the 1992–1995 Skylark? Remember the nose it had? That lackluster automobile serves as a prime example of the old Buick, which pumped out cars with quality and styling so substandard we wanted to cry. Fortunately for Buick’s customers, crap cars don’t appear to be on the menu anymore, and the handsome design and high quality seen on the latest LaCrosse likely will carry over to the brand’s newest entry, the 2011 Regal.
The new Regal is based on the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia. Well, actually, it is the Insignia, albeit with Buick badging and a few tweaks to allow it to conform to U.S.-specific regulations. When it goes on sale in the second quarter of 2010, the Regal will slot in size-wise below the LaCrosse as—get this—an import-fighting sports sedan. Buick cites varied competitors: Acura TSX, Mazda 6, Volkswagen Passat, and Volvo S60. Lending further to its European-ness, the first year’s supply will be built in Europe, specifically the Russelsheim, Germany, plant where the Insignia is produced.
Epsilon Around the World
Designed from the start as a global car, the Insignia has already spawned a Buick Regal that has seen success in China, where the brand is beloved. Since sales started there at the end of last year, 64,000 have been sold to customers whose average age is 36. While the Americanized Regal isn’t intended to attract such young buyers, Buick has told us it is aiming the Regal at a younger crowd than the LaCrosse.
So the Regal is an Insignia, and it’s also basically a LaCrosse with four inches sectioned out of the rear doors—that car also shares the Epsilon platform. This positions the LaCrosse as the family-hauling luxury sedan and the Regal as the sporty, driver-focused Buick. The aforementioned Americanizing tweaks include different side-view mirror glass, modified headlight guts, and a different front-license-plate bracket (the filler insert is still Euro-spec wide). Jim Federico, the vehicle line executive responsible for the Regal, tells us the car’s tuning even matches that of the Insignia, with the only modifications being to the dampers to compensate for the fitment of all-season tires in place of the Insignia’s summer rubber.
Four-Cylinders, For Now
Power will initially come from GM’s direct-injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which makes 182 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. Several months after its introduction, a 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder will be added as the optional engine, in this application producing 220 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Both will send power to the front wheels and be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with manumatic shifting affected via the shift lever. Fuel economy is estimated as at least 20/30 city/highway mpg for the 2.4-liter and 18/28 for the 2.0-liter turbo.
When asked about a hybrid version, GM officials gave no specifics, but all but confirmed its imminence by saying it wouldn’t be the brand’s first hybrid offering. There was also a lot of talk about Regal heritage, leading us to believe (hope) that a performance variant—a revived turbo-six Grand National, perhaps?— might be in the cards. Hatchback and wagon body styles are feasible (however unlikely) since both are offered with Opel and Vauxhall badges in Europe. All-wheel drive is likewise possible but not guaranteed.
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