Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Spy Shots: Baby Buick sedan caught in Germany]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/04/spy-shots-baby-buick-sedan-caught-in-germany/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/04/spy-shots-baby-buick-sedan-caught-in-germany/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/04/spy-shots-baby-buick-sedan-caught-in-germany/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Buick small sedan prototype - Click above for high-res image gallery

Yesterday, we showed you the first official rendering of Buick's forthcoming small car, a shrunken LaCrosse lookalike that is expected to be based on the European market Opel Astra. The image was flashed on the screen during General Motors' presentation of the new 2011 Buick Regal at this week's LA Auto Show, and judging by these latest spy shots from our friends at CarPix, it would appear that the rendering gives us a very good look at the upcoming sedan.

As we saw in an earlier batch of shots, the Delta-II platform-based model (known as the Excelle in China) will retain Buick's signature waterfall grille, yet unlike the Regal, it will have a set of horizontally-mounted ventiports to add a bit of the marque's characteristic flash. In the past, the number of ventiport holes indicated the number of cylinders of the engine lurking beneath the sheetmetal, but in this case, we don't expect for the as-yet-unnamed U.S. sedan to carry more than four cylinders.

With the Regal and this forthcoming small sedan, GM is clearly making a big push to lower the average buyer age of its Buick division by injecting a bit of sport and perhaps a greater measure of affordability. Is this the right strategy for the brand, or is The General at risk of revisiting the same brand perception (and brand overlap) issues it had in the Eighties with smaller cars like the Somerset and Century? Be sure to check out our high-res gallery below and then hop into Comments to let us know what you think.


Gallery: Spy Shots: Baby Buick caught in Germany


[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Baby Buick sedan caught in Germany originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>baby buickBabyBuickBuickBuick ExcelleBuickExcelleExcellesmall buickSmallBuickspy picsspy shotsSpyPicsSpyShotsFri, 04 Dec 2009 14:27:00 EST<![CDATA[New Buick Excelle debuts in China, sedan coming to America soon]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/30/new-buick-excelle-debuts-in-china-sedan-coming-to-america-soon/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/30/new-buick-excelle-debuts-in-china-sedan-coming-to-america-soon/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/30/new-buick-excelle-debuts-in-china-sedan-coming-to-america-soon/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

2011 Buick Excelle XT - Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in August, when General Motors gave the media a tour of its design studios to show off pieces of its upcoming lineup, one of the cars we saw was a compact four-door Buick sedan. That sedan was essentially a re-grilled and trunked version of the recently introduced Opel Astra, but GM did not say what badging the car would receive in North America. However, the five-door hatchback version has just debuted in China at the Guangzhou Motor Show as the newest baby Buick.

In what is Buick's largest market, the compact is badged as the Excelle, and we wouldn't be surprised to see that name come to the U.S. provided there aren't any issues with the similarly named (and defunct) Hyundai Excel. The car we saw in August was identical to the Excelle shown above from the B-pillars forward. It only differs at the rear where the hatch was originally a traditional trunk.

Unlike the last Saturn Astra (and previous attempts at smaller Buicks), the inside of the new car looks much more upscale and should be more appealing to American consumers. We'll probably only get the 181-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder in the Excelle in order to set it apart from the 140-hp Chevy Cruze that shares the same platform. If our version gets the 138-hp 1.8-liter at all, it will probably be paired with the automaker's new, second-generation BAS hybrid system.


Gallery: Buick Excelle XT


[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading New Buick Excelle debuts in China, sedan coming to America soon

New Buick Excelle debuts in China, sedan coming to America soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20112011 buick2011 buick excelle2011Buick2011BuickExcellebuickbuick chinabuick excelleBuick Excelle Sedanbuick excelle xtBuickChinaBuickExcelleBuickExcelleSedanBuickExcelleXtchinaexcelleMon, 30 Nov 2009 09:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Spy Shots: Next-gen Buick Excelle for China snapped]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/23/spy-shots-next-gen-cruze-based-buick-excelle-for-china-snapped/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/23/spy-shots-next-gen-cruze-based-buick-excelle-for-china-snapped/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/23/spy-shots-next-gen-cruze-based-buick-excelle-for-china-snapped/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

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.


Gallery: Spy Shots: Next-gen Buick Excelle for China


[Photos: KGP Photography]

Spy Shots: Next-gen Buick Excelle for China snapped originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buickbuick chinabuick excelleBuickChinaBuickExcellechevroletchevrolet cruzeChevroletCruzechinacruzeexcellespy picsspy shotsSpyPicsSpyShotsMon, 23 Nov 2009 12:33:00 EST<![CDATA[GM/Buick planning sub-Lacrosse RWD luxury sedan?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/gm-buick-planning-sub-lacrosse-rwd-luxury-sedan/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/gm-buick-planning-sub-lacrosse-rwd-luxury-sedan/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/25/gm-buick-planning-sub-lacrosse-rwd-luxury-sedan/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



A new, small sub-Lacrosse Buick luxury sedan could fit the bill to meet future federal regulations requiring an average fuel economy of 35 mpg by 2020. If given the go-ahead, General Motors would build the new car based on the upcoming Buick Excelle, itself set to debut in China by early 2009 and thought to look like the car you see above. The Excelle is a small, Toyota Corolla-sized sedan that will be manufactured on GM's new global rear-wheel drive Alpha architecture developed out of Germany. If General Motors decides to proceed with the plan, executives will have to determine what North American plant gets to build it, but its proclivity to be driven by its rear wheels should set the small car apart in a sea of FWD compact sedans.

[Source: AutoWeek, Photo courtesy of Sina.autonet.com]

GM/Buick planning sub-Lacrosse RWD luxury sedan? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alpha architectureAlphaArchitectureBuickChinaExcelleGeneral MotorsGeneralMotorsLacrosseMon, 25 Feb 2008 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Buick lineup to get Chinese-infusion]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/30/buick-lineup-to-get-chinese-infusion/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/30/buick-lineup-to-get-chinese-infusion/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/30/buick-lineup-to-get-chinese-infusion/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Judging by the positive reception the Chinese-marketed Buicks have been receiving here in the States, GM would be ill-advised to continue offering the same warmed-over products that it's been selling over the past decade. According to Automotive News, the General sees the writing on the wall and intends to go global with the new look of Buick, originally shown at the Shanghai Motor Show in the shape of the Riviera concept.

The idea is to make Buick an affordable luxury brand here in the States, and it has plans on offering a number of new vehicles to the U.S. market that will take on the high-end competitors from Japan.

To begin with, the Excelle, a small sedan, is set to be released sometime in 2008, based off the Alpha platform currently under development in Germany, while the next iteration of the LaCrosse will come in 2009 and will be based off of GM's Epsilon 2 underpinnings. The Lucerne will get a full makeover in 2011 and will be built around the RWD Zeta platform, and the Rainier, Rendezvous and Terraza will die off after the current production run, and replaced with the new Enclave.

Buick's move to become more things to more people is the only way the marque will survive, and judging by what's in the pipeline, the automaker actually has a chance at success.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Buick lineup to get Chinese-infusion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buickchinachineseenclaveexcellelacrosserainierrendezvousterazaMon, 30 Jul 2007 09:57:00 EST<![CDATA[2007 Buick Excelle - would you drive this baby Buick?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/08/2007-buick-excelle-would-you-drive-this-baby-buick/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/08/2007-buick-excelle-would-you-drive-this-baby-buick/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/08/2007-buick-excelle-would-you-drive-this-baby-buick/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



The Daewoo Lacetti has given General Motors a true World Car that is selling well all around the world. The car is currently known as the Chevrolet Lacetti in Europe, the Holden Viva in Australia, the Suzuki Forenza in the U.S. and the Buick Excelle in China.

The Chinese have a thing for Buicks, and the LaCrosse sedan is a big seller there. The Excelle subcompact is being readied for its first redesign and Autoblog Spanish found some pics of the new sedan. From a dead-on angle it's quite an attractive vehicle, the front end featuring an elegant grille flanked by large, expensive-looking headlights. A quick trip around the rest of the vehicle, however, reveals some roots shared with our own Forenza, but we still think it will be the best looking Lacetti of the bunch.

Autoblog Spanish reports that the new Excelle will be available with two engine choices upon its release, a 1.6- and 1.8-liter four-cylinder. It will likely also be available in a five-door hatch version, like most Lachetti models are, called the Excelle FRV.

[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

2007 Buick Excelle - would you drive this baby Buick? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Jul 2006 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>excelleforenzalacettivivaSat, 08 Jul 2006 10:12:00 EST