2018 Buick Regal: Two new takes on an old favorite

[MoSSaN69]

An all-new Buick Regal will debut at Manhattan’s Javits Center, home of the New York Auto Show. However, dedicated show-followers have already had a preview, when Opel unveiled its new Insignia sedan and wagon last month in Geneva.

What does a new Opel have to do with Buick? It’s no secret that the German company has long been a European engineering resource for General Motors, a history that dates to GM’s acquisition of Opel in 1929. That history is winding down. Not only did Geneva serve as a showplace for the Insignia, it also served as the forum for GM’s announcement that the much anticipated sale of its German subsidiary along with its U.K. Vauxhall brand, was a done deal, and that the new owner is PSA (Peugeot Citroen), the French company.

Given that backdrop, it was only natural to wonder about GM’s plan to adapt the Insignia for U.S. duty as the Regal. Would it be business as usual with Russelsheim, where Opel assembles the Insignia? And would the Opel Cascada convertible continue to be a Buick?

The answer, for the foreseeable future, is yes. Though GM will no longer control Opel, Buick will remain a client rather than overlord. The 2018 Regal will go into production September first in Russelsheim, as scheduled, and, according to Buick global VP Duncan Aldred, the Opel ownership transfer “will have no impact on fresh new models that are developing now.” Buick models, that is.

[St Koppen]

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Edited August 25, 2017 by KoppenRPV