Buick Still Believes That Americans Will Buy The Regal Wagon

The company has even raised its projections for wagon sales.

Wagon sales have been on an enormous decline in the US. American consumers don't have fond memories of road trips in their parent's wood-paneled station wagons as children. While these types of wagons have now become ironically cool, they were about as cool as minivans are today. There are still some amazing wagon models that are available in the US because companies like Volvo are keeping the wagon alive. Buick is also placing its bets on wagons. Automotive News reports that the company has increased its forecast for wagon sales.

Buick has completely redesigned the Regal for the 2018 model year. The sedan body style is gone, and in its place are the Sportback and TourX models. The Sportback looks like a traditional sedan on the surface, but it has a liftback hatch design like the Audi A5 Sportback, BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and Kia Stinger. The more interesting option is the TourX, which is a traditional station wagon. Buick is ready to put its faith in the TourX and expects that the wagon will account for 50% of Regal sales. This is up from Buick's initial projections of 30%. We hope that Buick is right, because we'd like to see more wagons in the US.

We're pretty realistic about where the car market's at, but we're getting some pretty good feedback on it," Phil Brook, U.S. vice president of marketing for Buick and GMC said during a media drive event. Buick hopes that the TourX will help distinguish the Regal in a crowded midsize segment. The Regal wagon could help draw buyers away from Subaru, Audi and Volvo. "It really is a head-turner" Brook said. "We're not an old-man sedan brand anymore. We're very much a cutting-edge SUV brand with some really good sedans to back that up." The Regal TourX starts at $29,995, which is around $4,000 more than the Sportback.

The TourX is available with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo generating 250 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately, Buick has no plans to sell the TourX with the more powerful V6 engine from the Regal GS. Even though wagons were once known as the boring family runabout, that boring role has been taken over by SUVs and minivans. This frees the wagon up to be something more unique, and in our opinion, cool.

Buick Still Believes That Americans Will Buy The Regal Wagon

The company has even raised its projections for wagon sales.

Wagon sales have been on an enormous decline in the US. American consumers don't have fond memories of road trips in their parent's wood-paneled station wagons as children. While these types of wagons have now become ironically cool, they were about as cool as minivans are today. There are still some amazing wagon models that are available in the US because companies like Volvo are keeping the wagon alive. Buick is also placing its bets on wagons. Automotive News reports that the company has increased its forecast for wagon sales.

Buick has completely redesigned the Regal for the 2018 model year. The sedan body style is gone, and in its place are the Sportback and TourX models. The Sportback looks like a traditional sedan on the surface, but it has a liftback hatch design like the Audi A5 Sportback, BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and Kia Stinger. The more interesting option is the TourX, which is a traditional station wagon. Buick is ready to put its faith in the TourX and expects that the wagon will account for 50% of Regal sales. This is up from Buick's initial projections of 30%. We hope that Buick is right, because we'd like to see more wagons in the US.

We're pretty realistic about where the car market's at, but we're getting some pretty good feedback on it," Phil Brook, U.S. vice president of marketing for Buick and GMC said during a media drive event. Buick hopes that the TourX will help distinguish the Regal in a crowded midsize segment. The Regal wagon could help draw buyers away from Subaru, Audi and Volvo. "It really is a head-turner" Brook said. "We're not an old-man sedan brand anymore. We're very much a cutting-edge SUV brand with some really good sedans to back that up." The Regal TourX starts at $29,995, which is around $4,000 more than the Sportback.

The TourX is available with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo generating 250 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately, Buick has no plans to sell the TourX with the more powerful V6 engine from the Regal GS. Even though wagons were once known as the boring family runabout, that boring role has been taken over by SUVs and minivans. This frees the wagon up to be something more unique, and in our opinion, cool.

Chevrolet Corvette Could Still Get Cadillac's New V8

All thanks to some clever engineering.

Amid the hubbub of global reveals at the 2018 New York International Auto Show Cadillac quietly stole the thunder with the 2019 CT6 V-Sport and its Mercedes-esque 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8. The introduction of GM’s first DOHC V8 engine in a quarter-of-a-century kicked off a litany of speculation surrounding its use in upcoming Corvette projects, along with the engine’s potential for different displacements, natural aspiration, or another form of forced induction.

“The LTA was designed from the ground up with turbos in mind,” Cadillac V8 chief engineer Jordan Lee told GM Authority on the New York show floor. “Think of it as a point solution for Cadillac. It’s a purpose-built and designed engine for the CT6 V-Sport.” Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen has even gone so far as to proclaim that Corvette is never getting this engine, but that could prove to be more sematics than substance, when it comes to differing displacements or components. While the new 4.2-liter LTA V8 engine is unlikely to ditch its hot V turbos any time soon, Lee did note that his team could certainly engineer the engine to work without turbos if it was needed.

He also added that the engine’s torque curve isn’t finished being shaped and that the architecture most definitely has the appetite for more power. “This engine has two fuel pumps, but can have as many as four,” said Lee, who also oversaw the development of GM’s current family of small block V8s, including the 6.2L LT1, LT4, and LT5. With 550 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque offered up as the motor’s opening salvo, it’s fair to assume this new DOHC V8 could have the potential to give the world's best a real run for its money.

Cadillac STS: No Big Changed, but Still on Top

First things first: the 2010 Cadillac STS is completely unchanged since it was last redesigned for 2008. The only different is the availability of two new exterior colors. The 2010 STS comes in only one trim level but with your choice of either a V6 or V8 engine, not to mention the several option packages available. Still, the STS continues to defy the stereotype of a huge Caddy sedan, with optimal handling, magnetic ride control, and not to mention a bold look.

If you're looking for more back space then the STS is not for you since back seat space is scarce. Too bad that the word out there is that GM is getting rid of this good-looking full-size American sedan.

The Cadillac CTS-V Is Still More Powerful Than The New BMW M5

It's also lighter, nearly as fast, and less expensive.

Looking over the specs of the all-new 2018 BMW M5 is unquestionably fun. A 600 hp high-performance luxury sedan that’s also a more than suitable daily driver and family hauler? Sign us up. But there’s another sedan, a direct M5 competitor in fact, that also checks those family-friendly boxes as well as providing blistering performance. And yes, it’s more powerful and lighter. That would be the Cadillac CTS-V and its Corvette Z06-sourced V8. Let’s look at some numbers.

The new M5 delivers a total of 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, and blasts to 62 mph in a mere 3.4 seconds. Not even a decade ago these were supercar figures. But the CTS-V has the M5 beat. Its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 spits out 640 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. Right, the M5 features a 4.4-liter twin-turbo, so neither sedan has the honor of claiming its naturally aspirated, but there’s just something about supercharging that screams ridiculous (literally, superchargers have a genuine shriek sound). Jaguar abides by this philosophy as well, and God bless them for that. Is the new M5 more refined than the CTS-V? Perhaps. It's German-made.

Those Germans love refinement, and they’ve mastered the art of balancing refinement with over-the-top performance capabilities. So let’s think of the CTS-V as the hot rod sedan that’s (probably somewhat) less refined than the new M5, but not nearly the punch to the gut that is the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Another, and always important factor to consider is weight, and it’s very likely the CTS-V has the M5 beat here. For some reason, BMW hasn’t released an official figure, but Car and Driver estimates it tips the scales at around 4,300 pounds (and this is after BMW dropped the heavy dual-clutch for a single-clutch automatic, and a number of other weight-saving methods). The CTS-V weighs around 4,140 pounds.

We’ve reviewed the CTS-V before and were beyond impressed, thanks to its magnetorheological dampers, incredible Brembo brakes, and also insane performance (0-60 = 3.6 seconds). No doubt the new M5 will blow our minds away once we get some wheel time. The added grip provided by its all-wheel drive system will likely make it faster around the track than the RWD- only CTS-V. But at the end of the day, those dead set on a BMW will take the M5. They may not even bother cross shopping. But for anyone else in the market, the CTS-V is just as ludicrous for less dough.

2020 Cadillac Escalade: Will The Upcoming Redesign Still Bring The Bling?

And what about the previously rumored three engine options? Answers are arriving.

We know Cadillac is expected to reveal its next-generation Escalade SUV sometime next year. Never before has a redesign been so needed for one of the brand’s best-selling and most recognizable vehicles. But the question we’ve been wondering, and we know we’re not alone, is whether the fifth-gen Escalade’s design will go bold or stick to an evolution of its current formula? In other words, will its “bling” styling be replaced with a new design language?

According to The Detroit Free Press, a Miami, Florida-based Cadillac dealership owner, who was shown the 2020 Escalade at its national meeting in Las Vegas last week, described the new SUV as being “really jazzy.”

Okay, so what does that even mean? “Evolutionary, not revolutionary,” said Williamson Automotive Group owner Ed Williamson. “The Escalade was up on a stage, they had a camera inside that projected on a screen so we could see the inside,” added Tyler Thompson, general manager of Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac in Springfield, Missouri. “We need it, and the interiors on the XT6 and Escalade are gorgeous.”

Given the fact the Escalade has fresh and serious competition from the recently redesigned and hot-selling Lincoln Navigator, it makes sense for Cadillac to stick with a design theme it knows it can do well. Like with all previous Escalades, the new one will ride on the same platform as GM’s full-size pickup trucks, meaning it’ll benefit from the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra’s architecture.

Another previous rumor we heard was that Cadillac planned to offer up to three engine options for its long-running SUV this time around. Apparently, that’s not the case. Dealer owner Williamson confirmed the “powertrain is the same as the current generation,” meaning the 6.2-liter V8 with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque will stick around for the time being. However, the new Escalade will feature a console shift, instead of the current and seriously outdated steering column stalk shifter.

As for the aforementioned XT6, this is the three-row crossover Cadillac desperately needs in order to stay competitive. The 2019 Cadillac XT6 is expected to debut this January at Detroit.