Spying: 2018 Buick Regal

I'd bet 100 dollars to a donut that if they made a Crossover Coupe based on E2XX or D2xX that it would outsell the Regal 2 to 1 or more.  

I can't see the Regal moving any worthwhile volume to even continue with the product.  People spending $30-35k will just buy a crossover, and car enthusiasts like myself that hate crossovers wouldn't buy a Buick.

Given that the Malibu comes with an 8-speed auto and 2.0T, I'm curious what this leaves for Buick besides AWD and a variable suspension. Buick's manual transmission take rate was far too low to continue offering. Will we see a Regal GS re-imagined as a meaningful AWD sport sedan and 300+ horsepower? The brand does seem to be lacking a meaningful halo car for generating brand interest and showroom appeal.

Buick needs styling to bring customers in, not some halo car that tramples over Cadillac. And Buick has styling now in spades. Easily the Enclave is their halo vehicle already.

Remember, the original branding strategy of GM was to have distinct brands for the life stage and wealth of the customer. 

I do not equate Buick as a brand that needs some sexy coupe that won't sell at this time. The brand needs more new crossovers and the 2-3 new sedans being marketed, they need the meat. And the styling of a RWD car can easily be duplicated onto a FWD vehicle, as shown by the new Volvo S90 and Mazda 6, and to a lesser extent, Lincoln Continental.

The Regal GS is already pitted against faux sport sedans like the CLA and Volvo S60, and against the former it's no contest and against the latter there are a lot of similarities.

The brand interest is there CP. and the brand interest these days is all about crossovers. The coupe days are kinda over for too many companies. Boomers with bad backs and increasing upward economic mobility of women and a renewed focus on practicality but without a dowdy minivan form equates to future crossovers continuing to outpace sedans.

I do not want Buick to get a re-skinned Cadillac. The brand's most profitable models, the Enclave, Encore and Lacrosse are all based off of their non-premium company platforms, which allows for a lot of luxury features to be delivered in a stylish and competitive package.

I read CP's post and I was like...DAMN RIGHT, CP!!!

Bring on the Avista 4 door coupe!!!!

Then I read Suave's post. and I was like...DAMNED RIGHT Suave!

The Avista is not needed!

But then I was like...Hey! Wait a minute! Didnt I just contradict myself???!!!

So...right now, Im one confused hombre.

Then I got the little light bulb working...

Buick actually needs both.

They need a flashy car. Because flashy cars always have somebody talk about the brand...whether it sells or not is not important. Flash gets you noticed. Its good to be noticed because you dont want to fall by the way side.

But Buick also needs to vehicles that people actually buy and want to buy, because after all, what good does the flash do, get talked about, but have no desirable yet feasible and ATTAINABLE cars in the showroom for people to actually buy? 

SUVs/CUVs sell at this point in time.

But everybody gots those in their showrooms.

How does a brand distinguish these bland appliances from the next guy?

BMW calls them SAVs, but they also have all sorts of other flashy cars in the show room that garner desirability which in turn garners the plebeian SUV called SAV desirable...

How does Buick do that?

Yes, by having a pretty face does not do any harm, but, Hyundai and Lincoln and Audi and everybody else also have SUVs with pretty mugs...

There comes a time when Buick's pretty face does get lost in the crowd...

So...a flashy car that instills lust in the brand helps people get their lazy asses in the Buick showroom. And if the right product is there for people to buy when they see the flashy car in person, they drive off in a brand new shiny Buick just the same, even if it aint the flashy car but the plebeian appliance SUV with that has the pretty face!

Really, I just think that having a halo car is not as effective as it used to be. Having that one pricy product that is RWD, low-slung, no space is just isomorphic. 

You need a real stunner. You need more than even COTY. You need something that makes every brand scramble to copy you. That is the halo car. A disruptor, a latent need deliverer...the kind of vehicle that makes people say, "why didn't they think of that sooner? It's brilliant!" It doesn't have to be a coupe or sedan. It just has to capture, captivate, and create the need for that kind of proposition made by that kind of product.

Cadillac's halo is still the Escalade.

And Buick, I'd rather some guy who wants a nicer Buick to exist, aka has the big bucks, to just go to the Cadillac showroom. and be happier that he/she didn't have to wait... Instead of GM really wasting money to get the same customer. 

Even Avista 4 door will have a lot of resistance inside GM. It's not about what the brand is about. It's about how well a product fits with that strategy. It is so much easier and more effective for Buick just to have modern, stylish products. I'm no armchair product planner - but I think Buick is already doing real well or as well as they can. In global markets like China - the Buick so well known already.

Avista styling on an existing name plate makes perfect sense. Make the Regal look a lot like the Avista, except perhaps overhangs and dash to axle, you're already there. Buyers don't care which wheels are driven, heck they probably think all AWD systems are the same, because they all boast superior traction and performance. 

People gobble up Enclaves and Encores, and want even more. They don't need a halo car that meets the traditional definition of a low-slung, future defining product. In any case, the Enclave performed the same role when it came out 6-7 years ago. It wasn't a sporty car - but it previewed into the future, and at a the time was almost unrivaled anywhere.

Halo cars are myth, because sometimes they fail, they flop and no value is created. And Buick to deliver a halo car that is special, will obviously have to be better than some Cadillacs. Other carmakers also don't need to chase for sporty and coupe-like, because once everyone does that - obviously the people who need headroom and space in a sedan will go elsewhere.

And now...Im back in being one confused hombre again.

But not really, because...

Point very well understood, Suave. And Im swinging back to your side of the fence.

I read CP's post and I was like...DAMN RIGHT, CP!!!

Bring on the Avista 4 door coupe!!!!

 

Then I read Suave's post. and I was like...DAMNED RIGHT Suave!

The Avista is not needed!

 

But then I was like...Hey! Wait a minute! Didnt I just contradict myself???!!!

 

So...right now, Im one confused hombre.

 

 

Then I got the little light bulb working...

Buick actually needs both.

 

They need a flashy car. Because flashy cars always have somebody talk about the brand...whether it sells or not is not important. Flash gets you noticed. Its good to be noticed because you dont want to fall by the way side.

But Buick also needs to vehicles that people actually buy and want to buy, because after all, what good does the flash do, get talked about, but have no desirable yet feasible and ATTAINABLE cars in the showroom for people to actually buy? 

 

SUVs/CUVs sell at this point in time.

But everybody gots those in their showrooms.

How does a brand distinguish these bland appliances from the next guy?

 

BMW calls them SAVs, but they also have all sorts of other flashy cars in the show room that garner desirability which in turn garners the plebeian SUV called SAV desirable...

 

How does Buick do that?

Yes, by having a pretty face does not do any harm, but, Hyundai and Lincoln and Audi and everybody else also have SUVs with pretty mugs...

 

There comes a time when Buick's pretty face does get lost in the crowd...

 

So...a flashy car that instills lust in the brand helps people get their lazy asses in the Buick showroom. And if the right product is there for people to buy when they see the flashy car in person, they drive off in a brand new shiny Buick just the same, even if it aint the flashy car but the plebeian appliance SUV with that has the pretty face!

There is a limit to how flashy you can go.

Buick is above all, still known for being very comfortable.

I don't want Buick to chase after any brand. So many companies think they can be better if they emulate other company's success. Of course if this was the 60s, then I'd reverse my words and say hell yes make a RWD barge like they used to. 

Blindly chasing sales and segments is not good. However, there is a time and place for halo vehicles. If say, Cadillac was the level of Bentley in prestige, and Buick was the level of Cadillac as it is today... would you not expect to just see the Cadillac of today reskinned as Buicks. 

Then the Avista would be almost what we consider the El Miraj concept, expect the El Miraj would be in production, and an Alpha coupe like the Camaro would be nowhere near as prestigious, and therefore would never overlap the Omega coupe.

Some kinds of overlap are perfectly reasonable. Buick based off platforms shared by Chevy is perfectly acceptable, because by large, the new Chevy cars drive pretty awesome as it is. 

What they needs is the meat. And that's what they're doing. They should only get the Avista if they know for sure that the product delivers different things from any comparable Cadillac. Which is hard for me to believe.

THough I like the current one, this one needs sex appeal....

Or any kind of appeal.

It doesn't matter, the car serves a place in the Buick lineup.  They are going to make this car for Europe anyways, so its ready made to add to the lineup here.

Especially since the new LaCrosse is no longer sexy looking.....its back to staid cars for the biggest Buick, and in this case it has plenty of Chinese + old Hyundai charisma.  Not that that is bad, the new LaCrosse will still sell.

Buick is littering their lineup to be a collection of inconsistent looking product from the world bag.  Again, not really too bad a thing.  Just keep the quality up, keep them comfortable and keep the retail experience upper class.  One big reason Buick and GMC exist is so people who like GM are not forced to slum in the Chevy show room.

But SOMETHING in the Buick lineup has to be a little lively, while still being comfortable, and so even if this only sold 30,000 a year its the defacto Buick performance sedan.  A sprinkle of Euro in the Buick showroom to offset all those China vibes alone is well worth it.

No way the car is anything besides a fancier version of the new Malibu.  And that may be a good thing.  Those clamoring for the Avista.  Give it up.  With the new LaCrosse, Regal, and Verano in the showrooms, and with the need for more crossovers, the brand can't support a 4 door coupe like the Avista.  Especially if its on the small Camaro chassis.  No way you can make a case for that niche car when the Regal fills the niche in the US and makes its sales volume in Europe.

And then Buick's own crossovers will kill it too.

I do prefer the shape of the lift back here, too bad it won't get here.  Maybe the wagon will.

I know its heavily disguised but between this and the projected renderings out there, I don't expect it to be too flashy.  But maybe tasteful enough and with a nice enough interior to stand apart from the other Buicks and the Malibu, it will make that 30,000 unit mark if they keep the price in check.

This the car they should put a 2.0 diesel in.

Maybe it is the cameo to cover the car so guess I have to wait and see but it still looks like the same bland Jelly Bean style of so many cars right now.

the whole shape is probably very close to the new Malibu.

Just looks like a generic midsize sedan covered in crap.  Anyways not expecting too much, this isn't a very interesting segment.   I'd be shocked if anything close to the Avista gets produced, it's much better looking than A&S Cadillacs.

 

I read CP's post and I was like...DAMN RIGHT, CP!!!

Bring on the Avista 4 door coupe!!!!

 

Then I read Suave's post. and I was like...DAMNED RIGHT Suave!

The Avista is not needed!

 

But then I was like...Hey! Wait a minute! Didnt I just contradict myself???!!!

 

So...right now, Im one confused hombre.

 

 

Then I got the little light bulb working...

Buick actually needs both.

 

They need a flashy car. Because flashy cars always have somebody talk about the brand...whether it sells or not is not important. Flash gets you noticed. Its good to be noticed because you dont want to fall by the way side.

But Buick also needs to vehicles that people actually buy and want to buy, because after all, what good does the flash do, get talked about, but have no desirable yet feasible and ATTAINABLE cars in the showroom for people to actually buy? 

 

SUVs/CUVs sell at this point in time.

But everybody gots those in their showrooms.

How does a brand distinguish these bland appliances from the next guy?

 

BMW calls them SAVs, but they also have all sorts of other flashy cars in the show room that garner desirability which in turn garners the plebeian SUV called SAV desirable...

 

How does Buick do that?

Yes, by having a pretty face does not do any harm, but, Hyundai and Lincoln and Audi and everybody else also have SUVs with pretty mugs...

 

There comes a time when Buick's pretty face does get lost in the crowd...

 

So...a flashy car that instills lust in the brand helps people get their lazy asses in the Buick showroom. And if the right product is there for people to buy when they see the flashy car in person, they drive off in a brand new shiny Buick just the same, even if it aint the flashy car but the plebeian appliance SUV with that has the pretty face!

 

There is a limit to how flashy you can go.

 

Buick is above all, still known for being very comfortable.

 

I don't want Buick to chase after any brand. So many companies think they can be better if they emulate other company's success. Of course if this was the 60s, then I'd reverse my words and say hell yes make a RWD barge like they used to. 

 

Blindly chasing sales and segments is not good. However, there is a time and place for halo vehicles. If say, Cadillac was the level of Bentley in prestige, and Buick was the level of Cadillac as it is today... would you not expect to just see the Cadillac of today reskinned as Buicks. 

 

Then the Avista would be almost what we consider the El Miraj concept, expect the El Miraj would be in production, and an Alpha coupe like the Camaro would be nowhere near as prestigious, and therefore would never overlap the Omega coupe.

 

Some kinds of overlap are perfectly reasonable. Buick based off platforms shared by Chevy is perfectly acceptable, because by large, the new Chevy cars drive pretty awesome as it is. 

 

What they needs is the meat. And that's what they're doing. They should only get the Avista if they know for sure that the product delivers different things from any comparable Cadillac. Which is hard for me to believe.

 

I didn't say anything about reskinning a Cadillac or using the Avista. I'm opposed to the Avista.

I wondered if they would turn the Regal GS into a real AWD sport sedan like Volvo or Audi offers. We already know the car is on the E2XX platform, which means FWD/AWD. I'm just saying Buick could break their self-imposed glass ceiling and create a better vehicle with the equipment at their disposal. Torque vectoring AWD, active suspension, and a 300+ horsepower engine would be quite potent. I'd like to see turbo V6s back in the Buick brand.

The refreshed 2014-2016 Regal GS is about 50 horsepower short of something far more special, why did they sit on their hands to the point that Ford took the obvious formula Buick was already staring at and will soon build a 325 horsepower AWD Fusion in the same price range?

I saw the Lacrosse today and I expect this to be a cheaper smaller version. I was surprised as I am not a Lacrosse fan but it really is a nice car.

I would look for AWD and better trim.

I would suspect a Turbo 2.0 will be more common in this model and better magnetic suspension.

GM needs about only 25 more HP as most of these cars will have to walk it back in the near future to hit the MPG marks or raise the price to limit volumes.

 

 

I read CP's post and I was like...DAMN RIGHT, CP!!!

Bring on the Avista 4 door coupe!!!!

 

Then I read Suave's post. and I was like...DAMNED RIGHT Suave!

The Avista is not needed!

 

But then I was like...Hey! Wait a minute! Didnt I just contradict myself???!!!

 

So...right now, Im one confused hombre.

 

 

Then I got the little light bulb working...

Buick actually needs both.

 

They need a flashy car. Because flashy cars always have somebody talk about the brand...whether it sells or not is not important. Flash gets you noticed. Its good to be noticed because you dont want to fall by the way side.

But Buick also needs to vehicles that people actually buy and want to buy, because after all, what good does the flash do, get talked about, but have no desirable yet feasible and ATTAINABLE cars in the showroom for people to actually buy? 

 

SUVs/CUVs sell at this point in time.

But everybody gots those in their showrooms.

How does a brand distinguish these bland appliances from the next guy?

 

BMW calls them SAVs, but they also have all sorts of other flashy cars in the show room that garner desirability which in turn garners the plebeian SUV called SAV desirable...

 

How does Buick do that?

Yes, by having a pretty face does not do any harm, but, Hyundai and Lincoln and Audi and everybody else also have SUVs with pretty mugs...

 

There comes a time when Buick's pretty face does get lost in the crowd...

 

So...a flashy car that instills lust in the brand helps people get their lazy asses in the Buick showroom. And if the right product is there for people to buy when they see the flashy car in person, they drive off in a brand new shiny Buick just the same, even if it aint the flashy car but the plebeian appliance SUV with that has the pretty face!

 

There is a limit to how flashy you can go.

 

Buick is above all, still known for being very comfortable.

 

I don't want Buick to chase after any brand. So many companies think they can be better if they emulate other company's success. Of course if this was the 60s, then I'd reverse my words and say hell yes make a RWD barge like they used to. 

 

Blindly chasing sales and segments is not good. However, there is a time and place for halo vehicles. If say, Cadillac was the level of Bentley in prestige, and Buick was the level of Cadillac as it is today... would you not expect to just see the Cadillac of today reskinned as Buicks. 

 

Then the Avista would be almost what we consider the El Miraj concept, expect the El Miraj would be in production, and an Alpha coupe like the Camaro would be nowhere near as prestigious, and therefore would never overlap the Omega coupe.

 

Some kinds of overlap are perfectly reasonable. Buick based off platforms shared by Chevy is perfectly acceptable, because by large, the new Chevy cars drive pretty awesome as it is. 

 

What they needs is the meat. And that's what they're doing. They should only get the Avista if they know for sure that the product delivers different things from any comparable Cadillac. Which is hard for me to believe.

 

 

I didn't say anything about reskinning a Cadillac or using the Avista. I'm opposed to the Avista.

 

I wondered if they would turn the Regal GS into a real AWD sport sedan like Volvo or Audi offers. We already know the car is on the E2XX platform, which means FWD/AWD. I'm just saying Buick could break their self-imposed glass ceiling and create a better vehicle with the equipment at their disposal. Torque vectoring AWD, active suspension, and a 300+ horsepower engine would be quite potent. I'd like to see turbo V6s back in the Buick brand.

 

The refreshed 2014-2016 Regal GS is about 50 horsepower short of something far more special, why did they sit on their hands to the point that Ford took the obvious formula Buick was already staring at and will soon build a 325 horsepower AWD Fusion in the same price range?

 

the current Regal AWD actually fared pretty well for itself vs. the Germans etc. in a not too far back comparo test on Motor Trend.com, i think they gave it high marks.

It was only like 10 years ago, a 260hp motor was the bomb, now we expect 300, 325, 350.........

if you google '2017 opel insignia' and then tab to images, you see some of the common renderings out there.

I'm disappointed the new Regal is being delayed so much.  The Malibu is out already, get this thing in the hopper NOW too.

I saw the Lacrosse today and I expect this to be a cheaper smaller version. I was surprised as I am not a Lacrosse fan but it really is a nice car.

I would look for AWD and better trim.

I would suspect a Turbo 2.0 will be more common in this model and better magnetic suspension.

GM needs about only 25 more HP as most of these cars will have to walk it back in the near future to hit the MPG marks or raise the price to limit volumes.

did you mistake it for a 2007 Hyundai?lol

Not at all as it was a very nice looking car. It was Impala size but had much more upgraded details.

As for a Hyundai No mistaking anything from GM for that mess. Looked at an Optima and for the same price the new Bu has it beat.

The New Buick convertible was nice but kinda felt as old as it really is. Nice details but the dash looked like it was 5 years or more old. Which it is.

The new Regal can not come soon enough.

I think they could make a 2.0T and AWD standard in the Regal for $27k and it will still be a slow seller.  People buying a sport sedan aren't shopping for a Buick.  They'd be better off just taking the Lacrosse dashboard, putting it in the Regal and setting the suspension to mush mode, and hoping that they can convince Lexus/Toyota buyers to spend $29k on a Regal rather than $39k on an ES350.  

It's hard to tell with all the camo, but I'm not thrilled with what I think it looks like.

It's hard to tell with all the camo, but I'm not thrilled with what I think it looks like.

Let them uncover it. I was not impressed with the Lacrosse till I saw it in person. It is much better in person.

I`m not sure if it`s been made clear, but this is just going to be a different trimmed version of the Insignia.

Good on GM to do so, but the Malibu is a global car as well. And the two cars IMO will be closer in this generation than the one before.

Because the low-end is reaching higher, and the top-end cars are going lower. At some point there will be a lot of overlap.

The new Malibu is dynamic looking and feeling too. 

And yes, the Buicks of today, if based on Alpha platforms and Omega, would be perfect substitutes for Cadillacs as long as Cadillac was a ultra-luxury brand not really focused on the hard-core performance, but just absolute luxury and presence.

The new Regal needs presence. Every midsize sedan has already gone the European design route for sedan shapes.