Spy Shots: Next-gen Buick Excelle for China snapped
by John Neff on Nov 23rd 2009 at 12:33PM 
Next-gen Buick Excelle for China – Click above for high-res image gallery
Soon Buick will have an entire lineup of competitive vehicles with the Enclave, all-new LaCrosse and soon-to-arrive-from-Europe Regal. Since the latter model is basically a direct port of the Opel Insignia, its success may help General Motors decide whether or not to snag a fourth model from another overseas market. The likely candidate is this car, the next-gen Buick Excelle that is currently sold only in China.
Recently snapped by spy photographers while undergoing testing with very little camouflage, the next-gen Excelle will adopt GM's Delta II small car platform that also underpins the new Chevy Cruze and Opel Astra. It's more closely related to later, however, as previous generations have been not much more than rebadged Astras. Just because Buick could sell the Excelle in the U.S., however, doesn't mean it should. Would the market really accept a Buick this small, especially when the Cruze is on sale across the street? Time will tell but you can let GM know what you think now in the comments.
[Photos: KGP Photography]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
spin cycle 12:37PM (11/23/2009)
I think not yet. Let's see how the Regal goes first.
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John H. 3:05PM (11/23/2009)
Kinda agree.
Tho if/when gas goes up in price again, Buick will need a small car for the knee-jerk hi-mpg rush that follows.
And really, it's not a bad-looking car. If BWM can compete via Mini and 1-series, Buick can, too.
fixitfixitstop 7:00PM (11/23/2009)
I think it looks far too much like the Cruze to not be repeating the same badge-engineering mistakes of the 80s.
Judy Zik 7:39PM (11/23/2009)
It would really prove that nothing has changed since the death of Pontiac if this rebadge arrived in Buick stores. Buick models need to be a bit more than a Chevy with a waterfall grill. Otherwise why bother? Platform sharing is OK. Rebadging is not.
ruleb15 12:44PM (11/23/2009)
I really don't think this is necessary. Part of GM's problem has been the amount of rebadging it does, and this would just continue that trend. I realize Buick is trying to change it's image, but making a car this small isn't necessarily the right direction. Leave the small cars to Chevrolet.
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THEHACKMAN 2:15PM (11/23/2009)
I think you miss the point. This is for China where Buick is "king". Naturally, GM wants to market Buicks to China and I am sure the design will reflect the premium nature of Buick in China.
THEHACKMAN 2:17PM (11/23/2009)
Sorry. I guess it is I who missed the point. I think the idea of porting this car to the US is speculation.
Rev Junkie 12:50PM (11/23/2009)
It all depends on the execution. The idea of a Cruze-based Buick makes sense in that GM needs a competitor to the A3, the upcoming Lexus CT, and the 1-series, assuming BMW sends over 4-cylinder models, as well as the hatchbacks, and even Lincoln could be making a compact model. This would be perfect for Buick, as a FWD Cruze-based Cadillac can only make one's mind drift to the Cimarron, and upon seeing the number of old people clogging the road in small cars, a Buick compact could be a hit with old people tired of spending all of their pension fueling up their Roadmaster.
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Jimbo 12:52PM (11/23/2009)
"Would the market really accept a Buick this small, especially when the Cruze is on sale across the street? " In my case, not even across the street. The dealership in my town is a Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac dealership (no GMC).
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Level 12:52PM (11/23/2009)
As long as they look like the Opel Astra then def but this one looks tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much like the Chevy Cruze which is a big no no....
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Jimbo 12:54PM (11/23/2009)
It would be the perfect vehicle for all those retirees to tow behind their RV.
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Tim 1:12PM (11/23/2009)
No that will be the job of the Chevy spark based Buick Centuri (Cruise=Cruze) equipped with a roof rack, Encalve inspired styling and 3-speed Automatic
Aprime 12:57PM (11/23/2009)
"It's more closely related to later, however, as previous generations have been not much more than rebadged Astras."
Are you implying that previous gen. Excelles were Astras?
Didn't know Lacettis were Opels. >_>
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victor 1:45PM (11/23/2009)
....was about to say. Excelles in China were Lacettis
Francis 12:58PM (11/23/2009)
i'm only buying one if i can get it in that exact color scheme from the dealership.
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Gungosa 1:20PM (11/23/2009)
with or without the exclusive grill speedo?
BLS 12:59PM (11/23/2009)
I thought the old Excelle was based on the Suzuki Forenza/Chevy Lacetti.
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Tim 1:12PM (11/23/2009)
"Just because Buick could sell the Excelle in the U.S., however, doesn't mean it should. Would the market really accept a Buick this small, especially when the Cruze is on sale across the street?"
Why not badge engineering is the order of the day again for GM. The plan is to flood the market with product to hide the fact that they have production overcapacity in the millions. Buick nameplate will be dead in the US soon... well right after another round of bailout money via US tax payer.
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jamie 2:41PM (11/23/2009)
You and Rick Wagoner call it "over-capacity", but I see it as "under-utilization" of facilities, poor marketing and incompetent management.
GM has the capacity to build 6 million vehicles annually in NA (a market of some 10-15 million vehicles) , but they can only sell 1-2 million vehicles? Come on now; someone is not doing their job properly.
A lot of this stems from GM's reluctance to define each brand and its individual place in the market. Sloan was a marketing wonder-boy compared to the current crop of lackies.
You have to look no further than Ford's experience with Jaguar for your answer. Ford took the Cat downmarket and what happened? Customer perception followed. Take Buick downamarket and guess what? Duh.
Jimbo 9:07PM (11/23/2009)
Ford had the right idea to take Jaguar downmarket, they just executed it very poorly. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, and Lexus were all playing in the $30-40k range and raking in cash. It made sense to for Jaguar to follow. Unfortunately, Ford used the same failed technique on Jaguar that they continue to use on Lincoln: take a Ford product, slap on a few styling cliches, and add $10-20k to the sticker. Another problem Jaguar had was that the XJ that was redesigned in 2003 looked exactly like.....the XJ introduced in 1995, which looked like the XJ introduced in 1979. Finally, Jaguar missed the SUV craze completely, although that may not be a bad thing.
Lincoln will fail the same way. They're not fooling anyone with their rebadged Fords.