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Buick Regal Wagon Is Not Happening


William Maley

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Regal Wagon Is Not Happening

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

September 8, 2011

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Earlier in the year, spy shots floated around of a Buick Regal Wagon parked outside at one of GM's buildings. The pictures added fuel to an already lit fire about GM possibly doing a Regal Wagon since the Regal essentially shares everything with the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia Wagon.

Inside Line has gotten an answer on the record from a Buick spokesman on the Regal Wagon. The spokesman says,

"Absolutely not. There is no Regal Wagon in our future plans."

Source: Inside Line

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Mistake.

+1

AGREE.

In the era of compact and midsize crossovers, who would buy a wagon in large enough quantities for it to be worthwhile in North America? Uh, nobody and not in large enough numbers for it to matter. The upcoming Encore (think baby Enclave) should take that role since it is a crossover.

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In the era of compact and midsize crossovers, who would buy a wagon in large enough quantities for it to be worthwhile in North America? Uh, nobody and not in large enough numbers for it to matter. The upcoming Encore (think baby Enclave) should take that role since it is a crossover.

Yes, reality. The US consumer today prefers crossovers to wagons. A CUV would outsell a wagon by a large margin. I'd prefer a wagon, but I'm not an average consumer.

Edited by Cubical-aka-Moltar
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That is just it people here no longer have great love for wagons and even then it is limited to German ones in limited numbers. The Asian companies have tired and failed to make a dent in the market.

If you give it a high roof and make it look like a truck it will sell in six figure numbers but sell it like a car it will sell less than 10,000 units at a discount. The HHR was nothing but a Cobalt wagon that sold in numbers that Cobalt wagons would have never reached. If it looks like a truck but even is still not a truck it will sell.

The Buick made a good looking wagon but it never would have done what they wanted or needed it to do. The Cadillac at the price they sell it at at least can make back more on lower volumes.

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I think GM does need to occasionally test the wagon market, though. Eventually CUVs are going to become "uncool" and the popularity of wagons will come back. Of course, it might be an evolutionary thing, as CUVs get smaller & lower, and next thing you know you're looking at a CUV and realize it's just a wagon (not much of a difference as it is, just height essentially).

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I think GM does need to occasionally test the wagon market, though. Eventually CUVs are going to become "uncool" and the popularity of wagons will come back. Of course, it might be an evolutionary thing, as CUVs get smaller & lower, and next thing you know you're looking at a CUV and realize it's just a wagon (not much of a difference as it is, just height essentially).

Ford pretty much did that with the Freestyle/Taurus X...

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I sawr a TSX wagon the other day that was NOT rotting on a dealer lot and I was like WTF??? I was afraid this would happen.

A Regal coupe sounds like a good pacifier. So does a Verano wagon... but I'm not holding my breath. As has been said, Encore will probably be "it" for a small, uber-practical Buick.

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I think GM does need to occasionally test the wagon market, though. Eventually CUVs are going to become "uncool" and the popularity of wagons will come back. Of course, it might be an evolutionary thing, as CUVs get smaller & lower, and next thing you know you're looking at a CUV and realize it's just a wagon (not much of a difference as it is, just height essentially).

Ford pretty much did that with the Freestyle/Taurus X...

Even it failed as the car it was based on was ugly too. The Flex has done better but the price kills it as it is just way too much for what you get and there are much better cars in that price range.

The fact remains that there have been many good wagons over the last 10 years that pop up here and there and most fail in a few years. Even if GM makes this car the cost to make sure it will be legal here still cost money. I also think the economy may have help stop this for now. It was a risk that even if it had worked was going to be a modest return anyways.

The Kingswood Estate days are long over and have been replaced by seveal different models. Like em or not the public does and most sell 10 times or more than any car based wagon would. Sad but reality sucks sometimes.

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  • 5 years later...

CaminoLS6 was all for the Regal wagon; perhaps he'll wander back here to shout 'hurrah!'.

- - - - -

Anyway- we'l see how the Regal TourX does.  I wonder if the shift toward CUVs MAY create a slight uptick in interest in wagons/hatches, since the only advantage of CUVs over a same-size sedan is cargo space (and a higher seat position).

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