Michigan Buick Dealers Anticipate Buick Crossover Debut at Detroit Auto Show

Dec. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Many new vehicles will be on display at the Detroit Auto Show, and many Michigan Buick dealers will be there to witness the unveiling of a new Buick crossover.
DETROIT – Michigan Buick dealers will have much to talk about with their customers after their return from the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) next month. Specifically, Buick fans will be eager to know more about the production model of the next Buick crossover, which will make its official debut at the NAIAS (more commonly known as the Detroit Auto Show).
Michigan Buick dealers may already know about the three announced GM debuts, which include two concept vehicles from Chevrolet along with a Sonic RS. The RS is a sport model of the Sonic. A rear-wheel drive Cadillac ATS will also make its official debut at the auto show.
Though GM hasn’t announced the specifics of the Buick crossover or the concept models, according to Automotive News, “Insiders have referred to the new Buick as the Encore or ‘Baby Enclave’ during its development.”
The Detroit Free Press also confirms the name of the crossover will likely be the Encore. Michigan Buick dealers may receive further details about the debut of the small crossover production model as the date of the Detroit Auto Show approaches.
Mary Barra, GM Senior Vice President of Global Product Development, in comments made to the Automotive Press Association on Dec. 2, mentioned her work thus far has been committed to finding ways to make GM’s product line more efficient.
[Michigan GMC Dealers Learn GM Global Product Development Gets New VP: Mary Barra]
One of the ways GM has accomplished more efficiency has been by updating vehicles’ core architectures, or “the basic building blocks of new vehicles,” and increasing the shared core architecture volume across vehicles from 30 percent to 48 percent. It’s believed, at least by U.S. News & World Report, that the new Buick crossover will share the same architecture as the Chevrolet Sonic.
Little other details are known about this “baby Enclave,” but many auto industry publications are still reporting some predictions. Inside Line suggests this new smaller Buick crossover will have some similarity in design to the Buick Envision, which GM unveiled at the Shanghai auto show back in April of this year. The Envision was developed overseas in Shanghai and is a compact plug-in hybrid crossover. A unique feature to the Envision is its “scissors-style doors,” but it’s not known if the Encore will share that feature.
MI Auto Times will continue to track all Detroit Auto Show information and previews ahead of the official show taking place Jan. 9 through 22, 2012. Check back for more updates.
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[Source(s): Automotive News, General Motors, Inside Line, U.S. News & World Report, Detroit Free Press]