2012 Buick Regal GS Officially Rated at 270HP, up from 255HP

The official performance and fuel economy numbers on the 2012 Buick Regal GS are out. When GM revealed the Buick’s sports sedan in production trim at the Detroit Motor Show this past January, the company estimated that the Regal GS was good for 255HP and a 0-60mph time of less than 7 seconds.

Now GM announced that the Regal GS’ 2.0-liter direct-injected turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been SAE-certified to deliver 270 horsepower (201kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400Nm) fat 2,400 rpm or an estimated 0-60 mph performance of 6.7 seconds, or 0.9 seconds slower than the car’s European sibling, the Opel Insignia OPC that features a 325HP V6 and AWD.

Power in the North American model is channeled to the front-wheels only through a six-speed manual gearbox, with GM stating that the Regal GS gets an estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg (8.4 lt/100km) on the highway

“The Regal GS 2.0L turbo delivers the highest specific output of any production engine GM has ever offered, and at 135 hp per liter is the most power dense engine ever certified by SAE,” said Mike Anderson, Ecotec global chief engineer and program manager.

“We’ve been combining direct injection and variable valve timing with boosted engines since 2006, and there’s no question the Regal GS turbo has the responsiveness and acceleration of some V-6s, while delivering the fuel economy you’d expect of a four-cylinder,” Anderson added.

The new 2012 Regal GS will go on sale in the States this fall with prices to be announced closer to launch.

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Rumors: Opel Astra GTC May Come to the U.S. as a Buick

It seems the success of the Buick Regal, which is essentially a rebadged Opel Insignia, has determined GM management to consider bringing another Opel to the U.S., the Astra GTC hatch. Buick will soon have a compact sedan in its range, the Astra-based Verano due to be launched this fall, but it also wants a sporty hatchback with enough power and fine handling to lure young buyers.

According to a report from Car & Driver, the Opel Astra GTC is almost certain to come to the U.S. The model will be launched in Europe at the Frankfurt auto show this September and will go on sale shortly after with four-cylinder engines ranging from around 100 horsepower to more than 250 horsepower in the OPC high-performance model.

In the U.S. however, the car is expected to be offered with the same engines found in the Verano, which uses GM’s Delta platform that forms the base for the Astra and the Chevy Cruze: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 177 horsepower and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with around 220 horsepower. Both engines will be mated to six-speed automatic and manual transmissions. The name that will be used by Buick's version of the Astra GTC is yet unknown.

Aside from the Astra GTC, Buick might also adopt another Opel model that is currently under development, the replacement for the Astra Twin Top coupe-cabriolet. The new convertible will compete against the recently launched VW Golf Cabriolet. If Buick decides to offer the Opel convertible it will become the first Buick droptop since the Reatta

By Dan Mihalascu

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Buick’s China Sales Surpass 3 Million Mark 12 Years After the Brand’s Debut

China with its massive emerging middle class is shaping up to be one of the important markets for General Motors. In fact, for one of the Detroit firm’s brands, China is actually its biggest market by far. We’re talking of course about Buick that has just surpassed the 3 million mark in Chinese sales since GM’s joint venture began offering the brand in the country in 1999.

Last year, Buick’s sales in China rose 23.0% to a new high of 550,010 vehicles. That’s compared to 155,289 deliveries (+51.9%) in the USA in 2010. Buick has more than 400 stores across China with the brand’s lineup comprising of several familiar models including the Regal, Enclave and La Crosse, as well as market-specific cars such as the Opel Astra-based Excelle XT, the new GL8 MPV, and the Holden Caprice-derived Park Avenue.

At the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, Buick premiered a new concept model, the Envision SUV, which was jointly developed by Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), and offers Chinese buyers a look into the brand’s future plans.

In 2010, General Motors delivered 1,033,307 vehicles in China, and became the country’s first passenger carmaker to sell more than a million vehicles in a single year.

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