GM announces the name of the next Buick sedan and it’s a former oldie and goodie.
Announced at dealer meeting
Here at LotPro.com we see that General Motors is once again dipping into the bin of nameplates past to come up with the moniker of its next mid-size sports sedan, the Buick Regal. The official announcement came at a meeting of Buick-GMC dealers this morning.
“The transformation of Buick began with our luxury crossover, the Buick Enclave and continued this year with the launch of the 2010 LaCrosse premium sedan,” said Susan Docherty, Buick GMC General Manager. “We’re thrilled to announce that the Regal will be the next member of the Buick family.”
Originally introduced in 1973 as an upscale version of that year’s Century, the Regal was originally offered only as a hardtop coupe with rear opera windows (hey, it was the 70’s).
In 1978, the Regal was downsized and began its 9 year run (reign?) with the noteworthy option of a 3.8-liter turbocharged V-6 engine, making it one of only 2 turbocharged domestics (along with the Buick LeSabre) and one of only 4 turbocharged vehicles available in the U.S. (along with the Saab and the Porsche 930).
Third and fourth generation versions followed in 1988 and 1997, respectively, with the fourth generation Regal GS clocking a ¼ mile ET of 14.7 seconds from its 3.8-liter supercharged V-6 that produced 240 hp and 280 ft.-lb. of torque.
The General eighty-sixed the Regal in 2004 and it was replaced by the Buick LaCrosse in 2005. And although the brand has been famous for attracting the blue-haired crowd, it appears that these customers still remember the name since, according to the press release, it “continues to be one of the top Buick nameplates recalled by consumers even though it’s been out of the market for the past six years.”
The new Buick Regal
Unofficially, Bob Lutz confirmed to Scott Burgess of The Detroit News back in August that the new Regal will be the same vehicle (with minor cosmetic changes as reflected in the teaser photo) as the one that was launched in China in November of 2008, which is based on the same architecture as the Opel Insignia.
Tags: bob lutz, buick, buick lesabre, buick regal, general motors, gm, new buick regal, opel, opel insignia, porsche, regal gs, saab, the detroit news
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