Report: Buick Regal Hybrid coming to Chicago Auto Show

According to a report from Ward's Auto, General Motors will be debuting a hybrid version of the Buick Regal sedan at the Chicago Auto Show next week. The electrified Regal will use the same eAssist architecture that debuted in the LaCrosse late last year.

In the LaCrosse, eAssist accounts for a 25 percent increase in fuel economy, and we can expect similar numbers for the Regal. Currently rated at 19/30 miles per gallon city/highway with the 2.4-liter engine and six-speed automatic, adding eAssist should help the Regal reach fuel economy numbers above 35 mpg.

Unlike the LaCrosse, it's likely that the eAssist powertrain will not be the base engine in the Regal. For the 2012 model year, all LaCrosses come standard with eAssist, but we expect the Regal to use this system in a more upmarket (read: more expensive) configuration. We'll have the full details live from Chicago next week, so stay tuned.

Photos copyright ©2011 John Neff / AOL

[Source: Ward's Auto]