Buick Releases Encore Teaser Ahead Of Detroit
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Just a few minutes ago, Buick released a teaser image of the Encore — its new compact five-passenger crossover. The design of the front facia appears similar to the new Verano compact sedan, with the primary projector-style headlamp carrying the blue Buick tinge that’s become synonymous with the brand.
Buick released the photo accompanied by the following description:
Get ready for the 2013 Buick Encore, an all-new stylish crossover that seats up to five passengers and debuts at the 2012 North American International Auto Show next month. In the coming weeks, we’ll reveal a full photo of the Encore as we get closer to its official reveal on Jan. 10. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more details!
Some other elements of the Encore that meet the eye:
- Headlamp enclosure has a horizontally-placed plastic insert — not sure how we feel about this quite yet
- Small Buick logo on the inside headlamp
- Single parking sensor on the front bumper
- Hood portholes
- Body-mounted mirrors
- Sweepstakes Of The Month: Win a 2023 Corvette Z06 Convertible. Details here.
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@Babersher. This is true about preference. What I’m trying to get at is the REASON behind such a preference. To me, the psychology of buying a car is fascinating, since I lean more towards the marketing area.
Of course the 2002 Prius was the small, Yaris-sized, dorky kid on the block when nobody on earth ( except Japan ) had ever heard of a “hybrid car”. My second gen Prius was the one that rocked the car world (2004-2009 over 2 million sold). It’s larger, it’s aero and it has capability belying it’s apparent size. My entire family used to diss my Prius because they said-“Oh we need a much bigger car-that thing is tiny!”… But I’d ask them to sit inside and then fill it with something they regularly would think would not fit in such a car… My brother put a small refrigerator in back and stood back and scratched his head-” IT FITS!” , he proclaimed. The illusion of Prius is that it’s wheels are pushed far out to the corners and it has nearly no overhang.This gives it capacity inside that for one, is larger than a common small CUV without it’s seats folded down. And more with it’s seats folded down.This year Toyota introduced Prius V, a Prius with more headroom and a taller cargo area. This is the direction GM needs to go – unfortunately they are following and not leading in this category.
The common Joe knows nothing about aerodynamics. I tell them to roll down the window at freeway speeds and stick their flat hand vertically out the window. “WHOA!”, they say, as the wind nearly pulls their arm off.Then I tell them this is why nature designs birds and fish so slickly so they use less energy to pass through their environment and do what they need to survive. Just look at a shark – then realize they’ve been on earth much longer than we. This is why boxy, high SUVs and CUVs make me scratch me head. And it’s no doubt as automakers are forced to meet more stringent C.A.F.E. rules you’ll see even trucks, vans and CUVs with more streamlined noses.
What people do notice is MPG. When the price of gasoline hovers at around $3.25 per gallon for regular unleaded, nobody panics. But when it goes near or over $4.00 people DO PANIC. The sales graph of Toyota Prii is very predictable. In 2007 I bought mine no problem in April, but in June when gas prices hit their Summer high, I couldn’t find one on the lot and on Craigslist or EbayMotors the only ones available had that little asterisk noting they had been totalled. In 2008 during that gas crunch Toyota had a three month waiting list!
High seating – truck-like visability, and the misnomer that you’re safer in a BIG vehicle all go down the drain during gas crunches like 1972, 2008, and 2011. When it costs you in the shorts for those features – it’s just not so attractive. Plus that sinking feeling that nobody wants your gasbeast and it has absolutely zero resale value.
Right now Americans have a three month memory when it comes to gas prices. It’s been shown that after that three month gas sticker shock at the pump – Americans will settle down and keep their ICE heavy drinkers when the price of a gallon settles back down to around $3.00 per gallon. Which is really strange, because they know it will go back up again – and what they do not realize is PEAK OIL, and that petroleum is not a renewable resource.
Iran has it’s largest foreign embassy in Venezuela. Hugo Chavez is NOT our friend. In 2010 Venezuela invited Russia to perform the first nuclear naval excercises in tandem with their navy – the first such excercises since the fall of the Iron Curtain! You know Venezuela is one of our largest providers of foreign crude, right? Last I checked they were #3, but some years they have been listed as high as #2, right behind Canada, and in front of Saudi Arabia. America imports 63% of it’s crude oil. This year, President Obama reduced skyrocketing Spring/Summer oil prices by releasing some of our strategic oil reserves! Are you listening?
Does a comfortable form factor, or sitting high above the road equate to a priority in our lives large enough to embolden and strengthen the enemies of the USA and our way of life?
^thats what happens when you buy a Prius.