Buick Excelle GT sedan debuts in China, U.S. version expected next year

Later this month, the all-new 2011 Buick Excelle GT sedan will hit dealer lots over in China. Ramping up for the release, Shanghai GM, a joint venture between General Motors and China's SAIC Motor Corp., released these pics for us. We had some spy shots for you before and even brought you those daring pics of a naked Excelle GT on the loose, but now we have the official pics.

Over in China, the Buick Excelle GT will be offered with the choice of either a 1.8-liter naturally-aspirated engine that churns out 145 horsepower or a more potent 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mill pumping out 181 hp. The Excelle GT is built on the same platform that underpins the Chevrolet Cruze, Opel Astra and two-door Excelle XT. More importantly, the Excelle GT sedan provides us with a good idea of what to expect when Buick releases their U.S. version sometime late next year. Reports suggest that a name change will occur before the Buick debuts here, and Verano appears to be the front-runner right now.

[Source: Buick]