These spy shots show a compact car that is rumored to be a baby Buick based on the same Delta II platform as the Chevrolet Cruze and next-gen Opel Astra. Just as the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse will share its platform with the next Saab 9-5 and Opel Insignia, this baby Buick would be one more model that helps General Motors increase the economies of scale for its small car platform.

While the spy shooter who took these pics claims that the car is destined for sale in China and the U.S., we're not so sure Americans are ready for a Buick of this size that will almost certainly cost more than the already capable Cruze. GM certainly doesn't want another slow-selling Cadillac Cimarron on its hands, but Buick/Pontiac/GMC dealers may be begging for a small car after Pontiac gets pared down to a niche performance brand and the G3, G5 and G6 go away.

[Source: Next Autos]

Citing a defect that can cause a parked vehicle to roll away, General Motors is recalling 277,000 cars and trucks. The models involved, all built for the 2009 model year, may have a loose clip on their transmission shift cable. The failure of the clip to be locked into place may prevent the transmission from moving into Park – even if the driver moves the shift lever into the proper position. GM has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that dealers will inspect the transmission shift cable and replace broken units. Affected models include the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet HHR, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Pontiac G5, Pontiac G6, Saturn Aura and Saturn Outlook. NHTSA Safety Campaign after the jump.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

General Motors may be taking a page out of its own book as it reportedly plans to raid the Opel parts bin for future Buick models. The last time GM decided to import Opels to the United States, it did so with the Saturn brand, and we all know how well that exercise turned out.

Regardless of its past failures, it does make sense to design platforms that can be used in all of the global markets that GM has access to, and the upcoming 2010 Buick LaCrosse uses the same Epsilon II underpinnings as the latest Opel/Vauxhall Insignia. That car debuted to mostly rave reviews at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year and it proves that not all vehicles using the same platform need to be identical, as they were in large part between the Open and Saturn brands.

As noted U.S. philosopher George Santayana once famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Here's hoping that GM's been paying close attention these last few years.



[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

GM might make a swap in its European production plans, shifting Buick assembly to Opel and Saab assembly to Sweden. Names of the models in question haven't been mentioned, but the Opel Insignia, Chinese-spec Buick Regal and coming Saab 9-5 are all built on GM's Epsilon II platform.

The original plan was to produce the Saab 9-5 in Sweden, and Saab has been studying the Trollhatten factory's viability for the task. Factory representatives at the Russelsheim plant have also been lobbying for more cars to produce, thinking the operation underutilized, and they would certainly be building more Buicks than Saabs. And if other rumors are correct, it would keep siblings that GM plans to bring closer together - Opel and Buick - under the same roof.

The swap, which would mean not building any new Saabs in Germany, would also send 9-3 production to Sweden. Sending 9-5 production there as well could also be seen as another step in extricating Saab from GM's web to assist in efforts to find a buyer for the brand.


[Source: Reuters]

Seeing as this is the first post-bailout Detroit Auto Show, we figured it might be interesting to take a look at the display areas for the two automakers that are now taxpayer-subsidized. Would we find extravagant layouts, visible signs of austerity, or pretty much business as usual? First up is General Motors. For now, it's still eight brands. But who knows what that number will be a year from now. Jump into the gallery below for photos and accompanying observations. And note that some of the cars shown here (like the Cruze and Beat concept above) are likely to be relocated when the show opens to the public.


Photos copyright ©2009 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

In an interview Sunday with Automotive News (sub. req'd), Troy Clarke, GM's North American president, said that General Motors will be able to make good on its promise to Congress to drastically cut costs. Clarke said that GM will now focus its "product and marketing resources" on Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC. That would leave Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and HUMMER in automotive limbo. As part of that same plan presented to lawmakers, GM said it would sell or close Saturn. And since no one has yet stepped forward with cash, the future is not at all certain for the unique brand despite what GM's marketing VP Mark LaNeve says.

In a separate interview, Bob Lutz told AN that Pontiac will also have to get by with only four models: the G8, G5, Vibe and Solstice. Or five models if you count the Solstice coupe separately as Lutz does. Shrinking the brand would complete yet another promise GM made to Congress to make Pontiac a niche brand.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

While the outgoing Buick LaCrosse featured one distinct superpower -- invisibility -- the 2010 iteration could be a savior for the brand. With classy sheetmetal that will probably remind you of the Buick Invicta concept, vastly improved interior materials, and an all-new powertrain, the 2010 LaCrosse should compete better with cars like the Lexus ES350 and the Lincoln MKS. Powered by either a 260 hp, 3.0L direct injected V6 or a 280-hp 3.6L, it should offer performance to match its portholed good looks.

We actually took a close look at this new LaCrosse a couple of weeks ago, and you can see that video and review by clicking here, but for now we've added a new live gallery from Detroit and posted the press release after the jump. There's also some new video to see of the unveiling. Hit the jump to view the live press video for yourself, and if you'd like to read our extensive preview of Buick's newest sedan, click here.



Live photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

The current Buick LaCrosse is one of those cars that passes you on the road and you don't even notice it. GM and the Buick design team are looking to remedy that situation with the 2010 LaCrosse. Classy sheet metal, vastly improved interior materials, and an all-new powertrain will help the new LaCrosse compete with the likes of the Lexus ES350 and the Lincoln MKS. A 260 hp, 3.0L direct injected V6 and a 3.6L powerplant that outputs 280 ponies means the new LaCrosse will also be able to compete on performance and efficiency as well.

We had the opportunity to talk with several of the people responsible for the new LaCrosse, and we had cameras rolling so you could get in on the conversation. Hit the jump to view the video for yourself, and if you'd like to read our extensive preview of Buick's newest sedan, click here.

If the car you see here looks somewhat familiar, it should. It appeared in concept form at last spring's Beijing Motor Show as the Buick Invicta concept. At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, the Invicta becomes the 2010 Buick LaCrosse. Like many recent examples, the Invicta was a less a concept than a very mildly disguised version of the upcoming production car. Just before the Christmas break, General Motors gave the media a preview of the new production LaCrosse in the design dome at the company's tech center in Warren, MI.

GM North America VP for Buick-Pontiac-GMC Susan Docherty, global mid-size car vehicle line executive Jim Federico, and Buick brand character chief designer Dave Lyon provided a run-down for us on the new LaCrosse. The mid-size Buick is the first North American market application of the revised Epsilon II architecture that debuted last summer as the basis of the Euro-only Opel Insignia. Follow the jump and we'll tell you all about it.



Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

One of the refrains we've all heard in recent years is how strong Buick is for General Motors in China, where it's not cursed with the stigma of being a grandparent's brand in the States. While most of yesterday's attention was rightly focused on the industry-wide year-end U.S. sales bloodbath, Shanghai Daily reports that 2008 was a bummer for GM's joint venture with SAIC in China.

Shanghai GM ended up down 7% versus 2007, with analysts saying that its new cars, like the freshly-updated Buick Excelle, didn't deliver the goods in terms of styling, price, or fuel economy. Hence, buyers reportedly turned to the VW Jetta and Toyota Corolla instead. Shanghai Daily points out that Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Saab all showed growth in China last year, so the overall Shanghai GM decline essentially gets laid at the feet of Buick. Now, it'll be interesting to see how 2009 plays out. GM is hoping that the Chevy Cruze can help get things back on track in the People's Republic (and everyplace else, for that matter) when it arrives sometime in Q2, joining other key Shanghai GM newcomers like the Buick Regal.

Shanghai GM's disappointing 2008 performance was part of a broader growth slowdown for the General in China. When factoring in the rest of its joint ventures, GM's China sales were actually up 6% overall. But that's a significant dropoff from the double-digit sales gains exhibited in preceding years -- 19% in '07, and at least 27% in the each of the four years prior to that, according to Bloomberg. With so many consecutive years of explosive sales growth, things were probably bound to level off as car shoppers transformed into car owners. Whether GM's influx of new models planned for this year and beyond stokes the sales fires in China again is a story that we'll follow throughout '09.



[Sources: Shanghai Daily, Bloomberg]