of transportation.
No wonder some American cars use Jurassic technology, nothing to be proud of.
Mbuku Kanyau Mbithuka 1:52AM (11/14/2009)
@gslippy , This second Gen BAS is probably going to push vehicles somewhere around 30 mpg combined city highway cycle.
You call it fail, but I promise you, its probably getting Toyota's and Honda's attention at this point.
The Prius is OK and sell alot, but in the long run, we will see who ends up selling more hybrids.
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gslippy 4:42PM (11/14/2009)
So if GM develops second gen BAS for the Regal, and so are Toyota and Honda, who's gonna reap the sales?
Those poor GM engineers are wasting their time on things the company can't/doesn't sell.
twistedbitz 10:11AM (11/14/2009)
The car is butt ugly!
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amrev2 10:18AM (11/14/2009)
Why don't they market cars as Opel in North America? It would seem a lot easier sale than a Buick, particularly to someone under the age of 60.
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gslippy 4:48PM (11/14/2009)
That was awesome.
If whizbang technology was the answer to GM's plight, then their engineers ought to be working on flying cars or nuclear-powered ones, instead of setting such low targets as a hybrid Regal.
Newsflash #2: All hybrids, including the vaunted Prius, only account for 3% of vehicle sales. GM ought to stick with things they can sell to the buying public, rather than automotive journalists who don't have to pay for the technology they love to praise.
GM will be doing Bankruptcy #2 in 2013, anyway, so they won't have much chance to sell hybrid Regals.
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Mbuku Kanyau Mbithuka 7:39PM (11/14/2009)
@gslippy , What mileage is the Malibu getting right now without BAS 32 MPG, best in class. Add 15% to 20% to that and you suddenly get 37 mpg to 40 Mpg for a mid size sedan for an extra $1500.00, and that is knocking on fusion hybrid 40 Mpg, for probably $10,000.00 less out of pocket.
You think is silly, but do not be too quick to dismiss BAS II, it was not so good when it started, but continious improvement is paying off, and this system will probably match prius by its third redesign.
The problem for Toyota is, they do not even have a two mode system, yet, they are behind in voltec technology and no hydrogen.
GM is going to rule this market eventually. Easily.
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mmitiu 6:04AM (11/15/2009)
We've seen this before - rebadged Opels in US sold as Saturn and we remember the results. Still I hope this time it would be better
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Steve B. 4:21PM (11/15/2009)
So, first Olds was to be the "American Lexus." Then Saturn was to be the American Opel. Now (with the Lexus-ripoff Lacrosse and this Saturn Aura badge-job) the grand idea is to make Buick an American OpeLexus?
Weird. Handsome car in a generic sort of way.
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